Autobiography / Gay Interest
|
The
End of Being Known What could have been a maudlin, sentimental memoir in a time when that brand of book is the norm became a poetic tribute to resilience and creativity. A Lambda Literary Award-winning poet, Klein (1990) gives an episodic form to his memories rather than a chronological one, and rather than make himself the hero, he riffs on what has occurred in his life in a way that will provoke reflection. While it's true that many readers will not find his experience of bathhouses or fraternal incest familiar, most will be rewarded by Klein's amazing ability to integrate life and interpretation. His life has been difficult—dealing with alcoholism, familial mental illness, and the AIDS epidemic. The difference is that Klein makes sense of this life instead of turning it into cliché or a nihilistic pit. He can also write eloquently about the great issues of friendship, love, and trust, making the specifics of his life applicable to any. Recommended.—David Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libraries., Philadelphia "Michael Klein's failing as a voice-over
artist—casting directors found him "too unique"—is
his great strength as a chronicler of this and other exploits
in The End of Being Known. He beams language through the
prism of his inimitable style, and a dazzle of hidden hues are
revealed." Written in poet Michael Klein's uniquely passionate voice, The End of Being Known explores the lines that define yet also blur the boundaries of sex, friendship, and compatibility. This collection of autobiographical essays probes the manifestations of sexual desire in its mystical variety: incest, falling in love, being a twin, and inhabiting the world of anonymous sex—in practice, and, in an essay about the Body Electric movement—as something recuperative and renewing. Each essay unfurls in a hybrid of poetry, narrative, and fragmentary literary devices. Here is an uncompromising gaze upon the quandaries of those whose sexual, emotional, and relational worlds collide, yielding no answer to the riddle of desire. "Michael Klein has the gruff voice of Lionel Stander and the fine-tuned soul of Rilke. He writes beautifully. This is not just poetic prose but a strange prose concentrate that mixes sweet metaphor and brute fact, high ideals and earthbound comedy. Klein can suggest more in a single paragraph than many of us can say in a hundred pages."—Christopher Bram, author of Father of Frankenstein and Gossip "Michael Klein makes muscular, restless, relentless sentences that keep coming at you. This is a book of difficult, beautiful lyricism. The End of Being Known is, in the end, a knowing memoir, an archeology of a man's body and mind rendered through language. How is it such a turbulent interrogation results in a reader's joy?"—Victoria Redel, author of Swoon "Michael Klein, like Duras, peels back the layers of his emotional life to examine the inner workings of his emotional and sexual soul. The results are stellar, Klein writes with a nearly hallucinatory attention to detail and an honesty that is as fascinating as it is disarming."—Darcey Steinke, author of Suicide Blonde "In a world where most individuals
are indifferent, dishonest, and cruel—Michael Klein is a
model for truth and responsibility. He faces his trauma and illness
with eyes wide open, refusing to pretend, withhold, or destroy.
Instead, he does the interior work that no one else wants to
do, and emerges as a man who deserves the gifts of life. This
is a very very valuable book."—Sarah Schulman, author
of Shimmer "He can write eloquently about the great issues of friendship, love, and trust, making the specifics of his life applicable to any. Recommended." —David Azzolina, Universiry of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia Michael Klein is an award-winning poet and author. His poetry collections 1990 and Poets for Life are winners of the Lambda Literary Book Award. He lives in New York City and teaches memoir writing in the summer program at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. For more information contact our publicity manager, phone: (608) 263-0734, email: publicity@uwpress.wisc.edu |
To
order, you can accumulate titles in
the Shopping Cart by clicking on the bulleted lines
below. You
can submit your order electronically, paying for it with MasterCard
or Visa.
Never
ordered from us before? |
