Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

Edmund White Discusses his Biography of Genet.

Writer Edmund White. He has been called "unquestionably the foremost American gay novelist." White's novels draw significantly from his own experiences in a style he calls "auto-fiction." In his newest book, "Genet: A Biography" (Knopf), White documents the life of controversial French writer, Jean Genet. Genet had a reputation as a dandy, a thief, a vagabond --- a "thug of genius." White calls him "one of France's most original and forceful novelists of the twentieth century." White has also written "Forgetting Elena," "A Boy's Own Story," and six other books of fiction and non-fiction.

22:56
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on November 8, 1993

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, November 8, 1993: Interview with Edmund White; Interview with Roy Lichtenstein; Review of the Breeders' album "Last Splash."
Queue
16:07

American Artist Roy Lichtenstein.

American artist Roy Lichtenstein. He was one of the inventors of pop art in the 1960's, finding inspiration for his paintings in comic books and advertisements. (More recently, he's found it in the yellow pages of the phone book). Lichtenstein's work often replicates the heavy black outlines, bright colors and dots of a color comic strip found in a newspaper. Called by one critic the "supreme virtuoso of pop", his work is filled with constant references to high and low arts as well as to his own work.

Interview

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
18:55

Edmund White's 'Lives'

Edmund White has been writing about gay culture in fiction and nonfiction since the 1970s. He has a new autobiography, My Lives. White is director of the creative writing program at Princeton University.

Interview
Queue
21:41

Edmund White's 'Arts and Letters'

Edmund White has been writing about gay culture in fiction and nonfiction since the 1970s. His new book is a collection of his essays, Arts and Letters. White is director of the creative writing program at Princeton University.

Interview
Queue
44:59

Novelist Edmund White Completes His Autobiographical Trilogy of Novels.

Novelist Edmund White has just completed his semi-autobiographical trilogy. The new novel The Farewell Symphony (Knopf) focuses on gay life from the 1960’s to the present. His other books include A Boy’s Own Story,The Beautiful Room is Empty,Genet: A Biography, Forgetting Elena, Nocturnes for the King of Naples, States of Desire: Travels in Gay America, The Joy of Gay Sex, and Caracole.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

32:56

Remembering Irish singer–songwriter Glen Hansard

Best-known for his band The Frames and his part in the 2007 film Once, Hansard got his start as a street busker in Dublin. He died July 29 in a motorcycle crash. Originally broadcast in 2008.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

08:42

Celebrating Tony Bennett on what would have been his 100th birthday

Bennett, who died in 2023, was known for a string of hits, including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation and remembers some of Bennett's lesser-known songs.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

08:52

'I Want Your Sex' urges Gen Z to get a little more X-rated

In the new comedy "I Want Your Sex," Olivia Wilde plays an LA-based artist who initiates a dominant-submissive relationship with her younger employee, played by Cooper Hoffman. It's the first new feature in 12 years from the queer cinema pioneer Gregg Araki, and it's opening in theaters today after premiering to much acclaim in January at the Sundance Film Festival. Our film critic, Justin Chang, has this review.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue