Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
The New York Years: Stories by Felice Picano
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The New York Years: Stories by Felice Picano [Paperback]

Felice Picano (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.com

This handsome volume is a reprint of Felice Picano's early story collection, Slashed to Ribbons in Defense of Love (1981), as well as the novella An Asian Minor: The True Story of Ganymede (1982), both long out of print. In his brief introduction--which constitutes, as he points out, a miniature history of gay publishing of the period--Picano recounts the circumstances under which these pieces first appeared. Written in the pivotal decade between 1972 and 1981, they emerged in various forms beginning in 1978, some in skin mags like Stallion and Blueboy. Many have since been anthologized. Rereading them now, Picano reflects that he is "less embarrassed" than he expected to be by these early efforts, and that only the first story, "Spinning," about a New York club disc jockey known as "The King of Smooth," is obviously dated to a pre-AIDS disco-and-drugs era. But the rest of these stories, especially "Shy," which is based on a real sexual encounter with the famously shy Montgomery Clift; the much-reprinted ghost story "Hunter"; and "A Stroke," in which a successful young songwriter shows himself off to the father who rejected him, are as well written and immediate as any contemporary gay fiction. --Regina Marler

Product Description

An Excerpt: Slashed To Ribbons in Defense of Love

"It's about time you decided to wake up! We have a brunch at one o'clock, as you very well know."

Gary was up, dressed, sitting across the room sipping coffee and smoking a cigarillo. He'd been out: the Sunday Times sat unopened on a nearby chair.

"It's almost twelve now. A cab will take at least fifteen minutes. If we can find one. Go shower. You know you take forever in there."

Behind Gary's head, sunlight came in through the skylighted dressing room and pushed through the flecked fibers of the shoji-screen. Spence could see the gold flecking on the rice paper very clearly today. The undulating fields of lacquered flowers were backlighted--bright as persimmons--Gary's face was in shadow.

"I want you to know beforehand that this brunch is extremely important to me. Arnie has invited Seitelman, the Oriental Art expert. I've been trying to get near him for months. I want him to come look at those Monoyamo scrolls I picked up last month."

Gary exhaled blue smoke. It floated into the sunlight, turned grey then yellow then grey again. He exhaled again and a second cloud rose to meet the first in a billow. It spread thinly, forming a tiny tornado around the head of the smiling Shinto statue precariously perched on a wall shelf. The Shinto idol kept smiling; it never seemed to notice the smoke descend again and form a flat halo directly over Gary's head. Spence noticed though. He laughed.

"I'm not kidding, Spence. Arnie's gone to a lot of trouble to get Seitelman. And it will take a lot of tact to keep him there. So I don't want any interference from you. Is that clear?"

Gary exhaled forcefully and broke the halo. He began picking at the edge of the cup he was drinking from as though it were crusted with something. It was his favorite china--from the Northern Sung--and invaluable. Spence never touched it. He only used china that could be dropped: or thrown. Gary frowned. Spence turned over in bed.

"As soon as you've met him, go to the other end of the room or table or wherever we are. And stay there. And, Spence, do try to keep your pin-sized knowledge of art to yourself. No one is interested, I assure you."

If Gary weren't dre

See all Product Description

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelous collection, Aug 26 2003
This review is from: The New York Years: Stories by Felice Picano (Paperback)
Bringing together two previous books, "An Asian Minor" (1981) and "Slashed to Ribbons in Defense of Love" (1983), "The New York Years" is a marvelous collection of stories not only showcasing Picano's deft style, but also gay lives in the late 1970s and early 1980s. "A Stroke" is about a gay man and his family as they deal with their ailing father. "Hunter" is a potent and erotic story about a young writer dealing with the ghost of a writer he admired. "And Baby Makes Three" explores the love in a gay male couple whose age difference could make or break their future. And his remarkable "An Asian Minor" is a retelling of the Ganymede myth as he meets and romances Hermes, Apollo, and finally Zeus. The dozen tales in this slim volume still resonate truth decades later.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


5.0 out of 5 stars Gay writing at its best, Aug 13 2002
By 
This review is from: The New York Years: Stories by Felice Picano (Paperback)
An engaging collection that belong's in everyone's library.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4.0 out of 5 stars Looking at old photographs in the company of strangers, April 22 2001
By 
Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The New York Years: Stories by Felice Picano (Paperback)
Felice Picano has demonstrated almost yearly that he can spin tales about memorable characters and convince us that even the most bizarre of these are people he actually has encountered. This collection of early short stories, while not up to his current polish as a writer, suggest writing traits that indeed have blossomed into a now mature man of letters. There is much to be scanned in some of these tales, but there is equally much to savour. His intimate gossip (or is it reportage?) is evident here and for those who keep up with Picano's prodigious output, there are suggestions of characters we are only now encountering in fully fleshed out detail. These stories remind me of the feelings of insecurity we have when we pull off the shelf old photo albums of how we were trying to become ourselves in the trying times of youth. Well, this time the Picano in the photos is a success story....and these stories might well be food for future biographers.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars 
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews



Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject



















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?