Not too long ago I wrote that I've really made a turn in my enjoyment in reading non-fiction. Two of the best books I've read lately are Tyrone Guthrie's A New Theatre, and Malcolm Gadwell's Blink.
And then there are essay collections. What are essay? Seems to me they're pretty much like blog posts except in paper print, usually for a classier magazine or newspaper.
And while it could very well just be my perception of things, it seems that two of the bigger names in personal essay writing are David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs. Both names are mentioned in some of the literary websites, and both have a few books out that are recognizable.
I remember picking up Sedaris's Barrel Fever at a friend's house and after skimming a few entries, getting a chuckle and making a mental note to read more of his work.
But now, having read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by Sedaris and being nearly finished with Burroughs's Magical Thinking, I've come to the conclusion that I'll never be a successful essayist if, for no other reason, than the fact that I am not gay. Both authors, in these two collections, not only point out their sexuality, but shove it, metaphorically, in the reader's face. And yet, the essays aren't about being gay. Maybe that's why I have a problem with them.
I suppose, if an essay is a little slice of a life experience, and the author happens to be gay, then that essay will contain homosexual elements, and then, obviously, I am not the targeted reader. Silly me. Somehow I thought that big name essayists would be writing in such a way as to have something to say that would impact most readers and not just those with a particular sexual orientiation. Not so, says I.
Sedaris's book doesn't dwell on his sexual preference nearly as much as Burroughs, but after reading the book, I came away picturing Sedaris as whiny, manipulative, argumentative, and bitchy, and I completely disliked the man himself.
What I've come away with so far from the Burroughs book is that he is an insecure, alcoholic, physique-obsessed homosexual. And why would I read his essays? I'm asking myself that same question.
Do people really enjoy reading about the masochistic, self-destructive nature of homosexuals?
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7 comments:
What's the difference between "essay" and "memoir"? I've generally seen Sedaris' writing classified as memoir.
While I'm pretty confident you didn't intend this, your post comes dangerously close to making some blanket statements about gays. I think you and I have both known enough people who are openly gay not to say that, and I don't think you intended to.
Good question. Is a memoirist an essayist who only writes about himself?
I am aware of the potentially deflammatory (pun intended) comments toward homosexuals in the blog. I thought about not posting, but these two books have upset me.
Not to sound like a cliche, but I do consider a few homosexuals among my friends. Even close friends. Hanging out with these friends, it wouldn't be unusual to make jokes or to hear them talk about certain sexual exploits -- though never, as far as I can recall, explicit.
Listening to someone I don't know talk about how the best blow jobs he's ever received came from three different Catholic priests (Burroughs does this), would cause me to wrinkle my nose and let out an, "Eeauw" sigh.
My problem with the essays/memoirs is that the sexuality of the writer seems to be important enough to the writer that comments must be made, but rarely is it necessary to the telling of the story. I think that I would equally be unhappy with a heterosexual author who kept tossing in comments about his sex life or his observations of women when it had nothing to do with the rest of the article.
And...having nothing to do with their sexuality, I've come away from both books not liking the author. Neither of them strike me as the kind of person I would want to meet, much less go out and have a beer (or Dr. Pepper) with.
You know, I've been thinking more about this, and it actually rather ticks me off. Because of the way these authors infuse their sex lives, and the very fact of their homosexuality in to these memoirs, by not enjoying reading them for the very fact that they've seen fit to mention their sexual appetite on nearly every page, my not liking them can't help but come across as not liking them because they're gay. This certainly isn't true. I don't like them because the way they write about their lives makes it seems that their lives are about being gay. And reading about that holds no interest to me.
All that said, I've enjoyed the last few articles in the Burroughs book much more than any of the others.
But I'm whiny, manipulative, argumentative, and bitchy. Bummer, I'm all gay now.
I wonder if reading Burroughs at the same time colored your reading of Sedaris. When I read Dress Your Children, his homosexuality didn't feel in your face to me. It's sad that you're going to miss Me Talk Pretty Someday, because it's a very funny piece. I really liked the pieces about his mom in the snow and his black sheep sister.
I woudl improvise the following distinction between a personal essay and a memoir: a personal essay approaches a theme through the filter of a life; a memoir approaches a life through the filter of a theme.
K: In regards to gayness: I'm a forty-something, unmarried male who lives alone, and isn't into sports, but is into theatre (even musical theatre). The fact that my house is a mess is the only thing that's keeping me from being gay. It's my reason not to clean it.
K, I have no doubt that Burroughs colored my reading of Sedaris as to the gayness. Though the memoirs piece that stands out the most is Sedaris as a child forced to go on a sleepover party, playing strip poker, winning, and when the other boys had stripped all they could he had them keep playing, and when they lost he'd have them do things such as sit on his lap.
Having had a chance to be away from the books for a bit now, I still don't come away liking Sedaris. My reaction, by the end, was, "What a jerk." (I think the piece about the spats with his partner and his refusal to let his partner "win" an argument, sealed it for me.)
I don't think you're "whiny, manipulative, argumentative, and bitchy" and if I let on that I associates those traits with homosexuals, I am sorry. If that were so, I'd be flaming. What I didn't like was that both Sedaris and Burroughs seemed to be whiny, manipulative, argumentative, bitchy, homosexuals." For Burroughs especially, his sexuality was very important to him. Important enough to find the need to write about it in each piece. He also seemed very obsessed with physique.
I don't mind reading pieces that contain any of the traits mentioned above -- in small doses. But a book full of them is likely to turn me off. I don't want to be in a room with someone constantly acting whiny, argumentative, bitchy, etc., nor would I want to hang out with a man who constantly talks about his gay life style. It seems so one-dimensional.
As I think I wrote, I turned to Sedaris based on some of his other writing which I enjoyed, so perhaps I'll give him another shot.
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