The Violet Quill
Encyclopedia
The Violet Quill was a group of seven gay male writers that met in 1980 and 1981 in New York City
to read from their writings to each other and to critique them. This group and the writers epitomize the years between the Stonewall Riots
and the beginning of the AIDS
pandemic.
gay writers in America, and the group includes writers and works that have been linked to gay writing as a literary movement. Edmund White and Andrew Holleran in particular stand out.
(b. 1940), Andrew Holleran
(b. 1944), Robert Ferro
(1941-1988), Felice Picano
(b. 1944), George Whitmore
(1946-1989), Michael Grumley
(1942-1988), and Christopher Cox
(1949-1990). AIDS claimed the lives of four of these writers between 1988 and 1990, leaving three alive.
Gay fiction before the Violet Quill was of four classes. The first two were primarily or ostensibly for straight audiences where the gay characters are either minor to the main theme, or in which they live tragic lives and then died. The third was those of high literary vales and were therefore valued by critics. The fourth was gay pornography.
The AIDS sea change not only resulted in the death of many members of the gay community, but forever changed gay literature, including gay fiction.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to read from their writings to each other and to critique them. This group and the writers epitomize the years between the Stonewall Riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
and the beginning of the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
pandemic.
Importance
What made this group important was that several of its members became some of the most important Post-StonewallStonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
gay writers in America, and the group includes writers and works that have been linked to gay writing as a literary movement. Edmund White and Andrew Holleran in particular stand out.
Members
The seven writers are: Edmund WhiteEdmund White
Edmund Valentine White III is an American author and literary critic. He is a member of the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing.- Life and work :...
(b. 1940), Andrew Holleran
Andrew Holleran
Andrew Holleran is the pseudonym of Eric Garber , a novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is a prominent novelist of post-Stonewall gay literature. He was a member of The Violet Quill, a gay writer's group that met briefly from 1980-81. The Violet Quill included other prolific gay writers...
(b. 1944), Robert Ferro
Robert Ferro
Robert Ferro was an American novelist whose semi-autobiographical fiction explored the uneasy integration of homosexuality and traditional American upper-middle-class values.-Biography:...
(1941-1988), Felice Picano
Felice Picano
Felice Picano is an American writer. He graduated cum laude from Queens College in 1964 with English department honors. He founded SeaHorse Press in 1977, and The Gay Presses of New York in 1981 with Terry Helbing and Larry Mitchell; he was Editor-in-Chief there. He was an editor and writer for...
(b. 1944), George Whitmore
George Whitmore
- Biography :George Whitmore lived in Manhattan.He was a member of The Violet Quill, the Gay Academic Union and the Gay Men's Health Crisis.Alongside his novels and non-fiction work, he wrote for the New York Times Magazine,the Advocate, the New York Native, and Christopher Street.- Bibliography...
(1946-1989), Michael Grumley
Michael Grumley
-Biography:Grumley was born in Bettendorf, Iowa. He attended the University of Denver, the City College of New York and the Iowa Writers' Workshop Grumley received a B.S. Degree with a major in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on June 7, 1964....
(1942-1988), and Christopher Cox
Christopher Cox (writer)
Christopher Cox in Manhattan, New York City) was an American writer.-Biography:Cox, who was gay, is perhaps best known for his collaboration within The Violet Quill. He later went on to become senior editor of Ballantine Books....
(1949-1990). AIDS claimed the lives of four of these writers between 1988 and 1990, leaving three alive.
History
Felice Picano recalls that the group started because straight editors, agents, and fellow writers weren't being helpful with advice on gay themed writing.Gay fiction before the Violet Quill was of four classes. The first two were primarily or ostensibly for straight audiences where the gay characters are either minor to the main theme, or in which they live tragic lives and then died. The third was those of high literary vales and were therefore valued by critics. The fourth was gay pornography.
The AIDS sea change not only resulted in the death of many members of the gay community, but forever changed gay literature, including gay fiction.
Selected works by the members of The Violet Quill
- Andrew Holleran - Dancer from the DanceDancer from the DanceDancer from the Dance is a 1978 novel by Andrew Holleran about gay men in New York City, United States.-Plot summary:The novel revolves around two main characters: Anthony Malone, a young man from the Midwest who leaves behind his "straight" life as a lawyer to immerse himself in the gay life of...
(1978) - Edmund White - A Boy's Own StoryA Boy's Own StoryA Boy’s Own Story is a 1982 semi-autobiographical novel by Edmund White.-Overview:A Boy’s Own Story is the first of a trilogy of novels, describing a boy’s coming of age and documenting a young man’s experience of homosexuality in the 1950s in New Jersey...
(1982) - Robert Ferro - The Family of Max Desir (1983)
- Felice Picano - An Asian MinorAn Asian MinorAn Asian Minor is a novel by Felice Picano in which he re-invents the myth of Ganymede. In Greek Mythology, Ganymede was the cupbearer of Olympus and the beloved of Zeus, chief of the gods...
(1981) - George Whitmore - The Confessions of Danny Slocum (1980)
- Michael Grumley - After Midnight (1978)
- Christopher Cox - A Key West Companion (1983)