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A review by eriknoteric
Memoirs by John Waters, Tennessee Williams
2.0
Tennessee Williams was one of the most brilliant and creative writers of the 20th century but his complicated persona comes to the forefront in this rambling, unaware memoir.
At times a poignant reflection on coming of age gay in the 1930s South, Williams begins his memoir with an interesting narrative of his time before fame as he gallivanted and came into his sexual identity. These initial stories are insightful and tell the story of a gay man experiencing the freedoms that come with embracing cruising and sexual exploration. Unfortunately the second half of the book devolves into a meandering collection of stories overflowing with remorse for failing his lover of 14 years, Frankie, who Williams abandons as Frankie dies of cancer. Add to this stories of a self-destructive man who refuses to acknowledge his responsibility in his own downfall and the latter half of the memoir becomes almost unbearable to read.
A fan of memoirs by literary greats, I simply couldn't get into this, a memoir that in its form reflects the morose complexities that came to define its author in his later life. Skip the memoir and instead read "Leading Men" by Christopher Castellani - though its fiction, it gives a much more honest retelling of the life of Tennessee Williams.
At times a poignant reflection on coming of age gay in the 1930s South, Williams begins his memoir with an interesting narrative of his time before fame as he gallivanted and came into his sexual identity. These initial stories are insightful and tell the story of a gay man experiencing the freedoms that come with embracing cruising and sexual exploration. Unfortunately the second half of the book devolves into a meandering collection of stories overflowing with remorse for failing his lover of 14 years, Frankie, who Williams abandons as Frankie dies of cancer. Add to this stories of a self-destructive man who refuses to acknowledge his responsibility in his own downfall and the latter half of the memoir becomes almost unbearable to read.
A fan of memoirs by literary greats, I simply couldn't get into this, a memoir that in its form reflects the morose complexities that came to define its author in his later life. Skip the memoir and instead read "Leading Men" by Christopher Castellani - though its fiction, it gives a much more honest retelling of the life of Tennessee Williams.