Grief

In the tradition of Michael Cunningham's The Hours, a beautiful novel destined to become a classic Reeling from the recent death of his invalid mother, a worn, jaded professor comes to our nation's capital to recuperate from his loss. What he finds there--in his repressed, lonely landlord, in the city's mood and architecture, and in the letters and journals of Mary Todd Lincoln--shows him new, poignant truths about America, yearning, loneliness, and mourning itself.Since Andrew Holleran first burst onto the scene with 1978's groundbreaking Dancer from the Dance, which has been continuously in print, he has been dazzling readers and critics with his haunting, brilliant prose. The Publishing Triangle ranks Dancer from the Dance at #15 on its list of the 100 best lesbian and gay novels ever, along with titles by Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf. A new Andrew Holleran book is a major literary event; with Grief, Holleran is poised to reach a wider audience than ever before. A Pensive, Creative, And Haunting Novel That Speaks Expressly To The Heart Without Sentimentality, By The Author Of Dancer From The Dance (1978), An Important Novel From The 1970s-'80s Gay-lit Renaissance. The Title Of Holleran's New Novel States Its Theme. He Offers The Story Of A Middle-aged Gay Man Heading To Washington, D.c., To Live And Teach For A Short Term, To Get Away From His Hometown After His Mother's Death. He Takes A Room In An Elegant Townhouse Owned By Another Middle-aged Gay Man, Who Is Slowly And Quietly Grieving Over The Loss Of Youthful Energy, Attractiveness, And Prowess. While Living In Washington And Commiserating With His Landlord And The Friend They Have In Common Over The Loss Of Lives The Tsunami Of Aids Caused In The '80s, He Rather Accidentally Picks Up A Volume Containing The Letters Of Mary Todd Lincoln, And He Is Taken By Her Grief And Sense Of Displacement After Her Husband's Death And Ends Up Reading Every Page. His Plan, However, Especially In Coming To Washington, Is To Start Life Over Again, Which Mrs. Lincoln Was Never Able To Do--her Grief And Loneliness Became A Deep Well From Which She Couldn't Escape. Holleran's Message--that Grief Is Never Avoidable For Any Of Us--is So Sensitively Rendered That It Never Impedes The Swift Development Of The Story Line. - From Booklist (ala). Andrew Holleran. Stonewall Book Award-barbara Gittings Literature Award, 2007. Reeling from the recent death of his invalid mother, a worn, jaded professor comes to our nation's capital to recuperate from his loss. What he finds there -- in his repressed, lonely landlord, in the city's mood and architecture, and in the letters and journals of Mary Todd Lincoln -- shows him new, poignant truths about America, yearning, loneliness, and mourning itself. Since Andrew Holleran first burst onto the scene with 1978's groundbreaking Dancer from the Dance, which has been continuously in print, he has been dazzling readers and critics with his haunting, brilliant prose. The Publishing Triangle ranks Dancer from the Dance at #15 on its list of the 100 best lesbian and gay novels ever, along with titles by Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf. A new Andrew Holleran book is a major literary event; with Grief, Holleran is poised to reach a wider audience than ever before. Reeling from the recent death of his invalid mother, an exhausted, lonely professor comes to Washington, D.C. to escape his previous life. What he finds there — in his handsome, solitary landlord; in the city’s somber mood and sepulchral architecture; and in the strange and impassioned journals of Mary Todd Lincoln — shows him unexpected truths about America and loss. Andrew Holleran is the author of three other novels, Dancer from the Dance, Nights in Aruba, and The Beauty of Men . He has also written a book of essays, Ground Zero , and a book of short stories, In September the Light Changes . Holleran lives in Washington, D.C.