Lambda Literary Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1989) Winner
-
Edition 5 (1993) Winner
Edmund White
エドマンド・ヴァレンタイン・ホワイト
Edmund Valentine White III
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1940-01-13 （Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.）
- Died
- 2025-06-03 （New York City (Chelsea, Manhattan), U.S.） age 85
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Raised Christian Scientist; atheist
- Residence History
- Cincinnati (birth) → Evanston / Chicago area (raised) → New York City (long-term residence) → Paris, France (1983–1990)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, essayist
- Active Years
- 1973-2025
- Memberships
- The Violet Quill (gay writers' group), American Academy of Arts and Letters (member)
- Influenced By
- Jean Genet, Marcel Proust, André Gide, Vladimir Nabokov, Christopher Isherwood
- Influenced
- Édouard Louis, Garth Greenwell, Garrard Conley, Alexander Chee, A generation of queer writers
- Nominations
- 1994 Pulitzer Prize (Biography) — nominee for Genet: A Biography, 1992 Lambda Literary Award — nomination (Faber Book of Gay Short Fiction)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranbrook Schools | — | — | — | 〜1958 | United States |
| University of Michigan | — | Chinese (major) | — | 在学（年月不詳） | United States |
Cranbrook Schools
Period:
〜1958
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
United States
Wrote novels during high school
University of Michigan
Chinese (major)
Period:
在学（年月不詳）
Country:
United States
Majored in Chinese
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1988 | Lambda Literary Award (Gay Fiction) | The Beautiful Room Is Empty | — | Lambda Literary | 受賞 |
| 1989 | Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement | — | — | Publishing Triangle | 受賞 |
| 1993 | David R. Kessler Award in LGBTQ Studies | — | — | CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies | 受賞 |
| 1993 | National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography) | Genet (biography) | — | National Book Critics Circle | 受賞 |
| 1993 | Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres | — | — | French Ministry / Ordre des Arts et des Lettres | 受章 |
| 1994 | Pulitzer Prize (Biography or Autobiography) | Genet: A Biography | — | Pulitzer Prize | ノミネート（ファイナリスト） |
| 2002 | Stonewall Book Award | Loss Within Loss: Artists in the Age of AIDS | — | American Library Association (ALA) | 受賞 |
| 2018 | PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction | — | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| 2019 | National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
Guggenheim Fellowship
1983
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Lambda Literary Award (Gay Fiction)
1988
Work:
The Beautiful Room Is Empty
Organization:
Lambda Literary
Result:
受賞
Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement
1989
Organization:
Publishing Triangle
Result:
受賞
David R. Kessler Award in LGBTQ Studies
1993
Organization:
CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies
Result:
受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography)
1993
Work:
Genet (biography)
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
受賞
Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1993
Organization:
French Ministry / Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Result:
受章
Pulitzer Prize (Biography or Autobiography)
1994
Work:
Genet: A Biography
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize
Result:
ノミネート（ファイナリスト）
Stonewall Book Award
2002
Work:
Loss Within Loss: Artists in the Age of AIDS
Organization:
American Library Association (ALA)
Result:
受賞
PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction
2018
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
2019
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
National Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 77 (2019) Lifetime Achievement Award
Works
Major Works
A Boy's Own Story
1982 Autofiction / NovelA semi-autobiographical novel tracing coming-of-age and discovery of gay identity; noted for candid sexual and psychological depiction.
coming-of-agesexual identityfamily dynamicshomosexuality
The Beautiful Room Is Empty
1988 Autofiction / NovelSecond volume of the autobiographical trilogy, following the protagonist into young adulthood and exploring relationships and identity.
memoryloveself-recognition
The Farewell Symphony
1997 Autofiction / NovelFinal volume of the trilogy; covers middle age, literary/artistic milieu, and experiences during the AIDS era.
middle ageliterary circlesAIDS/illness
The Joy of Gay Sex
1977 Nonfiction (sex manual)Coauthored with Charles Silverstein; a sex-positive handbook addressing gay sexual practices, health and relationships.
sex educationsex-positivegay culture
Genet: A Biography
1993 BiographyA major biography of Jean Genet based on years of research; highly acclaimed in biographical literature.
biographyFrench literaturehomosexuality
My Lives
2005 MemoirA memoir organized thematically rather than chronologically; explores self, relationships, and psychoanalytic themes.
memoirautobiographyself-analysis
The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir
2025 Memoir / Sex memoirA late-life sex memoir reflecting candidly on past loves and sexual experiences.
sexual recollectionrelationshipsmemory
Bibliography
- Forgetting Elena (1973)
- Nocturnes for the King of Naples (1978)
- States of Desire (1980)
- A Boy's Own Story (1982)
- The Beautiful Room Is Empty (1988)
- Caracole (1985)
- Skinned Alive: Stories (1995)
- The Farewell Symphony (1997)
- The Married Man (2000)
- Fanny: A Fiction (2003)
- Chaos: A Novella and Stories (2007)
- Hotel de Dream (2007)
- Jack Holmes and His Friend (2012)
- Our Young Man (2016)
- A Saint from Texas (2020)
- A Previous Life (2022)
- The Humble Lover (2023)
- The Loves of My Life (2025)
Adaptations
- Terre Haute (play production; staged in New York 2009)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- candid intimate first-person voiceautofictional elements in fictionliterary elegance and precise description
- Recurring Motifs
- self-discovery and coming-of-agehomosexuality and communitymemory and reminiscenceillness and resilience (AIDS)Paris and French culture
Health
-
HIV-positive (long-term nonprogressor)1985–2025Remained a long-term nonprogressor and continued writing without progressing to AIDS
-
Strokes (multiple)2012頃（回復あり）Suffered strokes around 2012 with notable recovery and continued to write
-
History of heart attack時期不詳Had a history of heart attack affecting health and recovery periods
-
Gastroenteritis (apparent cause of death)2025年6月Died in June 2025 after an apparent gastroenteritis infection
Legacy
A pioneer of gay literature who influenced many writers. His candid autobiographical methods and literary qualities reshaped narratives within both the LGBTQ community and the wider public. He received numerous lifetime achievement honors from publishing and academic institutions.
Museums
- Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (holds Edmund White Papers) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
Archives
- Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library — Edmund White Papers
In Popular Culture
- Publishing Triangle named its debut LGBT fiction award the Edmund White Award
Quotes
-
"Ours may have been the first funny revolution."
Source: The Guardian / Edmund White (memoir/commentary) (2019)
Trivia
- Vladimir Nabokov praised his debut (called Forgetting Elena a "marvelous book")
- Member of The Violet Quill, an influential gay writers' group
- Left a legacy in queer literature — the Publishing Triangle named a debut award after him