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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2002)
adobar 18, 2002 » BOOKS Sketches of memory A B oy I O nce K new : W hat a T eacher L earned from H er S tudent by Elizabeth Stone. Algonquin Books, 2002; $19.95 hardcover. The devastation of AIDS is forefront in effective memoirs It’s that personality that shines through in Our Paris: Sketches from Memory. Rereleased after its original publication in 1994, this brief series of conversationally but beautifully written anecdotes covers White’s rather event ful experiences in the French capital, his adopted hometown for 16 years. The author’s literary sketches are Edmund White and Hubert Sorin’s literary and literal accompanied by penciled ones by his sketches make for touching memoir in Our P aris partner, Hubert Sorin, who was suffering from AIDS O ur P aris : S ketches from M emory throughout the book’s cre by Edmund White. Ecco Press, 2002; ation and died shortly after $1 9.95 hardcover. it was completed. The cir cumstances— which must dmund White is a singularly spe surely have been painful and cial writer. He may he, along with difficult— are, however, the equally compulsory hut more belied by the book’s exuber I cerebrally detached Gore Vidal, ant, celebratory tone. the most distinguished gay male liter Our Paris is full of ary figure writing today. dropped names and juicy, Whites work is radiant, alive and gossipy stories. W hite s intellectually vihrant, and acclaim has little black book apparently followed him throughout his slew of pub contains not only the lished work beginning in the early 1970s. names of “big” celebs (Among other kudos, he’s been made an (like Tina Turner and the descendants of officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters.) Nabokov and Hemingway) but eccentric, Rut, as attested to by his appealing appearance at absurd characters such as Pierre Guyotat, a last year’s Portland Arts and Lectures series, he long-winded, avant-garde novelist whose hasn’t let this well-deserved acknowledgment fame has thankfully not spread beyond the prevent him from having a down-to-earth, self- French border; U .S. jeweler and Barbie doll effacing, unassuming personality. justi'i'iflhelp wanted 1 collector Billy Boy; and an amusing assort ment of French grocers, landladies and prostitutes. Sorin’s charming, cartoonish drawings make a fine complement for the text. Especially smile-inducing are his humorously exaggerated depictions of himself, White and their basset hound, Fred. The book’s frivolity is tem pered by W hite’s reflective introduction and afterword, in which he speaks more seriously about Sorin’s disease and his own. (Though he’s never fallen ill with A ID S, he was diagnosed with HIV in 1985.) W hen he writes of his lover’s expatriate childhood in Ethiopia, their life together in Paris and the way their artistic collaboration seemed to ease Sorin’s suffering, it not only clarifies the book’s context, it’s also incredibly, romantically moving. Our Paris may be full of fun and glamorous people and events, but it’s no Year in Provence. White’s endearing vulnerability and bemuse ment at his own odd moments of bitchiness and superficiality make his book read less like a self-satisfied recounting of inimitably rarified experience than a generous confidence from a good friend. — Christopher M cQuain O ne morning a package containing 10 years of diaries arrives at teacher Elizabeth Stone’s door. She hasn’t seen nor spoken to the young writer, Vincent, since he was a stu dent of hers 25 years before. Yet he has bequeathed his diaries to her with the request she create a book from them. For the next three years, Stone immerses herself in the diaries (more than 3,500 pages) and in Vincent’s life as a gay man living in San Francis co during the height of the AIDS epidemic. She reads the memoir page by page, determined to ex perience Vincent’s day-to-day life exactly as he did, refusing to skip ahead, even though she knows the final inexorable outcome. In the process, she learns how to connect with memories of lost loved ones and how to care for her aging mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Heartfelt and sincere, A Boy 1 Once Knew is simple and yet sometimes difficult to read as we witness and become angry (right along with Stone) at Vincent’s self-destructive ways, including heavy drug use and unprotected sex. Yet despite the terse and often inexpressive diary entries, Stone reveals the young man’s humanity and allows it to shine. In the process, we are reminded that it is never too late to live and love fully. — Floyd Sklaver J D Why Categorize it. Just enjoy it. Just Out is looking for a unique person to round out our staff. The job available is for a hybrid office and distribution manager. But wait, there’s more! When not answering phones and tending to customer service needs, our new super employee will bolster and assist staff in an editorial assistant capacity. The office/distribution manager portion of this job can be filled by any number of capable applicants. However, the unique person we’re seeking will have addi tional skills, interest and experience in writing, reporting, proofreading, reviewing and many other responsibilties associated with newspaper production. A desire to work in and for the community is crucial, with occasional evening and weekend hours required. Please e-mail responses to justout@justout.com or mail to: P.O. Box 14400, Portland, OR 97293-0400 attention: Marty Davis Lets talk about it. 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