Contemporary Lesbian Writers of the United States: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook [Hardcover]

Sandra Pollack (Editor), Denise D. Knight (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313282153 | ISBN-13: 978-0313282157 | Publication Date: October 30, 1993 | Edition: First Edition

The first comprehensive biographical, critical, and bibliographical source on lesbian writers, this reference book features essays on 100 contemporary writers of poetry, fiction, and drama in the United States. Many had written as self-identified lesbians at some point during the 1970-1992 period of coverage. Each essay comprises a biography, with personal history often derived from interviews, an analysis of major works and themes, an overview of the critical reception, and bibliographies of primary works and of critical studies and reviews. The volume introduction, by Tucker P. Farley, situates contemporary lesbian literature in its historical and political contexts. Appendices list publishers of lesbian writers and periodicals featuring lesbian writing. An extensive bibliography provides nonfiction resources focusing on lesbian issues, including works in psychology, sexuality, parenting, health, history, and theory, as well as literature. A companion to Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook, edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson (Greenwood Press, 1993), this work will be an important addition to college and university libraries supporting gay and lesbian and women's studies programs and literary curricula incorporating this material. It will also be a valuable resource for public and school libraries and collections and specialists in American literature, providing information and analysis for understanding the expanding literary canon.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This sourcebook is one whose proverbial time has come. Lesbian visibility is higher than ever (see the recent New York magazine and Newsweek cover stories in the May 10 and June 21 issues, respectively), and this collection of bio-bibliographies reflects the diversity and strength of the lesbian community. Billed as a companion to Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook ( LJ 1/93), this text stands, in its own right, as a tribute to those lesbian writers who have either gone before or are still writing. It also stands as an incentive for those who are just starting. Each essay states where the author has come from, what she has written, and the critical responses to her writings. These women are indeed pioneers, and they reflect a diverse ethnic, racial, and political background. Many of the essayists are themselves published lesbian or feminist writers. This is recommended for academic and public libraries, women's resource centers, and other special libraries.
- Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Penn sylvania, Philadelphia
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A companion to Greenwood's Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook, this work profiles 100 contemporary writers of poetry, fiction, and drama. In their preface, the editors discuss some of the questions they had to address in choosing which writers to cover. They decided to include "authors who, at some point during the 1970-1992 period, had written as self-identified lesbians. . . . When we were uncertain about how public any woman was, we contacted her for permission to be included." Thus, as the editors admit, some prominent names "are conspicuously missing."

Following the preface is an introduction, "Deconstructing the Absolute--Reality and Difference," by Tucker Pamella Farley, which discusses lesbian literature in the context of Farley's own experience as a writer and teacher. The essays themselves, generally four to eight pages in length, are arranged alphabetically by author's last name, from Donna Allegra to Jacqueline Woodson, and include biographical information (often derived from interviews), an analysis of major works and themes, an overview of critical reception, and bibliographies of primary works and of critical studies and reviews. The contributors are, for the most part, writers and teachers; a number of the contributors are also the subjects of essays, such as Donna Allegra, Dorothy Allison, and Nuala Archer. Like Farley's introduction, many of the essays have a personal tone.

As the editors state in their preface, there is a "paucity of critical material" on a number of the writers discussed. The bibliographies provided for better-known writers, such as Kate Millett and Adrienne Rich, are fairly extensive, but other writers are represented by only a few citations to reviews.

Following the essays are appendixes of publishers of lesbian writers and of selected periodicals of interest to readers of lesbian writing. There is also an extensive bibliography of nonfiction materials on various lesbian issues, as well as a list of the contributors and their credentials.

Contemporary Lesbian Writers of the United States definitely fills "an existing gap in American literary and cultural studies," as the editors intend. Although information on the better-known writers can be found elsewhere, it is useful to have those writers discussed in this context; the editors and contributors have done an admirable job of uncovering information on writers who are less well known. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press; First Edition edition (October 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313282153
• ISBN-13: 978-0313282157
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,320,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)