Men on Men 6: Best New Gay Fiction (v. 6) [Paperback]

Various (Author), David Bergman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Introducing the latest in this staple anthology series, editor Bergman explains how he whittles down some 900 submissions to the 20 selections that finally appear. His rationale would be as much at home prefacing any other thematic, topical, or genre fiction anthology and convinces us that he casts his net widely in terms of subject and style. Once again, here are a lot of new names to be reckoned with, but this time only one, James Purdy, that is familiar. Followers of gay men's fiction will be cheered to learn, from excerpts herein, that Philip Gambone and Norman Wong are working on first novels. Several might cheer because there are "more drag queens in this volume than in the last." Bergman says he is "not certain how to explain this phenomenon." As Billie Holiday sang, don't explain; those who liked this collection's predecessors won't be asking, just reading and enjoying. Ray Olson

From Kirkus Reviews

As Bergman (The Violet Quill Reader, 1994) admits in his introduction, Men on Men has become an institution, a bellwether of gay taste. Venerability doesn't have to mean boring, however, as the 22 stories in this latest edition prove. Bergman's editorial preferences lean toward flawless execution and masterful style, but his appetite for the aesthetically formidable is tempered by a willingness to take chances. Here, he steers away from AIDS and toward the illumination of meaningful experiences, a move that elevates the overall quality of his selections. Dangerous tales, such as Bruce Benderson's drag-queen meets the-damaged-bloom-of-youth ``Blades'' and Kevin Martin's drugs-, race-, and sex-addled ``Crack,'' share space with accounts of emerging sexuality; David Ebershoff's ``Trespass'' depicts a boy witnessing a very normal gay life through the lens of an absent homeowner, and Paul Lisicky's ``Lawnboy'' pits a teenager's sexual education against his parents' intolerance. In a rare nod to the difficulty of transacting a young-adult gay life, Jim Grimsley, in ``Comfort and Joy,'' finds a twentysomething intern dueling with the contrast between his parents' conventional expectations and his own brittle desires. Two long contributions, Thomas Glave's ``Their Story'' and James Purdy's ``The White Blackbird,'' employ retrospect and slightly spooky motifs to tremendous effect. Achim Nowak, in the long ``Graham Greene Is Dead,'' explores the correspondences between disease and expatriation, using Trinidad and Tobago settings to reconsider his title's celebrated globetrotter. In ``Tricks of the Trade,'' William J. Mann obsesses in summertime Provincetown; and Philip Gefter, in ``Elizabeth New Jersey,'' gets busy, in Paris, with clothing. Paul Gervais's ``Love in the Eyes of God'' devises some lusty mileage, and similar elements of barely requited desire are presented in Jason K. Friedman's ``Massage.'' As a gay literary institution, this one ranks with the best over the past two decades. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Plume (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452277086
• ISBN-13: 978-0452277083
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,219,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book, June 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Men on Men 6: Best New Gay Fiction (v. 6) (Paperback)

Men On Men 6 is a collection of stories that are mind opening and inspriational. It reflects many aspects of gay life and is a must for every gay man