Jewish-American gay and
lesbian literature with its rich heritage,
diverse subject matter, and thriving vitality has imbued American
Jewish literature with new life.
Gertrude Stein in 1935
Elana Dykewomon
(b. 1949) presents the lesbian as an active, dynamic hero on center
stage in both her poetry and prose.
Award-winning
Harvey Fierstein (b. 1954) is one of the finest gay male
playwrights currently working in the American theater.
Allen Ginsberg
(1926-1997) is probably the best-known American poet to emerge in the
post-World War II period. Ginsberg entered public awareness with the
controversy over his first book, Howl and Other Poems (1956).
The candor with which
Paul Goodman (1911-1972) wrote about the homosexual libido in
his poetry and fiction made him an important and highly visible
advocate of gay liberation.
Richard Hall (1926-1992) focused almost exclusively on
issues of gay identity and community in his novels, short stories,
plays, and critical writings.
Larry Kramer
(b. 1935) is a controversial playwright, novelist, and essayist who has
been a pioneer in the gay political response to AIDS in America.
Tony Kushner (b. 1956) has
become a celebrity spokesman for gay politics and AIDS activism in
addition to being a prize-winning playwright.
David Leavitt (b. 1961), a novelist and short story writer,
is one of the brightest stars of the gay literary world today.
Adrienne Rich (b. 1929), who has aestheticized politics and
politicized aesthetics, is America's most widely read lesbian poet.
Paul Rudnick (b. 1957) is a playwright, novelist,
screenwriter, and humorist who writes regularly for a variety of media,
often on gay subjects.
Sarah Schulman (b. 1958) is an author and playwright
concerned with constructing a lesbian identity around and against the
multicultural identities of New York City.
For writer
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946),
to be
Jewish and lesbian meant to be "doubly other."
Photo Credits:
Gertrude Stein by Carl van Vechten. Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs Division.
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