From Library Journal
In his multiple roles as pioneer AIDS activist (he was cofounder of Gay Men's Health Crisis and founder of ACT-UP), novelist (Faggots), playwright (The Normal Heart), and OscarR-nominated screenwriter (Women in Love), Kramer is one of the most important?and controversial?figures in contemporary gay America. Mass, another cofounder of GMHC, has edited a stimulating collection of essays by 22 writers who address Kramer's life, politics, and literary and theatrical careers. Contributors include fellow gay writers (Andrew Holleran, Tony Kushner, Chris Bram), academics (John D'Emilio, John Clum), fellow activists (Arnie Kantrowitz, Maxine Wolfe), acquaintances (Calvin Trillin), and even persons who have been attacked by Kramer (e.g., doctors and health officials). Mass also contributes an excellent interview and a perceptive (if somewhat self-centered) introduction. This is not a simple paean to Kramer; the texts touch on many central issues of the modern gay movement. As the first book devoted entirely to this central figure, it belongs in all collections of gay studies and contemporary political activism.?Robert W. Melton, Univ. of Kansas Libs., LawrenceCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
A diverse group of writers, academics, physicians, and social activists reflect, with varying levels of insight and eloquence, on the career of playwright and AIDS provocator Larry Kramer. Mass (Confessions of a Jewish Wagnerite: Being Gay and Jewish in America, 1994), a friend of Kramer's and a cofounder with him and several others of the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), edits this collection of essays by 23 contributors, including playwright Tony Kushner, book editor Michael Denneny, and former GMHC director Rodger McFarlane. Their different backgrounds illustrate the mix of themes in Kramer's own life. Patrick Merla introduces readers to Kramer's major public achievements: the film Women in Love, which Kramer produced; his novel, Faggots; his plays, The Normal Heart and The Destiny of Me; AIDS organizations GMHC and Act-Up. The scope of Kramer's life and work is not so large that this collection can escape being wearisomely repetitive. The best essays relate a focused piece of Kramer's life, politics, or art to a broader framework, such as the history of gay theater, the African-American community, heterosexual families, or W.H. Auden's poetry (in pieces by Michael Paller, Canaan Parker, Sarah Trillin, and Alfred Corn, respectively). In an elegiac essay, Andrew Holleran reflects on the gay artist's world of the past 20 years, and Kramer's successful negotiation within it of the writer's block that is AIDS. Kramer himself has the last word, in an interview that closes the book, leaving the reader with a sense of his genuine, if conflicted, humanity. Tributes to those still living run the risk of grandiosity, to which the long collection sometimes succumbs; all but fervent admirers of Kramer's should read selectively. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


From the Publisher
"...Kramer is a pioneer, a steadfast and welcome curmudgeon, a prophet who has goaded politicians and many, many gay people to action." --The New York Times Book Review "A striking portrait of an angry, determined and sometimes vicious activist whose impact is still being measured....Full of intimate and insightful nuggets." --Salon "A captivating exploration not only of Larry Kramer, but also of the gay community's response to AIDS, of gay culture more generally, and of the issues of merging activism and art." --Lesbian and Gay New York "The list of contributors corralled by editor Lawrence D. Mass reads like a who's who of contemporary queer literature...a compilation that casts Kramer as the curmudgeonly gay hero of our time." --The Advocate "If you are interested in the original workings of ACT UP, the inside dope on GMHC, a blow-by-blow treatment of Faggots, and more dishing than you can shake a stick at, then you will like this book. Run out and buy it; it will be money well spent." --Lambda Book Report "A biographical and critical study of American writer and AIDS activist Larry Kramer is long overdue, and this lively collection of essays goes some way towards filling the gap...[a] provocative tribute." --Gay Times

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Twenty-three writers join together to explore the life and work of Larry Kramer, pioneer AIDS activist and acclaimed author of The Normal Heart and Faggots, in this original collection. A tribute to the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer, novelist, playwright, and co-founder of GMHC and founder of ACT-UP, this unique volume focuses on Kramer as activist, writer, and personality. An informed biography and a moving interview bookend essays that range from the political and historical to the personal and bittersweet. A controversial figure in the worlds of activism and letters, Kramer embodies the phrase, "the personal is political." This collection proves the impossibility of separating the activist from the writer and why perceptions of Kramer run from genius to provocateur.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Larry Kramer is the closest thing to a leader that the international gay community has. The 24 contributions in this collection, written by many of today's highest-profile gays, discuss the thoroughly intemperate writer-activist and his work. A novelist (Faggots), a screenwriter (Women in Love) and a playwright (The Normal Heart), Kramer is better known as the fomenter of action and the founder of the Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP to combat AIDS. Were it not for editor and longtime Kramer friend Mass's genuflectory introduction and occasional editorial indiscretions, this could possibly be a notable book. Instead, it is a worthwhile book that collects several great essays, including Gabriel Rotello's "Kramer as Prophet"; a number of very good articles, including Michael Denneny's "A Mouthful of Air"; and a few pointless pieces. Given Kramer's prophetic powers (he warned gay America of the coming plague in his famous plea, "1,112 and Counting," in 1981), his strength of character and his tirelessness, he will certainly be mythologized. This book, which begins that process, will be widely read and discussed. (Jan.)

Library Journal

In his multiple roles as pioneer AIDS activist (he was cofounder of Gay Men's Health Crisis and founder of ACT-UP), novelist (Faggots), playwright (The Normal Heart), and OscarR-nominated screenwriter (Women in Love), Kramer is one of the most importantand controversialfigures in contemporary gay America. Mass, another cofounder of GMHC, has edited a stimulating collection of essays by 22 writers who address Kramer's life, politics, and literary and theatrical careers. Contributors include fellow gay writers (Andrew Holleran, Tony Kushner, Chris Bram), academics (John D'Emilio, John Clum), fellow activists (Arnie Kantrowitz, Maxine Wolfe), acquaintances (Calvin Trillin), and even persons who have been attacked by Kramer (e.g., doctors and health officials). Mass also contributes an excellent interview and a perceptive (if somewhat self-centered) introduction. This is not a simple paean to Kramer; the texts touch on many central issues of the modern gay movement. As the first book devoted entirely to this central figure, it belongs in all collections of gay studies and contemporary political activism.Robert W. Melton, Univ. of Kansas Libs., Lawrence

Booknews

Observers of the gay, AIDS, theater, and literary communities provide information and perspectives on one of the most original and influential voices of the 20th century. An interview and a biography bookend the 23 essays, which focus on Kramer as an activist, writer, and personality. Essays range from the political and historical to the personal and bittersweet. Distributed in the US by Books International. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews