Becoming
a Man : Half a Life Story by
Paul Monette
Paul Monette first made a name for himself in
1978 with his debut novel, Taking
Care of Mrs. Carroll, a comic romp with serious overtones.
He established himself as a writer of popular fiction with three
more novels before he and his lover were both diagnosed with HIV.
In 1988 he wrote On
Borrowed Time, a memoir of living with AIDS and of his
lover's death. The passion and anger that fueled On
Borrowed Time surfaces again in 1992's Becoming a Man:
Half a Life Story, his National Book Award-winning
autobiography. Although it follows the traditional structure of
the autobiography and bildungsroman--early family life, education,
reflections on how art influenced the subject's view of life--Becoming
a Man also filters Monette's story through two central facts:
the closet and AIDS. Monette writes of the pain of being closeted,
the effect it had on his writing, and how it shaped (and often
destroyed) his relationships. Monette's fear and fury at AIDS and
homophobia heighten the same skill and imagination he put into his
fiction. This vision--poetic yet highly political, angry yet
infused with the love of life--is what transforms Becoming a
Man from simple autobiography into an intense record of
struggle and salvation. Paul Monette did not lead a life different
from many gay men--he struggled courageously with his family, his
sexuality, his AIDS diagnosis--but in bearing witness to his and
others' pain, he creates a personal testimony that illuminates the
darkest corners of our culture even as it finds unexpected
reserves of hope.
"One of the most
complex, moral, personal, and political books to have been written
about gay life."-- L. A. Weekly
"Everyone can
learn something about courage and self-discovery from Becoming
A Man." -- San
Francisco Chronicle
Sanctuary
: A Tale of Life in the Woods by
Paul Monette, Vivienne Flesher (Illustrator)
In Paul Monette's
deceptively simple fable, Sanctuary, Renarda the fox and
Lapine the rabbit fall in love in an enchanted forested watched
over by a benevolent witch. That Renarda and Lapine are both
female and of different species proves no impediment to their
love, until the witch mysteriously disappears and her familiar,
the Great Horned Owl, takes over. Suddenly, the animals are
advised to "keep an ear cocked for any behavior that doesn't
feel quite right," and all at once Renarda and Lapine are
banished to separate parts of the forest.
Activist and writer Paul Monette authored six
novels and four collections of poetry, including
National
Book Award-winner Becoming
a Man, before succumbing to AIDS in 1995. Renarda and Lapine's
eventual triumph over the forces of fear and ignorance is an apt
memorial for a man who led the fight against both for so many
years.
Paul
Monette: The Brink of Summer's End (1997, 90
min, US) Monte Bramer, Director
Paul Monette lost his battle to AIDS in 1995 after a highly
distinguished career as a poet, novelist and essayist. His
landmark autobiography, "Becoming a Man," won the
American National Book Award, and was the outlet for his grief and
personal struggle with the disease. He is also author of 19 other
books including "Taking Care of Mrs. Carroll," "The
Gold Diggers" and the groundbreaking "Borrowed Time: An
AIDS Memoir." Shot over 3½ years, director Bramer’s
extraordinary documentary examines this important writer’s
development from a bookish adolescent, painfully afraid of his
sexuality, to a mature and loving gay adult who challenges
everyone to "heal the world"; Monette is an inspiration
to gay activism. Narrated by Linda Hunt and featuring selections
of the author’s work as read by Jonathan Fried, the film is an
eloquent remembrance of a most remarkable literary figure.
Featuring clips from his television appearances as well as home
movies and video footage, this memoir also showcases commentary
from Monette’s friends, family and lovers, including his
disabled brother Robert, photographer Star Black, and Act-Up
cofounder and fellow writer Larry Kramer. A poignant and
heartbreaking portrait of a man who faced up to his personal
demons and won, Monette’s own story is as remarkable as one of
his books.
