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Arkansas
Arkansas reúne tres espléndidas variaciones sobre el universo de la seducción. El propio escritor es el protagonista del primero, El artista de los trabajos universitarios, en el que, para huir de la sonada polémica provocada por la acusación del poeta inglés Stephen Spender de haberse apropiado de su vida en su última novela, se refugia en casa de su padre. Después de reflexionar un poco, decide volver a escribir y frecuenta la biblioteca universitaria, en la que conoce a un atractivo joven al que le propone un singular trueque: sexo a cambio de redactarle un trabajo de literatura...
En Las bodas de madera reaparecen dos viejos conocidos de los lectores de Leavitt, Celia y Nathan, que se reencuentran en la Toscana, donde tiene lugar un apasionado juego de seducciones a tres bandas y sin tapujos morales. Por último, La calle Saturn es una nueva incursión en los vericuetos del deseo, en este caso de tintes más dramáticos: un escritor neoyorquino que pasa una temporada en Los Ángeles se ofrece como voluntario para repartir comida a enfermos de sida y se enamora de una de las personas a las que ayuda.
Estos tres relatos son una perfecta muestra de la madurez creativa de David Leavitt, de su inteligente, comprometida y en ocasiones divertida visión del mundo gay, abordado desde la cotidianeidad y sin complejos. Un mundo de pasiones, desamor y dudas que no puede dejar indiferente a ningún lector.
En Las bodas de madera reaparecen dos viejos conocidos de los lectores de Leavitt, Celia y Nathan, que se reencuentran en la Toscana, donde tiene lugar un apasionado juego de seducciones a tres bandas y sin tapujos morales. Por último, La calle Saturn es una nueva incursión en los vericuetos del deseo, en este caso de tintes más dramáticos: un escritor neoyorquino que pasa una temporada en Los Ángeles se ofrece como voluntario para repartir comida a enfermos de sida y se enamora de una de las personas a las que ayuda.
Estos tres relatos son una perfecta muestra de la madurez creativa de David Leavitt, de su inteligente, comprometida y en ocasiones divertida visión del mundo gay, abordado desde la cotidianeidad y sin complejos. Un mundo de pasiones, desamor y dudas que no puede dejar indiferente a ningún lector.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
24 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
David Leavitt
62 books429 followersLeavitt is a graduate of Yale University and a professor at the University of Florida, where he is the co-director of the creative writing program. He is also the editor of Subtropics magazine, The University of Florida's literary review.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
March 24, 2024
A sexually charged set of three novellas: a guy provides A-grade papers for college guys in exchange for sexual favours: a gay guy and his ‘fag hag’ fight over an Italian guy: and two service providers to people with AIDS get jealous of each other.
I found this raunchy book in a resort library in Vanuatu where I’m staying. I would never normally read a book like this haha. But I gobbled it up ;). It was more suggestive than explicit with a constantly horny undertone. Having said that, it was a ‘message’ book with a moral of the story for each novella. Not so ‘ah ha’ but there were some meaningful scenarios about the deeper meaning of things than what the body provides.
Published in 1997 though referencing the early 80s, it is very dated now, but it does capture the essence of the fearful time early on in the outbreak of AIDS.
I have no idea why it has the title it does.
I found this raunchy book in a resort library in Vanuatu where I’m staying. I would never normally read a book like this haha. But I gobbled it up ;). It was more suggestive than explicit with a constantly horny undertone. Having said that, it was a ‘message’ book with a moral of the story for each novella. Not so ‘ah ha’ but there were some meaningful scenarios about the deeper meaning of things than what the body provides.
Published in 1997 though referencing the early 80s, it is very dated now, but it does capture the essence of the fearful time early on in the outbreak of AIDS.
I have no idea why it has the title it does.
September 2, 2019
Hú, én ezt a könyvet nagyon bírtam!
Három történet, mindben központi szerepet kap a homoszexualitás, de kívülállóként is abszolút átélhető módon.
_Fizetés természetben_
Nem tudom, mi volt belőle igaz (E/1-ben meséli el a szerző, a saját nevében), de én remekül szórakoztam rajta, pedig alighanem nem vicces sztoriként vetette papírra. Közben olyan érzésem volt, David Leavitt, ha a valóságban is ilyen, szerintem egy pohár bor mellett remekül el tudnánk diskurálni az élet dolgairól.
_Házassági évforduló_
Egy olaszországi kiruccanás története, a múltból ottragadt, kibeszéletlen vágyakkal, csalódásokkal, érzelmek sűrűn szőtt pókhálójával. Imádtam. Igazi kamaradráma-alapanyag, végén csattanóval.
_Szaturnusz utca_
Egy be nem teljesült szerelem a halál árnyékában. Bár végig a levegőben lógott, hogy nem lesz itt happy end, mégis fenn tudta tartani a feszültséget, én végig szurkoltam, hogy összejöjjön a dolog. {{pláne, hogy Phil külsejének leírása után akaratlanul is a magam szerelmét képzeltem oda folyton}}
És ez az ember írta Az indiai hivatalnok-ot is! Nosza, repül is a kívánságlistámra, David Leavitt-könyvek, gyertek csak!
Három történet, mindben központi szerepet kap a homoszexualitás, de kívülállóként is abszolút átélhető módon.
_Fizetés természetben_
Nem tudom, mi volt belőle igaz (E/1-ben meséli el a szerző, a saját nevében), de én remekül szórakoztam rajta, pedig alighanem nem vicces sztoriként vetette papírra. Közben olyan érzésem volt, David Leavitt, ha a valóságban is ilyen, szerintem egy pohár bor mellett remekül el tudnánk diskurálni az élet dolgairól.
_Házassági évforduló_
Egy olaszországi kiruccanás története, a múltból ottragadt, kibeszéletlen vágyakkal, csalódásokkal, érzelmek sűrűn szőtt pókhálójával. Imádtam. Igazi kamaradráma-alapanyag, végén csattanóval.
_Szaturnusz utca_
Egy be nem teljesült szerelem a halál árnyékában. Bár végig a levegőben lógott, hogy nem lesz itt happy end, mégis fenn tudta tartani a feszültséget, én végig szurkoltam, hogy összejöjjön a dolog. {{pláne, hogy Phil külsejének leírása után akaratlanul is a magam szerelmét képzeltem oda folyton}}
És ez az ember írta Az indiai hivatalnok-ot is! Nosza, repül is a kívánságlistámra, David Leavitt-könyvek, gyertek csak!
June 6, 2025
A set of three novellas: a young-man provides A-grade papers for college guys in exchange for sexual favours: another and his ‘fag hag’ friend fight over an Italian guy and finally two service providers to people with AIDS get jealous of each other.
The most famous of these stories is the one about the gay man providing term papers for a straight guy because it was written, or at least published, immediately after the debacle of the UK libel case by Stephen Spender against Leavitt's 'While Englad Sleeps' (please see my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) when he had retreated back bruised and disillusioned to his parent's home in California. Indeed all the stories are part of Leavitt's reconstruction of himself as a writer.
I have never been as fond of Leavitt's novels as of his shorter fiction and I would definitely recommend these as an excellent place to start if you have read nothing by this author.
The most famous of these stories is the one about the gay man providing term papers for a straight guy because it was written, or at least published, immediately after the debacle of the UK libel case by Stephen Spender against Leavitt's 'While Englad Sleeps' (please see my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) when he had retreated back bruised and disillusioned to his parent's home in California. Indeed all the stories are part of Leavitt's reconstruction of himself as a writer.
I have never been as fond of Leavitt's novels as of his shorter fiction and I would definitely recommend these as an excellent place to start if you have read nothing by this author.
September 16, 2009
In the beginning, read to me a little like Paul Auster crossed with a gay sex blog. Really enjoyed it - had a crooked smile on my face through the entire first story and the three were well-balanced against each other. No extreme highs or lows, but very touching, sensual, and funny in a daily and true way.
Hard to believe one of the words used to describe this book was "shocking", but I'm guessing that's what straight guys say about stories that tell the truth about male sexuality in a mundane, daily way. Whatever. On that note, as a webwhore/phone sex op/internet pornographer/camgirl I appreciated reading what felt like accurate descriptions of how some men integrate casual sex and pornography into their daily lives in a mundane, sort of resigned, semi-conflicted way. It rang true, unlike most mainstream depictions of these everyday behaviors.
A smooth, easy, pleasant read that still moved me and did new things for me. I want to pick up another one of his books after reading this one.
Hard to believe one of the words used to describe this book was "shocking", but I'm guessing that's what straight guys say about stories that tell the truth about male sexuality in a mundane, daily way. Whatever. On that note, as a webwhore/phone sex op/internet pornographer/camgirl I appreciated reading what felt like accurate descriptions of how some men integrate casual sex and pornography into their daily lives in a mundane, sort of resigned, semi-conflicted way. It rang true, unlike most mainstream depictions of these everyday behaviors.
A smooth, easy, pleasant read that still moved me and did new things for me. I want to pick up another one of his books after reading this one.
September 7, 2009
Tengo problemas con las palabras y su significado, o su interpretación. En la contraportada dice de este libro: «"Arkansas" reúne tres espléndidas variaciones sobre el universo de la seducción». Y leo en el DRAE que seducir viene del latín seducere y que tiene tres acepciones: uno, engañar con arte y maña, persuadir suavemente para algo malo; dos, atraer físicamente a alguien con el propósito de obtener de él una relación sexual; y, tres, embargar o cautivar el ánimo.
Y, creo, que esto solo aplicaría para la primera de estas tres novella que conforman el libro titulada, El artista de los trabajos universitarios. Donde si sumas la primer palabra con el título de la novella, bueno, pues es un tanto predecible de qué va. Lo que no es predecible es el humor, el descaro, el atino con que Leavitt logra captar el mini mundo universitario de la costa oeste. La descripción sin alardes de loca ni nada por el estilo de un universo de tráfico de emociones a flor de piel, visceral. Digo, que aquí si aplicaría, porque las tres acepciones están presentes en un solo texto. Que la verdad, leí más por curiosidad de comprender lo que no comprendo, que por un talento narrativo. Bueno, no, me equivoco. Talento narrativo tiene el graduado de Yale. Leavitt es buenísimo para escribir (solo recuerdo haber leído una sobre una secretaría malandra, buenísima, estilo culebrón) y contar e hilar las acciones e ir desglosando los personajes en una trama que se sostiene de cabo a rabo (sin albur de por medio). En fin.
La segunda novella es… cómo decirlo, bueno, a mí parecer es un bodrio. El ritmo caduco del «juego de seducciones a tres bandas» como reza la contraportada es infumable. La narradora no sé que haga de su vida, pero, parece salida de las revistas de decoración, jardinería y cosas-para-la-mujer-contemporánea que da una flojera terrible seguir leyendo. Continué, esperando una última «vuelta de tuerca» que sí llegó, pero, que llegó mal, y tarde.
Ahora bien, la tercer y última novella es una belleza literaria. Chale, que mala descripción, pero, intentaré explicarme. A mí, en lo personal, me cautivan y llaman la atención sobremanera, las relaciones personales. Sean cual sean su tipo o género. En el caso del relato largo titulado, La calle Saturn, la pausa y el buen ritmo que lleva el autor, la economía de lenguaje y los silencios bien empleados, las mínimas acotaciones que dotan la historia de un control pleno de la trama y sus personajes bien delineados y con luz y sombra justas, nos permiten disfrutar de una pieza literaria en su punto. Y, finalmente, al terminar el libro, podría justificar ese armado de las historias. Quizás, son necesarias las dos primeras para no sentir esa desolación de la última. Leavitt, quien en ocasiones peca con sus referencias literarias (Forster y Wilde, de este último aplica las sentencias aforísticas a mansalva), pareciera estar debatiéndose entre lo personal de escribir ficción sin que esto traicioné la realidad que busca inventar. No sé, no me gusta hacer recomendaciones, pero, creo que en este caso sí lo haré. Yo diría que si les interesa conocer a este autor se vayan directo a leer, La calle Saturn, y si le late, regresen por los otros.
Y, creo, que esto solo aplicaría para la primera de estas tres novella que conforman el libro titulada, El artista de los trabajos universitarios. Donde si sumas la primer palabra con el título de la novella, bueno, pues es un tanto predecible de qué va. Lo que no es predecible es el humor, el descaro, el atino con que Leavitt logra captar el mini mundo universitario de la costa oeste. La descripción sin alardes de loca ni nada por el estilo de un universo de tráfico de emociones a flor de piel, visceral. Digo, que aquí si aplicaría, porque las tres acepciones están presentes en un solo texto. Que la verdad, leí más por curiosidad de comprender lo que no comprendo, que por un talento narrativo. Bueno, no, me equivoco. Talento narrativo tiene el graduado de Yale. Leavitt es buenísimo para escribir (solo recuerdo haber leído una sobre una secretaría malandra, buenísima, estilo culebrón) y contar e hilar las acciones e ir desglosando los personajes en una trama que se sostiene de cabo a rabo (sin albur de por medio). En fin.
La segunda novella es… cómo decirlo, bueno, a mí parecer es un bodrio. El ritmo caduco del «juego de seducciones a tres bandas» como reza la contraportada es infumable. La narradora no sé que haga de su vida, pero, parece salida de las revistas de decoración, jardinería y cosas-para-la-mujer-contemporánea que da una flojera terrible seguir leyendo. Continué, esperando una última «vuelta de tuerca» que sí llegó, pero, que llegó mal, y tarde.
Ahora bien, la tercer y última novella es una belleza literaria. Chale, que mala descripción, pero, intentaré explicarme. A mí, en lo personal, me cautivan y llaman la atención sobremanera, las relaciones personales. Sean cual sean su tipo o género. En el caso del relato largo titulado, La calle Saturn, la pausa y el buen ritmo que lleva el autor, la economía de lenguaje y los silencios bien empleados, las mínimas acotaciones que dotan la historia de un control pleno de la trama y sus personajes bien delineados y con luz y sombra justas, nos permiten disfrutar de una pieza literaria en su punto. Y, finalmente, al terminar el libro, podría justificar ese armado de las historias. Quizás, son necesarias las dos primeras para no sentir esa desolación de la última. Leavitt, quien en ocasiones peca con sus referencias literarias (Forster y Wilde, de este último aplica las sentencias aforísticas a mansalva), pareciera estar debatiéndose entre lo personal de escribir ficción sin que esto traicioné la realidad que busca inventar. No sé, no me gusta hacer recomendaciones, pero, creo que en este caso sí lo haré. Yo diría que si les interesa conocer a este autor se vayan directo a leer, La calle Saturn, y si le late, regresen por los otros.
June 18, 2016
"I should like to flee like a wounded hart into Arkansas."
- attributed to Oscar Wilde, near the end of his life.
David Leavitt has a thing for Forster, Wilde, and brown ankles.
The writing wasn't bad but I wasn't in love.
The introspective moments in "Saturn Street" were uncomfortably close.
-3- "The Term Paper Artist"
-2.5- "The Wooden Anniversary"
-4- "Saturn Street"
- attributed to Oscar Wilde, near the end of his life.
David Leavitt has a thing for Forster, Wilde, and brown ankles.
The writing wasn't bad but I wasn't in love.
The introspective moments in "Saturn Street" were uncomfortably close.
-3- "The Term Paper Artist"
-2.5- "The Wooden Anniversary"
-4- "Saturn Street"
March 5, 2015
Just lost the review when I changed my edition before I'd saved... so briefly...
-all 3 novellas very readable, especially the first and last, which left me thinking about the characters and had some sexy scenes.
-often I found the writing sensitive but then I found it pompous too (or maybe it'd be better to say over my head). That left me feeling some distance from the characters
-amazing what a different world 1997 was for gay fiction... obviously in the centrality of AIDS to gay life. But not just that... he's calling phone sex lines and renting porn on VHS... this could have been my life if I'd come out just a bit sooner, but it's almost unimaginable.
-all 3 novellas very readable, especially the first and last, which left me thinking about the characters and had some sexy scenes.
-often I found the writing sensitive but then I found it pompous too (or maybe it'd be better to say over my head). That left me feeling some distance from the characters
-amazing what a different world 1997 was for gay fiction... obviously in the centrality of AIDS to gay life. But not just that... he's calling phone sex lines and renting porn on VHS... this could have been my life if I'd come out just a bit sooner, but it's almost unimaginable.
October 26, 2010
This is the first thing of David's I've read: I'd known him for two years before I decided to read anything of his. These three novellas take his best personal qualities I've witnessed and condense them into one book. They're funny, sharp, worldly, and full of empathy. I'll have to read more now.
February 2, 2016
Três excelentes novelas, escritas por um autor no seu melhor.
September 2, 2017
Love, love, love David Leavitt's work. This did not disappoint. Highly recommend.
August 23, 2017
Sapevo da “Ballo di famiglia” che David Leavitt scrive bene e che - dettaglio - è gay; ma tre storie su tre incentrate su gay molto irrequieti, pur se raccontate formalmente bene, mi sono risultate piuttosto pesanti. (Vorrei rileggere Leavitt... alle prese con altre tematiche.)
February 10, 2025
Tres novelas breves escritas por el estadounidense David Leavitt publicadas en 1994, las que orbitan alrededor de relaciones afectivas que protagonizan personajes homosexuales caracterizados por participar en pasajes en dónde la seducción y la atracción son el componente principal que nutren a cada novela.
Intercambios poco éticos entre sujetos que juegan al trueque transando la confección de trabajos académicos por breves encuentros sexuales es la trama desenfadada y divertida de la novela El artista de los trabajos universitarios, historia compuesta como autoficción si se conoce la interesante acusación realizada por plagio a Leavitt por su novela Mientras Inglaterra duerme.
En Las bodas de madera se narran los juegos de seducción que convocan a cuatro personajes reunidos en la pintoresca y antigua casona italiana regentada Celia, la que mantiene un pasado caracterizado por desdichados encuentros afectivos que no pudieron concretarse con uno de los visitantes que llega a su hogar, situación que determina las relaciones que se relatan en la novela.
En La calle Saturn la novela narra las intenciones de afecto que progresivamente hacen cuerpo en el protagonista de la historia al conocer y estrechar lazos con un personaje que conoce en las rutas de asistencia que realiza con personajes que viven con con VIH. Una historia profunda, que expone las ambivalencias entre personajes marcados por la enfermedad, el miedo, el deseo y la necesidad de afecto.
Intercambios poco éticos entre sujetos que juegan al trueque transando la confección de trabajos académicos por breves encuentros sexuales es la trama desenfadada y divertida de la novela El artista de los trabajos universitarios, historia compuesta como autoficción si se conoce la interesante acusación realizada por plagio a Leavitt por su novela Mientras Inglaterra duerme.
En Las bodas de madera se narran los juegos de seducción que convocan a cuatro personajes reunidos en la pintoresca y antigua casona italiana regentada Celia, la que mantiene un pasado caracterizado por desdichados encuentros afectivos que no pudieron concretarse con uno de los visitantes que llega a su hogar, situación que determina las relaciones que se relatan en la novela.
En La calle Saturn la novela narra las intenciones de afecto que progresivamente hacen cuerpo en el protagonista de la historia al conocer y estrechar lazos con un personaje que conoce en las rutas de asistencia que realiza con personajes que viven con con VIH. Una historia profunda, que expone las ambivalencias entre personajes marcados por la enfermedad, el miedo, el deseo y la necesidad de afecto.
November 23, 2008
An offhand comment in Felice Picano's Art & Sex in Greenwich Village intrigued me enough to pick up this collection of three short novellas. Arranged an ascending order of gravitas, all three are drastically different in subject matter and tone. And while they all are rather excellent in their individual ways, there's something prickly about the concluding "Saturn Street" that's difficult to shake off (and not just because it deals with the struggles of an AIDs patient): it just really starts poking into the surfaces of identity in ways that are unexpected, painful. Wish Leavitt would have resisted that finishing "aha!" moment, but still.
"He noticed the world that he lived in, perhaps too much. His mind was an attic stored with heirlooms, not one which he could bear to toss away. The accumulated wreckage left less and less room for identity, and that threw him into a panic."
-D. Leavitt, "Saturn Street"
"He noticed the world that he lived in, perhaps too much. His mind was an attic stored with heirlooms, not one which he could bear to toss away. The accumulated wreckage left less and less room for identity, and that threw him into a panic."
-D. Leavitt, "Saturn Street"
August 15, 2020
"Whereas Justin had made himself resident: in Phil, in Saturn Street. Along with George and Roxy and Kein and all the other people for whom L.A. wasn’t some weird, grief-induced dream, but a place to live; a place they had chosen to live."
"Saturn" the best of the three. Enjoyed some of the writing. Always happy to ride along when Los Angeles is a character.
"People a generation older than I was all remembered where they’d been when Kennedy was killed: me, I remembered the first time I heard about the disease."
Me too.
Shall I read his other work?
"Saturn" the best of the three. Enjoyed some of the writing. Always happy to ride along when Los Angeles is a character.
"People a generation older than I was all remembered where they’d been when Kennedy was killed: me, I remembered the first time I heard about the disease."
Me too.
Shall I read his other work?
August 20, 2018
Historias de amor que acercan el desconocido vivir de los homosexuales a cualquier lector. Una guia para comprender que no hay diferencias entre las vivencias de los homosexuales y los heterosexuales.
July 16, 2015
Good longer works from a great short story writer. The first one is a stinging self-implication. It was a fun book to travel with, and a nice follow-up read to Family Dancing.
April 12, 2017
4/5
Normally not a fan of short stories but I finished this one in one sitting and liked all three stories; my favorite one was probably the last story, but again I liked them all.
Normally not a fan of short stories but I finished this one in one sitting and liked all three stories; my favorite one was probably the last story, but again I liked them all.
July 23, 2019
Arkansas is het eerste boek van de jonge Amerikaanse schrijver David Leavitt (1961) sinds het verschijnen van zijn geruchtmakende roman Terwijl Engeland slaapt. In Nederland werd hij vooral bekend met zijn romans De verloren taal der kranen en Eendere liefde. Arkansas bevat drie prachtige novellen waarin Leavitt op overtuigende wijze de grote lijnen en de talloze details laat zien waaruit levens en gebeurtenissen zijn opgebouwd. De scriptiekunstenaar gaat over de onorthodoxe maar lonende onderneming van een homoseksuele schrijver die, in ruil voor seks, scripties schrijft voor studenten. Het houten Jubileum biedt een hernieuwde kennismaking met Celia en Nathan, personages die al in Leavitts werk figureren sinds zijn debuut Familiedans. Zij ontmoeten elkaar ditmaal in 'Toscane. Saturn Street ten slotte is het verhaal van een scenarioschrijver in Los Angeles die als vrijwilliger maaltijden rondbrengt bij aidspatiënten.
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In 1993 klaagde de (inmiddels overleden) dichter Stephen Spender Leavitt aan omdat diens roman 'While England Sleeps' (1993) deels was gebaseerd op een voorval uit Spenders leven. Hoe zo'n plagiaatkwestie zelfs een jonge briljante schrijver blokkeert blijkt uit het feit dat dit sindsdien Leavitts eerste boek is én uit het eerste, autobiografische, verhaal uit deze bundel: 'De Scriptiekunstenaar' gaat over een jonge, homosexuele, van plagiaat beschuldigde schrijver die in ruil voor sex scripties schrijft voor studenten. 'Het Houten Jubileum' grijpt terug op personages uit de debuutbundel 'Family Dancing' (1984). Na jaren ontmoeten Celia en Nathan elkaar weer op Celia's luxe 'kookboerderij' in Toscane, waar een voor Leavitt typerende relationele 'dans' wordt opgevoerd tussen Lizzie, Seth, Nathan, Celia en haar fraaie jonge kok Mauro. In 'Saturn Street' brengt scenarioschrijver Jerry in Los Angeles als vrijwilliger maaltijden rond bij aidspatiënten. Heel overtuigend schetst Leavitt de subtiele relatie die ontstaat tussen Jerry en één van de patiënten. Hij is intelligent, geestig en een superieur verteller over de laat 20e eeuwse (Amerikaanse) 'mores'.
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David Leavitt (Pittsburgh, USA, 1961) groeide op in Palo Alto, Californië. Zijn vader was professor aan Stanford University. Na de middelbare school verruilde Leavitt de westkust van Amerika voor het oosten en meldde zich op achttienjarige leeftijd als student letteren bij de Yale University in New Haven. Hij volgde onder meer colleges in creative writing. Tijdens zijn studie begon hij korte verhalen te schrijven.
Leavitt was negentien toen zijn eerste korte verhaal in The New Yorker verscheen. Daarna verschenen verhalen van zijn hand in Harper’s. Op zijn drieëntwintigste brak Leavitt wereldwijd door met zijn debuut Family Dancing.
In opdracht van het blad Esquire viel hem in 1985 de eer te beurt om in een essay te beschrijven hoe zijn generatie tegen de wereld aankijkt, een vraag die door Esquire eens in de tien jaar aan een jonge, veelbelovende schrijver wordt voorgelegd. In het verleden kweten gerenommeerde schrijvers als F. Scott Fitzgerald en William Styrion zich van deze taak. Het essay, Next Generation, werd in Nederland gepubliceerd in Vrij Nederland.
Leavitts succesvolle romandebuut Verloren taal der kranen werd bewerkt tot een televisiefilm.
In enkele van Leavitts verhalen komen dezelfde personages terug: Celia en Nathan. Deze twee dienden als basis voor de voorstelling Celia (1993) van de Rotterdamse theatergroep Bonheur. In 1997 kocht David Leavitt met zijn vriend Mark Mitchell een verwaarloosde boerderij in Maremma, in het zuiden van Toscane. De belevenissen rond de aankoop en het opknappen van het huis staan beschreven in de verhalenbundel In de Maremma.
Momenteel is David Leavitt docent creative writing aan de Universiteit van Florida.
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In 1993 klaagde de (inmiddels overleden) dichter Stephen Spender Leavitt aan omdat diens roman 'While England Sleeps' (1993) deels was gebaseerd op een voorval uit Spenders leven. Hoe zo'n plagiaatkwestie zelfs een jonge briljante schrijver blokkeert blijkt uit het feit dat dit sindsdien Leavitts eerste boek is én uit het eerste, autobiografische, verhaal uit deze bundel: 'De Scriptiekunstenaar' gaat over een jonge, homosexuele, van plagiaat beschuldigde schrijver die in ruil voor sex scripties schrijft voor studenten. 'Het Houten Jubileum' grijpt terug op personages uit de debuutbundel 'Family Dancing' (1984). Na jaren ontmoeten Celia en Nathan elkaar weer op Celia's luxe 'kookboerderij' in Toscane, waar een voor Leavitt typerende relationele 'dans' wordt opgevoerd tussen Lizzie, Seth, Nathan, Celia en haar fraaie jonge kok Mauro. In 'Saturn Street' brengt scenarioschrijver Jerry in Los Angeles als vrijwilliger maaltijden rond bij aidspatiënten. Heel overtuigend schetst Leavitt de subtiele relatie die ontstaat tussen Jerry en één van de patiënten. Hij is intelligent, geestig en een superieur verteller over de laat 20e eeuwse (Amerikaanse) 'mores'.
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David Leavitt (Pittsburgh, USA, 1961) groeide op in Palo Alto, Californië. Zijn vader was professor aan Stanford University. Na de middelbare school verruilde Leavitt de westkust van Amerika voor het oosten en meldde zich op achttienjarige leeftijd als student letteren bij de Yale University in New Haven. Hij volgde onder meer colleges in creative writing. Tijdens zijn studie begon hij korte verhalen te schrijven.
Leavitt was negentien toen zijn eerste korte verhaal in The New Yorker verscheen. Daarna verschenen verhalen van zijn hand in Harper’s. Op zijn drieëntwintigste brak Leavitt wereldwijd door met zijn debuut Family Dancing.
In opdracht van het blad Esquire viel hem in 1985 de eer te beurt om in een essay te beschrijven hoe zijn generatie tegen de wereld aankijkt, een vraag die door Esquire eens in de tien jaar aan een jonge, veelbelovende schrijver wordt voorgelegd. In het verleden kweten gerenommeerde schrijvers als F. Scott Fitzgerald en William Styrion zich van deze taak. Het essay, Next Generation, werd in Nederland gepubliceerd in Vrij Nederland.
Leavitts succesvolle romandebuut Verloren taal der kranen werd bewerkt tot een televisiefilm.
In enkele van Leavitts verhalen komen dezelfde personages terug: Celia en Nathan. Deze twee dienden als basis voor de voorstelling Celia (1993) van de Rotterdamse theatergroep Bonheur. In 1997 kocht David Leavitt met zijn vriend Mark Mitchell een verwaarloosde boerderij in Maremma, in het zuiden van Toscane. De belevenissen rond de aankoop en het opknappen van het huis staan beschreven in de verhalenbundel In de Maremma.
Momenteel is David Leavitt docent creative writing aan de Universiteit van Florida.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2021
I have no idea why the collection is called Arkansas, given that the three locations these stories shift in and out of are Itay, Los Angeles, and New York City. Unfamiliar with David Leavitt, I found this collection of novellas on a park bench in Brooklyn and I'm glad I didn't read the back because, "The Term Paper Artist," had wonderful twists I wouldn't have expected and was ultimately the reason I finished the collection. I liked the way the writer wrapped a power fantasy up with opportunities to discuss compelling research and history.
It feels important to note that all of these stories are situated in a time and space before the ubiquity of the internet, back when AIDS was always terminal, VCRs were still how we watched media, answering machines were the way we kept in touch, and phone-sex and party lines were still a big factor in the way horny people hooked up.
The Wooden Aniversary, although cleverly named, was my least favorite. I don't think the writer did an adequate job of occupying the space of the female narrator, Lizzie. It felt like a lazy way of getting to the gay male character's (and probably the author's) personal experience after the loss of a lover. The theme of queer love lost is echoed in the other two stories as well.
The third story, "Saturn Street" had some universal notions of jealousy that anyone with a crush can identify with, even if they wouldn't have worked through them the same way.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection and will pass it on to queer friends. I think it's important to reflect on how much safer and easier it is to be LGBTQIA+ now that we have the internet, dating sites, PREP, ART (antiretroviral therapy) cellphones, and rapid HIV tests. These stories don't dwell on how much better it could be in the future. Although I think the author knew it. I also think he knew he didn't have to deal with anything emotional if he simply left the timezone where feelings were and his characters always had the means to do so. These days, you can't just head to the other coast to get away from it all. You bring most of it with you in your pocket and you plug back into that world as soon as the plane lands and you're allowed to turn on your phone.
It feels important to note that all of these stories are situated in a time and space before the ubiquity of the internet, back when AIDS was always terminal, VCRs were still how we watched media, answering machines were the way we kept in touch, and phone-sex and party lines were still a big factor in the way horny people hooked up.
The Wooden Aniversary, although cleverly named, was my least favorite. I don't think the writer did an adequate job of occupying the space of the female narrator, Lizzie. It felt like a lazy way of getting to the gay male character's (and probably the author's) personal experience after the loss of a lover. The theme of queer love lost is echoed in the other two stories as well.
The third story, "Saturn Street" had some universal notions of jealousy that anyone with a crush can identify with, even if they wouldn't have worked through them the same way.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection and will pass it on to queer friends. I think it's important to reflect on how much safer and easier it is to be LGBTQIA+ now that we have the internet, dating sites, PREP, ART (antiretroviral therapy) cellphones, and rapid HIV tests. These stories don't dwell on how much better it could be in the future. Although I think the author knew it. I also think he knew he didn't have to deal with anything emotional if he simply left the timezone where feelings were and his characters always had the means to do so. These days, you can't just head to the other coast to get away from it all. You bring most of it with you in your pocket and you plug back into that world as soon as the plane lands and you're allowed to turn on your phone.
February 18, 2018
I have not read Leavitt since "Family Dancing" (which I bought at an Army bookstore on post before don't ask don't tell.) I think I've read a few from Lost language. . . but I can't remember. Still, glad I visited with Leavitt again. I'll read some more.
These novellas get four stars; however, The Wooden Anniversary, in my opinion, was not as interesting a work as the two surrounding it. So let's start with that one.
The Wooden Anniversary left me feeling annoyed, and yelling "why don't people just be honest." I found all characters in that work unlikeable. I often was rolling my eyes at their pretensions. But, as a writer, Leavitt is successful for me even with this piece. The writing was good, and my feelings of annoyance prove that--I was annoyed with the people.
The other two were excellent works. While I was horrified at the narrator in "The Term Paper Artist." and his unethical choices, I still appreciated his honesty (if in fact, he was), and watching him de-evolve and then come back (sort of). Also, on a personal note, Leavitt writes a few things that have inspired me to do an academic work.
"Saturn Street" was interesting in what it did to me. I appreciated hearing about HIV patients during this time. I was annoyed at the search for sex of the narrator (sometimes I think: ok I get it. but did I?) I would pause at times noticing how pulled into the piece I was. The characters are likable; they are real people: people we all know. For me, the symbol Leavitt is creating with Saturn street, this bit of sci-fi, always looking forward, yet realizing we have to be where we are. In many ways, Saturn Street is about being somewhere else while being where we are.
Arkansas--good fast reads. The writing is clear, solid, and at time beautiful!
These novellas get four stars; however, The Wooden Anniversary, in my opinion, was not as interesting a work as the two surrounding it. So let's start with that one.
The Wooden Anniversary left me feeling annoyed, and yelling "why don't people just be honest." I found all characters in that work unlikeable. I often was rolling my eyes at their pretensions. But, as a writer, Leavitt is successful for me even with this piece. The writing was good, and my feelings of annoyance prove that--I was annoyed with the people.
The other two were excellent works. While I was horrified at the narrator in "The Term Paper Artist." and his unethical choices, I still appreciated his honesty (if in fact, he was), and watching him de-evolve and then come back (sort of). Also, on a personal note, Leavitt writes a few things that have inspired me to do an academic work.
"Saturn Street" was interesting in what it did to me. I appreciated hearing about HIV patients during this time. I was annoyed at the search for sex of the narrator (sometimes I think: ok I get it. but did I?) I would pause at times noticing how pulled into the piece I was. The characters are likable; they are real people: people we all know. For me, the symbol Leavitt is creating with Saturn street, this bit of sci-fi, always looking forward, yet realizing we have to be where we are. In many ways, Saturn Street is about being somewhere else while being where we are.
Arkansas--good fast reads. The writing is clear, solid, and at time beautiful!
December 15, 2020
The three stories are quite different, which gives it some width, but there are similarities which reappear, contributing to the book feeling like a unit.
I’m no great fan of “The Wooden anniversary”, as the story is a bit blah - sure, it has a plot twist, but it’s not mind blowing. And well, the gay element in it rather seems to be a gay guy who wants to sleep with everyone in sight, especially younger straight foreign men. Not saying that it’s not true, it’s just a bit more complicated than an insatiable se drive.
The Term Paper Artist.... oh man, this story continues to evade me. I enjoy it for the narrative and the story in itself, and it’s sexiness. I also like it for how it, in this case, manage to portray sexuality as more than just anal penetration, and that one can really just get off giving a blow job. In a way, it goes a bit of a way to examine power relations and hierarchies in a very subtle way: there’s the gay vs straight, but also young vs old. In both of these, David is on the “losing” side, being gay and “old”. However, he has a talent and skill the guys need, which thwarts this dynamic, cause it turns it on its head. And then Ben comes along, and really gives it all a spin.
“Saturn street” adds to the accounts of gay life during the AIDS epidemic. While AIDS is ever time present, it still managed to weave it into more mundane and everyday challenges one can have when falling in love. But yet, it comes back to wondering whether his husband didn’t commit suicide upon testing positive, and his own not knowing.
The detail at the end that he meets the author, tells him the story which then the author chooses to retell in I form... I find it beautiful, how David Leavitt chooses to retell this story like it could have been him.
I’m no great fan of “The Wooden anniversary”, as the story is a bit blah - sure, it has a plot twist, but it’s not mind blowing. And well, the gay element in it rather seems to be a gay guy who wants to sleep with everyone in sight, especially younger straight foreign men. Not saying that it’s not true, it’s just a bit more complicated than an insatiable se drive.
The Term Paper Artist.... oh man, this story continues to evade me. I enjoy it for the narrative and the story in itself, and it’s sexiness. I also like it for how it, in this case, manage to portray sexuality as more than just anal penetration, and that one can really just get off giving a blow job. In a way, it goes a bit of a way to examine power relations and hierarchies in a very subtle way: there’s the gay vs straight, but also young vs old. In both of these, David is on the “losing” side, being gay and “old”. However, he has a talent and skill the guys need, which thwarts this dynamic, cause it turns it on its head. And then Ben comes along, and really gives it all a spin.
“Saturn street” adds to the accounts of gay life during the AIDS epidemic. While AIDS is ever time present, it still managed to weave it into more mundane and everyday challenges one can have when falling in love. But yet, it comes back to wondering whether his husband didn’t commit suicide upon testing positive, and his own not knowing.
The detail at the end that he meets the author, tells him the story which then the author chooses to retell in I form... I find it beautiful, how David Leavitt chooses to retell this story like it could have been him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2018
Since I research Wilde and plagiarism, this book kept popping up in my library searches--so, naturally, I had to eventually crack it open. It was a fairly fun read--I enjoyed the prose style and wry observations. Another reviewer here compared it to Paul Auster and I can can definitely see this in the voice and bits of magical realism in the second story. It was, however, uncomfortably confessional. I'm not sure that this is truly a detriment as it did push the narratives along and had an "honest" feel to it. However, it also seemed to edge up on one of those 'interrogating the reader' narratives and I'm not a big fan of those.
I found it interesting how the author recycled references in the three stories, particularly epigrams by Wilde. I'm pretty sure that "conversations is the basis of any marriage" appeared in all at least two, but perhaps all three stories. Since Wilde himself often recycled his best lines, I wonder if this reuse was an intentional adoption of a Wildean style. If so, it was clever, but I think he might have chose a more epigrammatic line.
Since researching plagiarism is my bag, I was particularly interested in the first story, the Term Paper Artist. Interesting power dynamics here in how the narrator/author submits both his mind and body to the students--there is a trade, but only because the narrator is so self-deprecating and the students so self-centered, though not unrealistically so. I actually really enjoyed seeing the "artist" from this angle and could see the appeal of crafting the forged term paper--often seen as a hackneyed genre as well as a chore--as an art. I believe Wilde would approve.
I found it interesting how the author recycled references in the three stories, particularly epigrams by Wilde. I'm pretty sure that "conversations is the basis of any marriage" appeared in all at least two, but perhaps all three stories. Since Wilde himself often recycled his best lines, I wonder if this reuse was an intentional adoption of a Wildean style. If so, it was clever, but I think he might have chose a more epigrammatic line.
Since researching plagiarism is my bag, I was particularly interested in the first story, the Term Paper Artist. Interesting power dynamics here in how the narrator/author submits both his mind and body to the students--there is a trade, but only because the narrator is so self-deprecating and the students so self-centered, though not unrealistically so. I actually really enjoyed seeing the "artist" from this angle and could see the appeal of crafting the forged term paper--often seen as a hackneyed genre as well as a chore--as an art. I believe Wilde would approve.
December 28, 2021
"Gli scrittori spesso travestono la loro vita in forma di romanzo. Quello che non fanno mai è tramutare il romanzo nella loro vita."
Non so cosa avrebbe pensato Philip Roth di questa citazione, lui che ha reinventato la sua vita in molti dei suoi romanzi. So cosa invece ha compiuto David Leavitt in questa raccolta di tre racconti, dal titolo enigmatico (confesso di non averne capito il senso): due di essi ("L'artista dei saggi di fine trimestre" e "Saturn Street") hanno come protagonista proprio lui stesso, nei panni dello scrittore di successo che si trova a vivere situazioni da vita comune, prima all'interno di un campus universitario, poi in una associazione di aiuto a malati di AIDS. Proprio questi due racconti sono la chiave del libro, perché mostrano Leavitt alle prese con la sua coscienza: se da un lato egli tenta di mettere da parte la propria moralità in vista di obiettivi più prosaici (del buon sesso con giovani aitanti), dall'altro proprio la sua moralità gli fa mettere da parte la comodità di una vita da VIP per dedicarsi agli altri senza secondi fini.
Come sempre, Leavitt mi piace, mi piace proprio tanto, perché sa costruire intrecci e dialoghi con una semplicità di lettura tale da far concentrare il lettore sui concetti chiave che stanno alla base delle vicende. Ci sono occasioni di ironia, altre di dolore, ma in fondo ciò che rimane è la sensazione di essersi arricchiti di brevi avventure, raccontate solo per mezzo dei dettagli che servono, senza inutili riempitivi che mostrerebbero solo esercizi di bravura. Proprio ciò che porta il Leavitt-personaggio alla rovina nel primo racconto.
Non so cosa avrebbe pensato Philip Roth di questa citazione, lui che ha reinventato la sua vita in molti dei suoi romanzi. So cosa invece ha compiuto David Leavitt in questa raccolta di tre racconti, dal titolo enigmatico (confesso di non averne capito il senso): due di essi ("L'artista dei saggi di fine trimestre" e "Saturn Street") hanno come protagonista proprio lui stesso, nei panni dello scrittore di successo che si trova a vivere situazioni da vita comune, prima all'interno di un campus universitario, poi in una associazione di aiuto a malati di AIDS. Proprio questi due racconti sono la chiave del libro, perché mostrano Leavitt alle prese con la sua coscienza: se da un lato egli tenta di mettere da parte la propria moralità in vista di obiettivi più prosaici (del buon sesso con giovani aitanti), dall'altro proprio la sua moralità gli fa mettere da parte la comodità di una vita da VIP per dedicarsi agli altri senza secondi fini.
Come sempre, Leavitt mi piace, mi piace proprio tanto, perché sa costruire intrecci e dialoghi con una semplicità di lettura tale da far concentrare il lettore sui concetti chiave che stanno alla base delle vicende. Ci sono occasioni di ironia, altre di dolore, ma in fondo ciò che rimane è la sensazione di essersi arricchiti di brevi avventure, raccontate solo per mezzo dei dettagli che servono, senza inutili riempitivi che mostrerebbero solo esercizi di bravura. Proprio ciò che porta il Leavitt-personaggio alla rovina nel primo racconto.
August 11, 2017
Novellas can be strange animals. And, as in any collection of fiction, you tend to like some more than others. David Leavitt brings all his writing chops to bear on these three distinctly themed stories. The first, "The Term Paper Artist," is on the surface quite funny and absurd. Yet, underneath the narrator's hard shell lies a sensitive, vulnerable and ultimately lonely soul. If you know a little about Leavitt's publishing history, this story screams with self-effacing honesty. I really liked it. In the second story, "The Wooden Anniversary," Leavitt revisits three characters he's written about before. But rather than feeling the warmth of intimacy, the author seems to disdain these characters, who come across as often petty and self-serving, and who are upstaged by a fourth character -- a chef with confused allegiances. A somewhat ironic ending made the piece feel as though the entire story, rather than growing organically from character conflicts, was written toward satisfying that ending. Overall, it's a bit of a plodder. The final story, "Saturn Street," picks up where the first novella leaves off but goes much deeper. It captures a particular time in history when gay men lived with a constant fear of getting sick and an immense sadness for their fallen friends. It raises profound questions about the sanctity of life, the purposes of relationships, and the particular ways we both assert and deny our humanity. In all three stories, Leavitt combines capable storytelling, a keen ear for dialogue and a brave candor for exploring what others only want to hush.
November 9, 2020
I've only heard vaguely of David Leavitt so this was pretty much a blind read that I didn't know what I was expecting. The three novellas in this are well-written, sometimes really funny, but don't feel like they really go anywhere unexpected or come to some any profound points. My favourite of the bunch should be Saturn Street since AIDS-narratives usually reduce me to a blubbering mass of intense feels, but that one felt too short and constricted for the narrative growth or emotional turns to feel natural. I would have wanted it to be a novel, while the other two were entertaining if a little lightweight and probably should have themselves been short stories. My favourite was probably The Wooden Anniversary since I love the concept of a woman and her gay best friend having a platonic relationship as dysfunctional as a real marriage.
Also two of these three novellas are set in Los Angeles and feature first-person narrators who are both dating actors and who both ritually rent pornography from the real-life Circus of Books, but who are supposed to be different characters. I don't know but I feel like there should have been someone in the process of publishing this book who should have pointed out that these two stories share such specific details but are supposed to be unrelated. I just found that weird.
Also two of these three novellas are set in Los Angeles and feature first-person narrators who are both dating actors and who both ritually rent pornography from the real-life Circus of Books, but who are supposed to be different characters. I don't know but I feel like there should have been someone in the process of publishing this book who should have pointed out that these two stories share such specific details but are supposed to be unrelated. I just found that weird.
July 26, 2018
3.5/5
can't say i'm satisfied after reading this book, however i have to make a point, david leavitt writes fine! after the first novella i was quite sure he is going to be another murakami to me, an author who is never going to be among my favorite ones, but whose books i can't stop picking up after one another. (not that there was anything that's related between the two writers hahaha)
now talk about the novellas.
the term-paper artist was fun and all uncanny. i was disagreeing at first (about the character's choices) but then it weirdly settled itself.
the wooden anniversary stroked the memories of a home at the end of the world in me, and, hence, made me sad. but that was personal. truth is, the writing and philosophy of this piece of writing was really interesting (the cow thing was both funny and sad at the same time). but then the ending... coughs. i didn't know how to make a remark of that ending.
saturn street was poignant. i was really sad. god, i was. there was a mess there, in the story, but lingering around that mess, there the sadness was. what did i even expect? it was a story about AIDS after all, and no matter how subtle, how aloof the narration towards the matter was, it still hurts.
can't say i'm satisfied after reading this book, however i have to make a point, david leavitt writes fine! after the first novella i was quite sure he is going to be another murakami to me, an author who is never going to be among my favorite ones, but whose books i can't stop picking up after one another. (not that there was anything that's related between the two writers hahaha)
now talk about the novellas.
the term-paper artist was fun and all uncanny. i was disagreeing at first (about the character's choices) but then it weirdly settled itself.
the wooden anniversary stroked the memories of a home at the end of the world in me, and, hence, made me sad. but that was personal. truth is, the writing and philosophy of this piece of writing was really interesting (the cow thing was both funny and sad at the same time). but then the ending... coughs. i didn't know how to make a remark of that ending.
saturn street was poignant. i was really sad. god, i was. there was a mess there, in the story, but lingering around that mess, there the sadness was. what did i even expect? it was a story about AIDS after all, and no matter how subtle, how aloof the narration towards the matter was, it still hurts.
June 6, 2024
First book I read of David Leavitt and I liked it. It talks about desire, love and homosexual relationships. It is hard to read about what it was to be gay in the 80s-90s and the despair and loss AIDS brought to so many poor people, like in ‘Saturn street’. What I am not really sure if I like it or not is the open endings all three stories have. But I don’t mind it. LOVED ‘Las bodas de madera’ felt like I was reading a Sally Rooney and Luca Guadagnino’s baby of a novel.
‘Los escritores a menudo disfrazan de ficción su vida. Lo que nunca hacen es disfrazar de vida la ficción.’
Just great.
‘Los escritores a menudo disfrazan de ficción su vida. Lo que nunca hacen es disfrazar de vida la ficción.’
Just great.
September 5, 2024
Remember reading this when it first came out in the 1990s. Really shocking then, not so much the gay content as the metafictional elements. Leavitt had just been embroiled in a publishing scandal about appropriating another author's work and life. He had been incredibly tone deaf about it all and then he published "The Term Paper Artist," which was just so hilarious and risky and cool. Can't say I remember the other two novellas as well, but that one was just a big fat middle finger to the publishing establishment.
April 8, 2024
Any one of the individual stories in David Leavitt’s Arkansas: Three Novellas, all three of them in fact, could have been adapted and interpreted and filmed and released as a super-competent and moving version of The Big Chill. Novellas are an awkward length. A writer, even a top-tier award winner swinging from David Leavitt’s rung, can be forced out of the space, time and genre continuum to seek publication. Bravo for making the stretch!
December 5, 2024
Quite enjoyable -- I was not familiar with Leavitt before this. Going into it I was wondering if these novellas would feel like stretched-out short stories, or instead consolidated novels. But they were just right. Leavitt's style reads very surface-level at first glance, but upon deeper investigation there are hidden layers, deeper meanings, which make these novellas really shine.
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