The Beauty of Men Never Dies: An Autobiographical Novel - Hardcover

Leddick, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0299292703 ISBN 13: 9780299292706

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press, 2013

Synopsis

Buoyant and entertaining, this melding of memoir and fiction recounts with humor and candid observation a gay man's romances in his seventies, offering insight into the joys (and a few of the sorrows) of loving, living, and aging with grace, style, and a fearless sense of fun.
    Bouncing between Montevideo, New York, and Paris, the narrator reveals his adventurous life, his many lovers, his varied careers from dance to advertising, and the upbeat outlook that sustains him as he pursues the elusive Fenil, a handsome Uruguayan policeman.
    David Leddick's short sketches, interspersed with memories, attitudes, and opinions drawn from the past, combine in a vivid tale of a life lived with panache at an age when most people think the adventure has already ended.

About this title

About the Author

David Leddick is a writer, playwright, actor, and contributor to the Huffington Post. His previous careers have included service in the U.S. Navy, dancing with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and working as creative director with the advertising clients Revlon and L'Oreal in New York and Paris. He began his writing career at the age of sixty-five, and he is the author of twenty-three books, including the novels My Worst Date and The Sex Squad, as well as many photography books about the male nude.

Review

"We don't have many voices with 70-plus years of experience to tell us what life and romance is like for a gay man at that age, but David Leddick has always defied expectations—never retiring, always reinventing himself. We are richer for having his voice to tell us what he sees from the vantage—advantage, actually—of his vibrant age, tall, proud, and ever wondering."—Tom Bianchi, author of Men I've Loved

"I loved reading these bracing pages, delighted by Leddick's frank insights and exhilarated by his humor."—Will Fellows, author of Gay Bar: The Fabulous True Story of a Daring Woman and Her Boys in the 1950s

“Leddick’s personality, witty candor, erotic outlook, and opinionated openness saturate every page.  It’s real, forthright, and as unsparingly candid as an 80ish gay man can get. If these stories are fiction, there is no way of knowing from just reading them, they are so lifelike.”—Bay Area Reporter


“Part autobiography, part novel, this reflection of a life still well lived is simply beautiful. Leddick’s writing is the sort of simple elegance we should all aspire to in all venues. Festive and fun.”—OutSmart Magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0299292703
• ISBN 13: 9780299292706
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144