City of Night - Softcover

Rechy John

3.93

4,511 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0394171470 ISBN 13: 9780394171470

Publisher: Grove Press, 1980

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"[Rechy's] tone rings absolutely true, is absolutely his own. . . . He tells the truth, and tells it with such passion that we are forced to share in the life he conveys. . . . This is a most humbling and liberating achievement."--James Baldwin

When John Rechy's explosive first novel appeared in 1963, it marked a radical departure in fiction, and gave voice to a subculture that had never before been revealed with such acuity. It earned comparisons to Genet and Kerouac, even as Rechy was personally attacked by scandalized reviewers. Nevertheless, the book became an international bestseller, and fifty years later, it has become a classic. Bold and inventive in style, Rechy is unflinching in his portrayal of one hustling "youngman" and his search for self-knowledge within the neon-lit world of hustlers, drag queens, and the denizens of their world, as he moves from El Paso to Times Square, from Pershing Square to the French Quarter. Now including never-seen original marked galley pages and an interview with the author, Rechy's portrait of the edges of America has lost none of its power to move and exhilarate.

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Review:

"Discovering Rechy's masterpiece - or rediscovering it - is to encounter one of contemporary gay literature's formative texts. City of Night has survived; its influence endures."

Review:

"The first novel to completely expose America's underground culture of hustlers, BDSM enthusiasts and drag queens. It remains as fascinating and raw as ever."

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