Edmund White’s death is hitting me hard. I never met him, but his novels and memoirs were a constant presence during my coming-out years and thereafter. I remember buying his books back in the 1990’s at Charis Books & More and at Outwrite, the LGBTQ bookstore that used to be in Atlanta. The main character in my short story “Time After Time” (which will be published in an upcoming anthology on August 1st) is looking at an Edmund White book when he meets his partner in a bookstore. I have an autographed copy of Edmund White’s recent novel The Humble Lover, which reads very much like a gay John Updike novel (and I say that as a fan of the late John Updike). The world of modern-day queer literature has lost one of its founding lights. Rest in Peace, Edmund White.

Edmund White’s Obituary:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/04/edmund-white-novelist-dies