Poppy Z. Brite: Difference between revisions
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== Literary history == |
== Literary history == |
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Early in Brite's career, |
Early in Brite's career, he was best known for writing [[gothic novel|gothic]] and [[horror fiction|horror]] novels and short stories. Brite's trademarks have included using gay men as main characters, graphic sexual descriptions in the works, and an often wry treatment of gruesome events. Some of Brite's better known novels include ''[[Lost Souls (Poppy Z. Brite novel)|Lost Souls]]'' (1992), ''[[Drawing Blood]]'' (originally titled ''Birdland'') (1993), and ''[[Exquisite Corpse (novel)|Exquisite Corpse]]'' (1996); he has also released short fiction collections: ''[[Wormwood (book)|Swamp Foetus]]'' (also published as ''Wormwood,'' 1993), ''[[Are You Loathsome Tonight?]]'' (also published as ''Self-Made Man,'' 1998), ''Wrong Things'' (with [[Caitlin R. Kiernan]], 2001), and ''The Devil You Know'' (2003). Brite's "Calcutta: Lord of Nerves" was selected to represent the year 1992 in the story collection ''The Century's Best Horror Fiction''.<ref>John Pelan, ''The Century's Best Horror Fiction'', Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010, two volumes, ISBN 1-58767-080-1.</ref> |
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Brite has also written a biography of singer [[Courtney Love]] (1996) that was officially "unauthorized", but Brite acknowledges that the work was done at Love's suggestion and with her cooperation, including access to Love's personal journal and letters.<ref>[http://www.poppyzbrite.com/bio.html PzB (auto)Biography] discusses the writing of the Love book.</ref> |
Brite has also written a biography of singer [[Courtney Love]] (1996) that was officially "unauthorized", but Brite acknowledges that the work was done at Love's suggestion and with her cooperation, including access to Love's personal journal and letters.<ref>[http://www.poppyzbrite.com/bio.html PzB (auto)Biography] discusses the writing of the Love book.</ref> |
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In the late [[1990s]] and early [[2000s (decade)|2000s]] Brite moved away from horror fiction and gothic themes while still writing about gay characters. |
In the late [[1990s]] and early [[2000s (decade)|2000s]] Brite moved away from horror fiction and gothic themes while still writing about gay characters. His critically acclaimed Liquor novels—''Liquor'' (2004), ''Prime'' (2005), and ''Soul Kitchen'' (2006)—are [[dark comedy|dark comedies]] set in the New Orleans [[restaurant]] world.''The Value of X'' (2002) depicts the beginning of the careers of the protagonists of the Liquor series — Gary "G-Man" Stubbs and John "Rickey" Rickey; other stories, including several in his most recent collection ''[[The Devil You Know (book)|The Devil You Know]]'' and the novella ''D*U*C*K'', chronicle events in the lives of the extended Stubbs family, a Catholic clan whose roots are sunk deep in the traditional culture of New Orleans. Brite hopes to eventually write three more novels in the Liquor series, tentatively titled ''Dead Shrimp Blues,'' ''Hurricane Stew,'' and ''Double Shot''. However, in late 2006 he severed his relationship with Three Rivers Press, the trade paperback division of Random House that published the first three Liquor novels, and is currently taking a hiatus from fiction writing. he has described ''Antediluvian Tales'', a short story collection published by [[Subterranean Press]] in November 2007, as "if not my last book ever, then my last one for some time." he is still writing short nonfiction pieces, including guest editorials for the New Orleans ''[[The Times-Picayune|Times-Picayune]]'' and a food article for ''[[Chile Pepper Magazine]]''. |
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Brite has often stated that, while |
Brite has often stated that, while he will allow some of his work to be optioned for film under the right circumstances, he has little interest in movies and is not overly eager to see his work filmed. In 1999, his short story "The Sixth Sentinel" (filmed as ''The Dream Sentinel'') comprised one segment of episode 209 of ''[[The Hunger (serial)|The Hunger]],'' a short-lived horror anthology series on [[Showtime Network|Showtime]]. Of all his books, only ''Lost Souls'' is currently under option, by producer Paul Natale. |
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A critical essay on Brite's fiction appears in ''The Evolution of the Weird Tale'' (2004) by [[S. T. Joshi]]. |
A critical essay on Brite's fiction appears in ''The Evolution of the Weird Tale'' (2004) by [[S. T. Joshi]]. |
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== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
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Brite is a [[Transman|transgender man]], born biologically female. |
Brite is a [[Transman|transgender man]], born biologically female. He has written and talked much about his [[gender dysphoria]]/[[gender identity]] issues.<ref>[http://www.poppyzbrite.com/rope.html Poppy Z. Brite, "Enough Rope", in ''Crossing the Border: Tales of Erotic Ambiguity'', edited by Lisa Tuttle, Indigo Books, 1998.]</ref> He self-identifies with gay males, and as of August 2010, has begun the process of [[Sex reassignment therapy|gender reassignment]]. Brite has written that, while gender theorists like [[Kate Bornstein]] would call him a "nonoperative transsexual", Brite himself would not insist on a pedantic label, writing "I'm just me".<ref name="gender">See Brite's LiveJournal, especially the [http://www.livejournal.com/users/docbrite/2003/08/22/ August 22, 2003 entry]</ref> |
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He lived in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina]] and [[Athens, Georgia]] prior to returning to New Orleans in 1993. He is a fan of [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|UNC]] [[basketball]], but says his greatest support is for his hometown football team, the [[New Orleans Saints]]. |
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Brite is the longtime partner of Chris DeBarr, who is a chef at [http://www.greengoddessnola.com/ The Green Goddess]. They have a ''de facto'' cat rescue that houses between 15 and 20 cats, and sometimes also dogs. |
Brite is the longtime partner of Chris DeBarr, who is a chef at [http://www.greengoddessnola.com/ The Green Goddess]. They have a ''de facto'' cat rescue that houses between 15 and 20 cats, and sometimes also dogs. |
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During [[Hurricane Katrina]] and the failure of the federal levee system in 2005, Brite at first opted to stay at home, but |
During [[Hurricane Katrina]] and the failure of the federal levee system in 2005, Brite at first opted to stay at home, but he eventually relocated {{convert|80|mi|km}} away to his mother's home in [[Mississippi]]. He used his [[blog]] to update his fans regarding the situation, including the unknown status of her house and many of her pets,<ref name="ivry">Ivry, Bob. [http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/08-05/08-31-05/a02wn220.htm "As storm raged, stalwart bloggers stayed at keyboards"]. ''[[The Standard-Times (New Bedford)|The Standard Times]]'', August 31, 2005.</ref> and in October 2005 became one of the first 70,000 New Orleanians to begin repopulating the city. |
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In the following months, Brite has been an outspoken and sometimes harsh critic of those who are leaving New Orleans for good. |
In the following months, Brite has been an outspoken and sometimes harsh critic of those who are leaving New Orleans for good. He was quoted in ''[[The New York Times]]'' and elsewhere as saying, in reference to those considering leaving, "If you’re ever lucky enough to belong somewhere, if a place takes you in and you take it into yourself, you don't desert it just because it can kill you. There are things more valuable than life."<ref>For text of entire speech, originally given at 2006's Banned Books Night, see Brite's [http://docbrite.livejournal.com/2006/09/25/ journal entry for September 25, 2006].</ref> |
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On August 30, 2008, as [[Hurricane Gustav]] approached the city, Brite and DeBarr both elected to remain in New Orleans and not evacuate. They survived the ordeal unharmed and with minimal damage to their home and property. |
On August 30, 2008, as [[Hurricane Gustav]] approached the city, Brite and DeBarr both elected to remain in New Orleans and not evacuate. They survived the ordeal unharmed and with minimal damage to their home and property. |
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== Retirement == |
== Retirement == |
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On June 9, 2010, Brite officially stated that |
On June 9, 2010, Brite officially stated that he was retired in a post entitled 'I'm Basically Retired (For Now)' on his [[Livejournal]]. He stated that he had 'completely lost the ability to interact with his body of work,' then went on to state that business issues were in part a cause of this issue. Along with this, he specifically mentioned being unable to disconnect with aspects of his life relating to [[Hurricane Katrina]]. He ended his statement by saying that he missed having relationships with his characters and that he did not feel the need to write for publication. |
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== Bibliography == |
== Bibliography == |
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Revision as of 01:45, 30 November 2011
Poppy Z. Brite | |
|---|---|
 Photo by J.K. Potter | |
| Born | Melissa Ann Brite May 25, 1967 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, Writer |
| Period | 1985–Current |
| Notable works | Lost Souls (1992) Drawing Blood (1993) Exquisite Corpse (1996) The Value of X (2002) Liquor (2004) Prime (2005) Soul Kitchen (2006) |
| Spouse | Chris DeBarr |
| Website | |
| http://www.poppyzbrite.com/ | |
Poppy Z. Brite (born Melissa Ann Brite on May 25, 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American author. Brite initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s after publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections. Brite's recent work has moved into the related genre of dark comedy, of which many are set in the New Orleans restaurant world. Brite's novels are typically standalone books but may feature recurring characters from previous novels and short stories. Much of Brite's work features openly bisexual and gay characters.
Literary history
Early in Brite's career, he was best known for writing gothic and horror novels and short stories. Brite's trademarks have included using gay men as main characters, graphic sexual descriptions in the works, and an often wry treatment of gruesome events. Some of Brite's better known novels include Lost Souls (1992), Drawing Blood (originally titled Birdland) (1993), and Exquisite Corpse (1996); he has also released short fiction collections: Swamp Foetus (also published as Wormwood, 1993), Are You Loathsome Tonight? (also published as Self-Made Man, 1998), Wrong Things (with Caitlin R. Kiernan, 2001), and The Devil You Know (2003). Brite's "Calcutta: Lord of Nerves" was selected to represent the year 1992 in the story collection The Century's Best Horror Fiction.[1]
Brite has also written a biography of singer Courtney Love (1996) that was officially "unauthorized", but Brite acknowledges that the work was done at Love's suggestion and with her cooperation, including access to Love's personal journal and letters.[2]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s Brite moved away from horror fiction and gothic themes while still writing about gay characters. His critically acclaimed Liquor novels—Liquor (2004), Prime (2005), and Soul Kitchen (2006)—are dark comedies set in the New Orleans restaurant world.The Value of X (2002) depicts the beginning of the careers of the protagonists of the Liquor series — Gary "G-Man" Stubbs and John "Rickey" Rickey; other stories, including several in his most recent collection The Devil You Know and the novella D*U*C*K, chronicle events in the lives of the extended Stubbs family, a Catholic clan whose roots are sunk deep in the traditional culture of New Orleans. Brite hopes to eventually write three more novels in the Liquor series, tentatively titled Dead Shrimp Blues, Hurricane Stew, and Double Shot. However, in late 2006 he severed his relationship with Three Rivers Press, the trade paperback division of Random House that published the first three Liquor novels, and is currently taking a hiatus from fiction writing. he has described Antediluvian Tales, a short story collection published by Subterranean Press in November 2007, as "if not my last book ever, then my last one for some time." he is still writing short nonfiction pieces, including guest editorials for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and a food article for Chile Pepper Magazine.
Brite has often stated that, while he will allow some of his work to be optioned for film under the right circumstances, he has little interest in movies and is not overly eager to see his work filmed. In 1999, his short story "The Sixth Sentinel" (filmed as The Dream Sentinel) comprised one segment of episode 209 of The Hunger, a short-lived horror anthology series on Showtime. Of all his books, only Lost Souls is currently under option, by producer Paul Natale.
A critical essay on Brite's fiction appears in The Evolution of the Weird Tale (2004) by S. T. Joshi.
Personal life
Brite is a transgender man, born biologically female. He has written and talked much about his gender dysphoria/gender identity issues.[3] He self-identifies with gay males, and as of August 2010, has begun the process of gender reassignment. Brite has written that, while gender theorists like Kate Bornstein would call him a "nonoperative transsexual", Brite himself would not insist on a pedantic label, writing "I'm just me".[4]
He lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia prior to returning to New Orleans in 1993. He is a fan of UNC basketball, but says his greatest support is for his hometown football team, the New Orleans Saints.
Brite is the longtime partner of Chris DeBarr, who is a chef at The Green Goddess. They have a de facto cat rescue that houses between 15 and 20 cats, and sometimes also dogs.
During Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federal levee system in 2005, Brite at first opted to stay at home, but he eventually relocated 80 miles (130 km) away to his mother's home in Mississippi. He used his blog to update his fans regarding the situation, including the unknown status of her house and many of her pets,[5] and in October 2005 became one of the first 70,000 New Orleanians to begin repopulating the city.
In the following months, Brite has been an outspoken and sometimes harsh critic of those who are leaving New Orleans for good. He was quoted in The New York Times and elsewhere as saying, in reference to those considering leaving, "If you’re ever lucky enough to belong somewhere, if a place takes you in and you take it into yourself, you don't desert it just because it can kill you. There are things more valuable than life."[6]
On August 30, 2008, as Hurricane Gustav approached the city, Brite and DeBarr both elected to remain in New Orleans and not evacuate. They survived the ordeal unharmed and with minimal damage to their home and property.
On January 6, 2009, Brite was arrested at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in New Orleans as part of a peaceable demonstration in which churches in the Uptown area of the city were occupied to protest their closings.[7] In August 2009 New Orleans' Gambit Weekly publication published reader-poll results naming Brite in second place as an ever-popular "Best Local Author."[8]
Retirement
On June 9, 2010, Brite officially stated that he was retired in a post entitled 'I'm Basically Retired (For Now)' on his Livejournal. He stated that he had 'completely lost the ability to interact with his body of work,' then went on to state that business issues were in part a cause of this issue. Along with this, he specifically mentioned being unable to disconnect with aspects of his life relating to Hurricane Katrina. He ended his statement by saying that he missed having relationships with his characters and that he did not feel the need to write for publication.
Bibliography
Novels and novellas
- Lost Souls (1992)
- Drawing Blood (1993)
- Exquisite Corpse (1996)
- The Crow: The Lazarus Heart (1998)
- Plastic Jesus (novella; 2000)
- The Value of X (2002)
- Liquor (2004)
- Triads (2004) (with Christa Faust)
- Prime (2005)
- Soul Kitchen (2006)
- D*U*C*K (novella; 2007)
Short story collections
- Wormwood (also published in limited edition and in the UK under author's original title as Swamp Foetus; 1993)
- Are You Loathsome Tonight? (also published in the UK as Self-Made Man; 1998)
- Wrong Things (with Caitlin R. Kiernan; 2001)
- The Devil You Know (2003)
- Antediluvian Tales (2007)
Anthologies (as editor)
Short stories
N.B.: These were originally published as chapbooks.
- "R.I.P." (1998)
- "The Seed of Lost Souls" (1999)
- "Stay Awake" (2000)
- "Lantern Marsh" (2000) (first published in October Dreams)
- "Would You?" (2000)
- "Pansu" (2001)
- "Con Party at Hotel California" (2002)
- "The Feast of St. Rosalie" (2003)
- "Used Stories" (2004)
- "Crown of Thorns" (2005)
- "Liquor for Christmas" (2007)
- "The H.O.G. Syndrome" (Brite's first "novel", about 9000 words, written at age 12; 2007)
Nonfiction
- Courtney Love: The Real Story (biography, 1997)
- Guilty But Insane (essays, 2001)
Uncollected short fiction
- "The Freaks (juvenilia)" (The Spook #12, 2002; also appears on Brite's website along with other early/unpublished fiction)
- "Fuck It, We're Going To Jamaica!" (webzine Necromantic; also appears on Brite's website)
- "The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone (1894)" (co-written with David Ferguson; Shadows Over Baker Street, 2003; Ballantine Books)
- "Wandering the Borderlands" (Masques V, 2006; Gauntlet Press)
- "System Freeze" (Matrix webcomic, illustrated by Dave Dorman and published in The Matrix Comics volume 2)
- "The Gulf" (Subteranean Tales of Dark Fantasy, 2008; Subteranean Press)
See also
Notes
- ^ John Pelan, The Century's Best Horror Fiction, Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010, two volumes, ISBN 1-58767-080-1.
- ^ PzB (auto)Biography discusses the writing of the Love book.
- ^ Poppy Z. Brite, "Enough Rope", in Crossing the Border: Tales of Erotic Ambiguity, edited by Lisa Tuttle, Indigo Books, 1998.
- ^ See Brite's LiveJournal, especially the August 22, 2003 entry
- ^ Ivry, Bob. "As storm raged, stalwart bloggers stayed at keyboards". The Standard Times, August 31, 2005.
- ^ For text of entire speech, originally given at 2006's Banned Books Night, see Brite's journal entry for September 25, 2006.
- ^ Bruce Nolan and Susan Finch (6 January 2009). "New Orleans police remove parishioners occupying closed Uptown churches". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
- ^ Best of New Orleans, Gambit Weekly, August 24, 2009.
External links
 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (June 2011) |
- Poppy Z. Brite Official Website
- Poppy Z. Brite's Cat Rescue
- Poppy Z. Brite's LiveJournal
- All the Brite Stuff; Nola.com article