Popular novelist E. Lynn Harris, who wrote about black gay life, died today. He was 54 years old.Essence.com has posted an obituary.
I never read any of Mr. Harris’s writing. But I’ve always respected his impact on the book publishing business. He paved the way for the Black Lit boom of the last 15 years... even though major publishers at first rejected his work.
I’m streaming a 4-minute audio bite from E. Lynn Harris’s 2003 memoir, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” (read by Richard Allen).
To listen, click here.
UBM,
ReplyDeleteSay it ain't so.
You know, I'm really getting tired of the death thing. Dang, I thought summertime was for other stuff.
I met Harris in The Lou before. He was nice...
Wow. This is very sad news. Condolences to his family.
ReplyDeleteI read "Invisible Life" years ago and fell in love with his characters. His work (especially his early novels) provided insight into how difficult it must be to be a gay black man in our society.
R.I.P. Mr. Harris
Bummer. I htought Invisible Life was great and I neverlooked at men quite the same way.
ReplyDeleteGoodbye, Mr. Harris.
ReplyDeleteThat is sad. A lot of my friends liked his books. I tried reading his first book and then took out a red marker to edit it My friends swore he got better. He provided a lot of entertainment for a lot of folks.
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