1984: Selected Letters
This selection of letters (most composed in 1984) have to be read to be believed. Delany-black, gay, a father, and author of Times Square Red, Times Square Blue and of sf, pornography, and social, political, and literary criticism-chronicles his view of the cultural and the countercultural scene of the early 1980s, including the beginning of AIDS outbreak and the various public and private responses to the disease. The letters-mostly to friends-detail (often exhaustively) Delany's observations on a wide variety of subjects: his daughter, hustling, sexual fantasy, a serial street murderer, money and IRS problems, analytical and philosophical discourses on many things academic, a nail-biting fetish, porn theater cruising, and his writing. In one passage, Delany makes the point that he does not offend very easily; what is said with care should be taken with care. Reading these letters, one senses that that is true. However, the sexually righteous may feel otherwise; several passages will offend some readers, regardless of the evident care Delany has given their construction. Recommended only for large public libraries.Robert L. Kelly, Fort Wayne, INCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.