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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 13 September 2019
Edmund White to receive honorary National Book Award

By HILLEL ITALIE tion by Gore Vidal (over a
Associated Press play he had written about
Winning an honorary Na- Vidal and Oklahoma City
tional Book Award has Ed- bomber Timothy McVeigh)
mund White thinking about and becoming estranged
the more pleasurable mo- from Susan Sontag, who
ments of the writing life. took offense at a vain char-
“Everybody always com- acter in his historical novel
plains about it, but it oc- “Caricole.”
curred to me the other day “People think I dislike her. I
that it is better than working don’t. I worshipped her, but
and you meet lots of inter- she turned against me,”
esting people,” says White, White says of Sontag, who
this year’s recipient of the died in 2004. “When I was in
Medal for Distinguished my 20s I interviewed Aaron
Contribution to American Copeland (for Time-Life).
Letters, an award previ- I said to myself, ‘He is so
ously given to Toni Morrison admirable, he has no ene-
and Philip Roth, among mies. Everybody loves him.’
others. And I thought, ‘I would like
White, 79, is among the to be like that.’ But then it’s
most influential gay writers almost inevitable that peo-
of his time, known for works In this Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, photo, author Edmund White appears at his home in New York. ple will hate you, for one
such as “A Boy’s Own Story” White, 79, is among the most influential gay writers of the past half century, known for such works reason or another.”
and “The Beautiful Room as the novels “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room is Empty.” White has had health prob-
is Empty” and for helping Associated Press lems over the past decade,
to create the market for White has had a prolific and Lisa Lucas, executive di- ment in Manhattan’s Chel- suffering a heart attack and
openly gay literature. The versatile career, publishing rector of the National Book sea district, White is alter- two strokes. But he remains
National Book Founda- novels, memoirs, criticism Foundation, said in a state- nately generous, erudite busy as ever, with the novel
tion announced Thursday and biography, and win- ment. “It’s only when you’re and indiscrete. A professor “A Saint in Texas” com-
that director John Waters ning a National Book Critics able to look back at a body emeritus at Princeton Uni- pleted and a play (about
will present White with his Circle award for his book of work that one is able to versity, he remembered a wife and mother who
medal during the Nov. 20 on playwright Jean Genet. see a career like Edmund disagreeing with his col- wants to become a man)
awards ceremony and He is also a longtime activ- White’s for what it is: revo- league Toni Morrison over in the works. In an email to
benefit dinner. An honorary ist who was on hand during lutionary and vital, making popular culture (she liked The Associated Press, John
award also will be given to the Stonewall riots of 1969 legible for scores of readers it, while he was “this weird Waters wrote that he had
the head of the American and later helped found the the people, moments and mandarin who never had read “every book Edmund
Booksellers Association, Gay Men’s Health Crisis. history that would come to a television”). He spoke White has ever written.”
Oren Teicher, and compet- “Most writers don’t set out define not only queer lives, of attending a National “I love the later ones even
itive prizes for fiction, non- to break barriers or trail but also the broader trajec- Book Awards ceremony in more than the early work
fiction, translation, poetry blaze, but rather to share tory of American culture.” the 1970s with a “horribly that made him famous,” he
and young people’s litera- their unique perspectives Interviewed recently in the drunk” John Ashbery, being added. “He’s so smart, it’s
ture will be announced. and stories on the page,” living room of his apart- threatened with legal ac- scary.” q

Little Big Town to reveal new album on historic theater tour

By KRISTIN M. HALL ing to shine.” The Carnegie lot of time this year talking
Associated Press Hall appearance kicks off a about its importance and
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — tour of iconic and historic playing it at awards shows.
Country group Little Big theaters across the country “If you’re listening to coun-
Town always wanted to in 2020 including the Apollo try radio, you’re not hearing
play Carnegie Hall, but it Theater in Harlem, the Taft that kind of lyric,” Fairchild
took more than just prac- Theatre in Cincinnati, the said.
tice, like the old joke goes, Chicago Theatre, the Para- “We feel like we need to
to get them there. mount Theatre in Seattle do the risky thing because
The Grammy winners have and many more. The tour, sometimes we just feel like
been in the studio for over with opening act Caitlyn we should.”
a year working on their Smith, runs through May 2. But their new single, “Over
self-produced ninth stu- Fairchild, her husband Drinking,” almost didn’t
dio album “Nightfall,” and Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly make the album because
they’ll perform it in full at Schlapman and Phillip by the time they heard it,
the famed theater on Jan. Sweet turned inward for This May 4, 2019 file photo shows Phillip Sweet, from left, Kimberly they had already complet-
16, the night before it is re- the new record, choosing Schlapman, Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook, of Little Big ed the album.
leased. to self-produce after work- Town, at the iHeartCountry Festival in Austin, Texas. A short video clip of the
“The record feels kind ing with hit producer Jay Associated Press song was sent to them by
of cinematic to me, but Joyce for several years. makes it a whole lot more Daughters,” about the way one of the writers, Jesse Fra-
there’s also a lot of beauti- That changed up the nor- difficult,” said Westbrook. women are treated un- sure, only a few weeks ago
ful intimate moments,” sing- mal schedule of recording They’ve released just two equally in society. Fairchild and they started frantically
er Karen Fairchild told The for them. songs from the new record said they never expected texting him back. “I was
Associated Press. “In a the- “We just couldn’t stop re- so far, including the smart the song to be embraced dying to hear the whole
ater, this record is really go- cording, which in the end and timely song , “The by radio, but they spent a song,” Fairchild said.q