Edmund White

Edmund White, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1940, is an American writer. In the early 1980s, he co-founded the group Violet Quill, which had a lasting influence on gay literature in the United States. He is known in part for his autobiographically influenced trilogy of novels: “A Boy’s Own Story,” “The Beautiful Room Is Empty,” and “The Farewell Symphony.” He also wrote biographies of Jean Genet, Marcel Proust, and Arthur Rimbaud, as well as the memoirs “My Lives” and “Inside a Pearl.” His honors include the Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Deauville Festival’s award for lifetime achievement.