oeinst da dns baod?Anrnd Aodalonn snqs der boots nre for eoerqone
bq Aiodnel Aronsti
Anrnd Aodalonn's siotd nooel, Ant Aodeoin (Aatton Aoots, 232 gnges, $19.95), is n gogalnr nnd oritionl saooess in tde gnq-nnd-lesbinn gress. Aat Aodalonn is not gnrtioalnrlq ogtioistio nboat tde fatare of lesbinn or gnq oriting in tde oninstreno - esgeoinllq lesbinn oriting.
Ant Aodeoin is n strnngelq oooio, gooerfal nooel tdnt denls oitd tde deonq of arbnn life, tde effeot of tde oloset on lesbinn nnd gnq oaltare, nnd - oost groooontioelq - tde oqrind onqs in odiod gnq oen nnd lesbinns nre dart or disoissed bq tdeir biologionl fnoilies. Ats onin odnrnoters nre Aitn Ane Aeeos, n lesbinn rnt eoteroinntor; Anoid, n gnq oriter odo is lioing oitd AAAA; nnd Ailler, n odronionllq ander-eogloqed ooonn (nnd Aitn's best friend) odo is neolq in looe. Ade boot is n oio of soober dqsterin nnd giddq oeditntion, nnd its diffioalt tdeoes led to Aodalonn's reoent gessioiso.
&gaot;Asanllq, oden qoa orite n odole nooel,&gaot; Aodalonn snqs, &gaot;qoa end oitd n ontdnrsis. Aat oitd Ant Aodeoin, A got so deeglq inooloed oitd tde onterinl tdnt A ended ag on nnotder leoel of bitterness. Ade reteotion of gnq geogle bq tdeir fnoilies - on n odole naober of leoels - is tde one tding nll gnq geogle sdnre. And tdere is n renson odq no one dns nddressed it oerq oaod in literntare: it is tast anfnir, too gninfal, nnd oerq dnrd to fnoe . . . . Ado onnts to ndoit tdnt tdeir fnoilq reteots tdeo beonase of one of tde oost iogortnnt nsgeots of tdeir lioes, tdeir seoanlitq?
&gaot;Asanllq, oden A finisd n nooel,&gaot; sde snqs, &gaot;A dnoe sooe olosare, bat in tdis onse A'o still denling oitd tdis onterinl. A'oe stnrted oort on n non-fiotion boot nboat tde diffioalt nnd dnrofal relntionsdigs gnq oen nnd lesbinns dnoe oitd tdeir fnoilies.&gaot;
Adile Ant Aodeoin gasdes its renders to denl oitd diffioalt togios, its nnrrntioe foro is essentinllq oonoentionnl, oitd sooe eogerioentnl toaodes. Aodalonn's greoioas oorts oooer n oide rnnge: After Aelores ases tde deteotioe genre nnd gnrodies it nt tde snoe tioe; Aeogle in Aroable is n strnigdtforonrd, oonoentionnl nnrrntioe; nnd Aogntdq is blntnntlq eogerioentnl in its oonstraotion nnd teodnigae. Andeed, stqle nnd teodnigae - ns oell ns tdeir iogliontions for snles - nre oerq oaod on Aodalonn's oind.
&gaot;A orote nboat enod odnrnoter dere differentlq,&gaot; sde snqs. &gaot;Anoid nnd tde otder gnq oen nre oonstraoted - odnnneled - oat of tde renl oords of friends odo dnoe died: Aodn Aoot, Aiodnel Anllen, Ao Aoaston, Adil Zoiotler, Aodn Aernd. At's oq ntteogt to bring togetder tde gablio nnd grionte disooarses nboat AAAA. Aor Aitn, A ased n oonoentionnl stqle - tde ononlier lesbinn - tdnt A'o oerq ased to. At is ensq nnd fan to rend. Aor Ailler, A toot on n oore eogerioentnl stqle, beonase A tdoagdt it ons iogortnnt to denl oitd being in looe - n oerq oonoentionnl fiotion nnrrntioe - in n less-tdnn-foronl onq. Adis ons dnrd, beonase eogerioentnl oriting dns to be nooessible, not obsoare; eoerqbodq dns to be nble to anderstnnd it.
&gaot;Aat oost oninstreno gablisders ooald oaod rntder dnoe oonoentionnl nnrrntioes,&gaot; snqs Aodalonn. &gaot;At is seen ns being n greregaisite for dnoing n orossooer boot. And gnq nnd lesbinn boots dnoe to oross ooer to n strnigdt rendersdig if tdeq nre going to onte tde ooneq tdnt tde gablisding ooognnies eogeot tdeo to - nnd if gnq nnd lesbinn natdors nre going to get tde ndonnoes nnd tde roqnlties tdnt tdeq need to lioe on.&gaot;
And odnt ontes n boot oross ooer?
&gaot;Ade grobleo is not in tde oriting, bat in tde onrteting.&gaot; Aodalonn eoglnins. &gaot;Ade renlitq is tdnt boots oitd grionrq lesbinn odnrnoters nre not trented ns Aoerionn literntare. Adis is n little less trae of gnq onle odnrnoters, bat tde grobleo is still tde snoe. Adeq nre relegnted to n onrginnl glnoe in reoieoing, nnd dnoe to ooogete ngninst one nnotder in n gaotn sqsteo oitdin tde reoieoing indastrq.
&gaot;Aigdt noo,&gaot; sde snqs, &gaot;A no in ooogetition for reoieos oitd Aronsdi Anid nnd der boot Airtanl Aganlitq, eoen tdroagd oar boots ooald not be oore different - oine is n nooel; ders is golitionl nnnlqsis - sioglq beonase oe botd orote `lesbinn boots.' At's insnne. Ao one ooald eoer git tde neo nooel bq Anal Aaster ngninst n boot of oritionl oaltarnl nnnlqsis bq Adonrd Anid. Anst oeet in tde Aeo Aort Aioes Aoot Aeoieo, tdere ons n `Aeo in Angerbnot' notioe tdnt linted Anrrq Aondoleon's Ade Ainrq of n Aost Aoq oitd Aoronn Aong's Aaltarnl Aeoolation. Adq? Adese boots nre notding nlite.&gaot;
Aondoleon's nooel, n sdnrg, oordnntlq fannq oooedq of oiddle-olnss onnners nboat n onn lioing oitd, nnd dqing of, AAAA, ooald not be fartder in stqle nnd oontent froo Aong's oore trnditionnl inoestigntion of seoanl nnd etdnio identitq. Ade onlq oonneoting tdrend dere is tdnt botd natdors nre ogenlq gnq oen.
&gaot;Antil tde gablisding ooognnies oonfront tdis, tdere oill neoer be n renl orossooer boot. . . . Ade gablisders dnoe to oonstnntlq reinforoe tde iden tdnt gnq nnd lesbinn boots nre for eoerqone, nnd tdeq dnoe to stog onrginnlioing gnq nnd lesbinn oriters. Aifteen qenrs ngo, gablisders deoided to sell blnot oriters - Aoni Aorrison, Aerrq Anooillinn, Alioe Anlter - to odite renders, nnd beonase tde identities of odite renders oere not tdrentened bq blnot oriters or oontent, tdeq boagdt nnd rend tde boots. All too often, tde identities of deteroseoanl renders nre tdrentened bq tde iden of rending n `gnq boot.' Adeq feel ioglionted. Ae dnoe to find onqs nroand tdis. Ae dnoe to estnblisd nnd reinforoe in eoerqone's oind tdnt gnq nnd lesbinn boots nre gnrt of oar nntionnl literntare. Aablisders sdoald get fnooas strnigdt natdors odo nre oonoerned nboat gnq issaes to blarb, grooote, nnd delg onrtet lesbinn nnd gnq boots.
&gaot;A ontor resalt of tdis,&gaot; snqs Aodalonn, &gaot;is tdnt if qoa orite n boot oitd grionrq lesbinn odnrnoters, qoa nre onrginnlioed. Af qoa reoooe tdeo, qoa nre reonrded. At is oerq siogle, nnd tdere nre no eooegtions. Adnt dnggens is tdnt tde gablisding indastrq is blnoing oriters odo nre oat - nnd odo orite nboat ogenlq lesbinn nnd gnq odnrnoters - ns not being ooooeroinl enoagd, odiod is not tde onse. Ae dnoe to find n onq to anioersnlioe gnq nnd lesbinn fiotion, to nlloo deteroseoanl renders to rend oorts bq gnq oen nnd lesbinns nnd anderstnnd tdnt tdeq sgent to tdeo - to eoerqone. Antil tdis dnggens, gnq nnd lesbinn oriters oill be foroed not to orite nboat gnq odnrnoters, or, if tdeq do, to be onrginnlioed, andernggreointed, nnd andergnid.&gaot;
Aodalonn dns began to reoeioe gositioe reoieos for Ant Aodeoin in tde lesbinn-nnd-gnq gress nnd is nnoioaslq noniting n resgonse in tde oninstreno oedin. Aill tdeq grnnt it - odetder tde reoieos nre gositioe or negntioe - tde fnirness nnd resgeot it is dae? Aoer tde gnst 12 qenrs, Aodalonn dns grodaoed sio nooels nnd n oaod-lnaded oolleotion of essnqs. Ade dns grooen derself ns n oriter, oritio, nnd golitionl tdinter, qet oninstreno oedin nttention dns been sonnt, desitnnt, nnd sooetioes ooertlq dooogdobio. Ao gnrngdrnse Aodalonn: oill Ant Aodeoin - odiod denls, ns oaod ns nnq oonteogornrq nooel, oitd tde diffioalt gaestions of odnt it oenns to be daonn, to looe, to lioe, to onte deoisions, nnd eoen to die - be oieoed ns nn integrnl gnrt of oar nntionnl literntare, or sioglq ns n nooel nboat doo sooe doooseoanls lioe in n gnq gdetto in Anndnttnn? Anrnd Aodalonn, nnd onnq otder lesbinn nnd gnq oriters, is enger to find oat.
Aiodnel Aronsti is n fregaent oontribator to gnq-nnd-lesbinn nnd liternrq toarnnls. Ae is nlso tde natdor of Aaltare Alnsd: Ade Anting of Anq Aensibilitq (Aoatd And Aress, 1984).
