Nocturnes for the King of Naples
 | |
| Author | Edmund White |
|---|---|
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Publication place | USA [1] |
| ISBN | 0-312-57653-6 |
Nocturnes for the King of Naples is a 1978 novel by Edmund White. The novel is written as a series of letters addressed to a nameless former lover of the anonymous narrator.
The cover of the first paperback edition was illustrated by Mel Odom. It was Odom's first illustration for a book.[2] The original drawing, titled 'Smoke', appeared at auction in June 2019 at Sotheby's for an estimate of $4,000 - $6,000.[3]
White includes an exert from W. B. Yeats's poem 'Meditations in Times of Civil War' before the first chapter.
Summary
[edit]The plot takes the form of an anonymous narrator exchanging letters with a deceased lover, recounting their affair.[4][5] The narrator remembers the pleasure they shared as well as the sorrows which can no longer be resolved due to his friend's death.[6] Often the book touches on the theme of time and memories and how the narrator attempts to hold on or let go of these aspects of love and relationships.[6]
Literary Significance
[edit]Stacy D'Erasmo described the setting of the novel as "1970s gay male nightlife at New York’s old rotting piers, a twisted, rusting, metallic ruin of anonymous sex and unexpectedly sublime tableaus."[7]
Writing in The New York Times, John Yohalem described the novel as "a set of delicious, affected prose poems by a writer of great talent and high art."[8]
White explores similar themes in A Boy's Own Story.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Signed First Edition". AbeBooks.
- ^ Gentes, Brian (2019-01-19). "A Mel Odom Retrospective, Carmen Maria Machado's Upcoming Memoir, and More LGBTQ News". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ "BENT Auction". Sotheby's.
- ^ "Edmund White | Biography, Books, A Boy's Own Story, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ "Apostrophes to a Dead Lover". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ a b Bridges, Karl (2007-09-30). 100 Great American Novels You've (Probably) Never Read. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-59158-165-9.
- ^ D’Erasmo, Stacey (2009-10-02). "Glory Days". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
- ^ "Apostrophes to a Dead Lover". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
- ^ "Edmund White". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2023-08-29.