Jerry Rosco

Glenway Prescott was a minor American novelist who has always had a small cult following. He lived, however, an astonishing life, and much of the interest in this carefully considered volume comes from watching, almost in disbelief, as the strands of his life spin out, First, he seems to have known everyone - we encounter F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cocteau, Somerset Maugham, Tennessee Williams, Marianne Moore, Isadora Duncan, Alice B. Toklas, New Rorem, W. H. Auden, Truman Capote, and just about show more anyone else important in the arts in New York, Paris, or London in the 1920-60s. Perhaps even more interesting for many readers is his varied, and openly lived, gay life. His romantic life and sex life, and those of many others is discussed frankly here, without ever getting gossipy. It is fascinating to see how complex and active the gay subculture was even in the decades before Stonewall. The author, Jerry Rosco, knew Wescott towards the end of his life, and clearly admires him and his work, but one comes away feeling that he has made an honest effort to give an accurate picture of what made Wescott and his circle tick. show less