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A review by eriknoteric
The Lost Autobiography of Samuel Steward: Recollections of an Extraordinary Twentieth-Century Gay Life by Jeremy Mulderig, Scott Herring, Samuel M. Steward
3.0
Sadly the story of and stories by Samuel Steward and his plethora of gay pseudonyms has, for the better part of a half century, been forgotten. Fortunately, in the years immediately prior to his death, he wrote an autobiography that forever engraved his own incredibly queer life story into the annals of gay literature.
Following his path from a small town in Ohio through a PhD program and professorship and finally to his time as a tattooist in Chicago, this book details the story of a man who was deeply thoughtful and reflective and at the same time subversive and complex. The story itself interweaves cultural references and staunch criticism in a really beautiful manner, but sadly much of the metaphorical genius of the book was silenced by the editor's (why did this book have an editor??) extremely heavy handed use of footnotes - I mean really! We don't need every single cultural reference and metaphor spelled out in a footnote! Let the writing speak for itself.
Overall, an important autobiography about the life of an incredibly important write and man.
Following his path from a small town in Ohio through a PhD program and professorship and finally to his time as a tattooist in Chicago, this book details the story of a man who was deeply thoughtful and reflective and at the same time subversive and complex. The story itself interweaves cultural references and staunch criticism in a really beautiful manner, but sadly much of the metaphorical genius of the book was silenced by the editor's (why did this book have an editor??) extremely heavy handed use of footnotes - I mean really! We don't need every single cultural reference and metaphor spelled out in a footnote! Let the writing speak for itself.
Overall, an important autobiography about the life of an incredibly important write and man.