Same-sex partners chatted having tweedy academics, and you may pierced pupils, their pale palms sheathed within the tattoos, sat beside regally poised folks of colour

Past February, Alison Bechdel was acceptance supply brand new yearly Paumanok Lecture into the American Literature and you can Society at A lot of time Isle University’s Brooklyn campus. The fresh new collection is paid because of the English agencies, and earlier audio system possess integrated Alfred Kazin, Elizabeth Hardwick, Irving Howe, and Edward Told you. Bechdel are put given that “the brand new child off several English educators”-to sincere laughter. Her work is not yet area of the West canon. She’s the author regarding “Dykes to watch out for,” a comic strip strip one to went for twenty-5 years, ranging from 1983 and you can 2008, much more than just fifty choice hit, and of “Fun Home” (2006), a sole-selling artwork memoir away from her dad, Bruce. “Enjoyable Family” try the first and just performs of the type become a great finalist towards the Federal Guide Experts Network prize. The topic, while the Bechdel noted, isn’t really exactly “a laugh riot.” She explained it towards audience because the tale from “how my closeted gay dad killed themselves two months immediately after I made an appearance on my moms and dads while the a good lesbian.”

Bechdel’s lecture, and this she depicted with snapshots off her members of the family albums, discussed the fresh new installment from their autobiography, “Are you My Mother?” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), which can be composed next month. (more…)