Felice Picano, a trailblazing author and publisher who played a pivotal role in ushering in a golden age of gay literature in the 1970s and ’80s, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 81. Picano, who published 17 novels and eight volumes of memoirs, was a member of the Violet Quill, a group of seven gay male writers who met to discuss their work during a time when gay literature was just beginning to gain mainstream recognition. Two other members of the group, Andrew Holleran and Edmund White, both best-selling authors, survive him.
Picano was known for his willingness to tackle difficult subjects, including his own early life. In his memoir “Ambidextrous: The Secret Lives of Children,” he wrote about his sexual encounters with both boys and girls starting at a young age. He also co-authored books such as “The New Joy of Gay Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex: Fully Revised and Expanded Third Edition.”
As a novelist, Picano garnered attention with his book “The Lure,” a story about a straight man who goes undercover in the gay world to solve a murder. He went on to write the epic novel “Like People in History,” which follows two cousins through their lives. Picano also made significant contributions as a publisher, establishing Sea Horse Press and later Gay Presses of New York, which published works by a diverse range of gay writers, including Harvey Fierstein and Dennis Cooper.
Throughout his career, Picano’s work has been celebrated for its boundary-pushing exploration of LGBTQ themes and experiences. His impact on the literary world and his role in amplifying the voices of LGBTQ writers have left a lasting legacy in the realm of gay literature.
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