Dallas Public Library

The Gilda stories, a novel, Jewelle Gomez

eng

no index present

fiction

The Gilda stories

23286643

Jewelle Gomez

a novel

About The Gilda Stories"This intriguing vampire yarn features well-developed characters and philosophical excursions upon the angst of perpetual outsiderhood and the very human quest for companionship and love". -- ALA BooklistAbout Forty-Three Septembers"In this collection of 15 personal essays ... words flow with an ease, honesty, and intellect that is mesmerizing". -- Library JournalPopular, respected, and widely published author Jewelle Gomez combines exciting new work with classic stories in this memorable collection of short fictionAs in The Gilda Stories, her acclaimed Black lesbian vampire novel, Don't Explain is marked by the writer's trademark rich, highly sensual language. Here, too, we find a layering of themes: the complexities of relationships exploring racial, class, and generational boundaries; the abuse of children; the hunger for love and connectionWell-versed in the traditions of African-American writing, Gomez moves from lesbian life in Boston in the 1960s (the title story) to a futuristic fantasy, "Houston", a previously unpublished Gilda story. The centerpiece novella, "Lynx and Strand", explores some of the darkest dreams and fears of American culture as we hurtle toward the milleniumThe breadth of Jewelle Gomez's literary reach is amply illustrated, as she continues to entice and entertain her readers in Don't Explain with her sweetly erotic excursions and encompassing vision"The Gilda Stories is the debut novel of American author and activist Jewelle Gomez. Published in 1991, this speculative fiction vampire novel follows the experiences of a black bisexual heroine whose power and morality challenge assumptions about the vampire myth. Readers see this central character travel through time and lead multiple lives. In her first life, she is an unnamed runaway slave in Louisiana in 1850. After killing a bounty hunter in self-defense, she is rescued by Gilda, a vampire who runs a brothel named Woodard's. The women at the brothel educate her, become her family, and introduce her to vampirism and eternal life. Eventually, she becomes a vampire herself and adopts Gilda's name. The novel follows by providing historical vignettes of different cities and time periods, which highlight key moments in Gilda's life. She is in California in 1890, Missouri in 1921, Massachusetts in 1955, New York in 1981, New Hampshire in 2020, and the "Land of Enchantment" in 2050. This movement across time and space also situates the themes of blackness, sexuality, and female empowerment in various contexts.--Wikipedia