E. Lynn Harris
| E. Lynn Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1955 Flint, Michigan |
| Died | July 23, 2009 (aged 54) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | African American |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas |
Everette "E." Lynn Harris (June 20, 1955 – July 23, 2009) was an American author.[1] Openly gay, he was best known for his depictions of African American men who were on the down-low and closeted. He authored ten consecutive books to make The New York Times Best Seller list making him among the most successful African American or gay authors of his era.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in Flint, Michigan, Harris grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and had homes in Houston, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia and Fayetteville, Arkansas.[3] In his writings, Harris maintained a poignant motif, occasionally emotive, that incorporated vernacular and slang from popular culture.
Harris became the first black male cheerleader while attending the University of Arkansas. He was also his college's chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. After graduation, he became a computer salesman with IBM for a time.Vanessa Ward Hines, "Bestselling author motivates students to find themselves, live passion" The South End (Detroit) April 2005, p. 1Harris was initially unable to land a book deal with a reputable publishing house for his first work, Invisible Life, so he self-published it through a vanity publisher and sold copies from his car trunk. Since then, ten of his novels have achieved New York Times bestseller status.
Alongside fiction, Harris had also penned a personal memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.
[edit] Death
Harris died on July 23, 2009 while in Los Angeles for a business meeting. He was found unconscious at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[4][5] An autopsy determined that the cause of death was heart disease.http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/52027147.html
[edit] Tribute Tour
As a tribute to Harris, upon the release of Mama Dearest, several friends and authors came together to perform a tribute tour in his honor. Eric Jerome Dickey, RM Johnson, Tracie Howard, Tina McElroy Ansa, Clarence Nero, and Laura Gilmore hosted the release event on September 22, 2009 at Outwrite Book in Atlanta, Georgia. [6] Other events where hosted on September 25, 2009 in New York, NY; Dallas, Texas, and other cities around the United States by authors such as Dr. Bertice Berry, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Victoria Christopher Murray, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Mary B. Morrison and more.
[edit] Bibliography
- Invisible Life (self published 1991, mass marketed 1994)
- Just As I Am (1995), winner of Blackboard's Novel of the Year Award
- And This Too Shall Pass (1997)
- If This World Were Mine (1998), winner of James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence
- Abide With Me (1999)
- Not A Day Goes By (2000)
- Money Can't Buy Me Love (2000) (Short Story)
- From the Book Got to Be Real – 4 Original Love Stories by Eric Jerome Dickey, Marcus Major, E. Lynn Harris and Colin Channer
- Any Way the Wind Blows (2002), winner of Blackboard's Novel of the Year Award* A Love Of My Own (2003), winner of Blackboard's Novel of the Year Award
- What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – A Memoir (2003)
- I Say a Little Prayer (2006)
- Just Too Good To Be True (2008)
- Basketball Jones (2009)
- Mama Dearest (2009) (Posthumously Released)
- In My Father's House (2010) (Posthumously Released)
[edit] Any Way the Wind Blows
Harris' 2002 novel, Any Way the Wind Blows, is the sequel to his previous book, Not A Day Goes By. It follows the jilted Yancey Harrington as she pursues success and stardom in L.A, and her wayward bisexual ex-fiance Basil Henderson, who has left thoughts of matrimony behind in favour of singledom.
[edit] What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted: A Memoir
What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted: A Memoir is E. Lynn Harris' autobiographical reflection. It concerns the rise of a small town boy to a successful writer; detailing Harris' battle with depression and 'coming out' experience as a gay African American.
[edit] A Love of My Own
A Love of My Own is Harris' 2003 novel, which won Blackboard's 'Novel of the Year Award'. It details a year in the lives of several characters living in New York. It is narrated alternately by Zola Norwood, editor of a Hip Hop magazine, and Raymond Tyler Jr., the magazine's CEO. It deals with both the trials and tribulations of the characters' love and work lives against the back drop of the cultural and political events of 2001 and 2002.
[edit] References
- ^ Biography at freep.com
- ^ Weber, Bruce (July 25, 2009). "E. Lynn Harris, Who Wrote of Gay Black Men's Lives, Dies at 54". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/books/25harris.html?em. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Foxxe, Austin (July 8, 2003). "A Visible Life" (– Scholar search). The Advocate. http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/893/893_harris.asp. Retrieved 2008-02-25[dead link]
- ^ CBC Obituary (July 24, 2009)
- ^ http://snarkfood.com/author-e-lynn-harris-died-thursday-night-at-age-54/
- ^ [1] Tribute Tour
[edit] External links
- 1955 births
- 2009 deaths
- African American novelists
- African American writers
- American soap opera writers
- Cardiovascular disease deaths in California
- Gay writers
- Lambda Literary Award winners
- LGBT African Americans
- LGBT writers from the United States
- People from Fayetteville, Arkansas
- People from Flint, Michigan
- Writers from Arkansas
- Writers from Michigan
