MEN ON MEN 2000

For more than a decade, the acclaimed "Men on Men" books have showcased the very best in gay fiction. In stories that pushed back the boundaries and introduced talented new writers, these collections have transformed gay literature into something at once poignant and provocative, unique and universal. Now "Men on Men 2000" ushers in the new century with twenty original tales that shimmer with all the emotion, humour, pathos, and drama of life. In "A Venice Story", Edmund White explores the ever-narrowing gulf between desire and death, while Jim Grimsley's "Boulevard" views desire through the perspective of pornography and tabloid news. "Ciccone Youths 1990" finds Bruce Morrow's lonely, ailing African-American protagonist entering a rollicking fantasy world populated by for drag queens and their ultimate heroine, Madonna. There are also stories by newcomers like David Tuller, whose "Sperm-and-Egg Tango" puts the friendship of a gay man and a lesbian to the test when they consider the possibility of parenthood. Patrick Ryan's "Second Island" chronicles an American traveler's obsession with a beautiful French hustler, and "Gold" is Alexander Chee's story of a young man of Korean and Argentinean descent who confronts both his mixed heritage and his evolving sexuality. Here, too, are timely variations on such topics as coming out, breaking up, sex and AIDS, growing up gay and ethnic, gay marriages, and gay men and fatherhood. In what may be the most diverse entry in this ever-evolving series, "Men on Men 2000" celebrates what it means to be a gay man at the beginning of the new millennium.