📖 Overview
Paul Lisicky is an American writer and professor known for his memoirs, novels, and personal essays that explore themes of identity, sexuality, relationships, and place. His most recognized works include the memoirs "Later: My Life at the Edge of the World" (2020) and "The Narrow Door" (2016).
Throughout his career, Lisicky has written extensively about the LGBTQ+ experience, particularly focusing on the AIDS crisis and its impact on the gay community in Provincetown, Massachusetts. His work is characterized by lyrical prose and an introspective examination of human connections and loss.
Lisicky serves as a professor in the MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden. His essays and reviews have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Ploughshares, and The Rumpus.
His contributions to literature have earned him fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the James Michener/Copernicus Society, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, among others.
👀 Reviews
Readers connect with Lisicky's honest portrayal of grief, loss, and queer life. Book reviews highlight his poetic writing style and ability to capture complex emotions through precise details.
What readers liked:
- Raw, vulnerable approach to difficult subjects
- Detailed descriptions of Provincetown's gay community
- Thoughtful exploration of friendship and relationships
- Literary quality of the prose in memoir format
What readers disliked:
- Non-linear narrative structure can be hard to follow
- Some find the writing style too fragmented
- Occasional sections feel repetitive
Ratings across platforms:
Goodreads:
- Later: 4.0/5 (1,200+ ratings)
- The Narrow Door: 4.1/5 (800+ ratings)
Amazon:
- Later: 4.2/5 (100+ reviews)
- The Narrow Door: 4.3/5 (50+ reviews)
One reader noted: "His ability to capture grief is unmatched - the small moments that gut you." Another wrote: "Beautiful writing but sometimes gets lost in its own poetry."
📚 Books by Paul Lisicky
Later
A memoir focused on the author's life in Provincetown during the height of the AIDS crisis, exploring community, illness, and survival in the early 1990s.
The Narrow Door A memoir examining the concurrent loss of Lisicky's close friend, the novelist Denise Gess, and the end of his long-term romantic relationship.
Unbuilt Projects A collection of prose pieces that blur the lines between fiction and nonfiction, exploring themes of family, desire, and intimate connections.
Famous Builder A memoir chronicling Lisicky's New Jersey childhood and his complex relationship with his father, music, and architectural aspirations.
Lawnboy A novel following a young gay man's coming-of-age in suburban Florida as he navigates family expectations and his own emerging identity.
Nobody's Pilgrim A novel that follows a character living in a near-future America ravaged by climate change and social upheaval while seeking connection.
The Little Red House A collection of personal essays exploring themes of shelter, belonging, and the physical and emotional spaces we inhabit.
The Narrow Door A memoir examining the concurrent loss of Lisicky's close friend, the novelist Denise Gess, and the end of his long-term romantic relationship.
Unbuilt Projects A collection of prose pieces that blur the lines between fiction and nonfiction, exploring themes of family, desire, and intimate connections.
Famous Builder A memoir chronicling Lisicky's New Jersey childhood and his complex relationship with his father, music, and architectural aspirations.
Lawnboy A novel following a young gay man's coming-of-age in suburban Florida as he navigates family expectations and his own emerging identity.
Nobody's Pilgrim A novel that follows a character living in a near-future America ravaged by climate change and social upheaval while seeking connection.
The Little Red House A collection of personal essays exploring themes of shelter, belonging, and the physical and emotional spaces we inhabit.
👥 Similar authors
Ocean Vuong writes about queer identity, family relationships, and loss through both poetry and prose. His work Later explores mother-son dynamics and immigrant experiences in ways that parallel Lisicky's memoir writing.
Alexander Chee focuses on gay male experiences and combines personal narrative with cultural criticism. His essay collection How to Write an Autobiographical Novel deals with themes of identity formation and artistic development that connect to Lisicky's work.
Carmen Maria Machado constructs narratives about queerness, bodies, and psychological states through experimental forms. Her memoir In the Dream House uses multiple genres to examine relationships and trauma in ways that complement Lisicky's style.
Garth Greenwell writes about desire, intimacy, and gay male life through careful prose and philosophical reflection. His work explores similar territory to Lisicky in terms of examining sexuality and human connection.
Richard McCann documented illness, loss, and survival through both poetry and memoir. His book Mother of Sorrows shares Lisicky's interest in family dynamics and coming of age as a gay man.
Alexander Chee focuses on gay male experiences and combines personal narrative with cultural criticism. His essay collection How to Write an Autobiographical Novel deals with themes of identity formation and artistic development that connect to Lisicky's work.
Carmen Maria Machado constructs narratives about queerness, bodies, and psychological states through experimental forms. Her memoir In the Dream House uses multiple genres to examine relationships and trauma in ways that complement Lisicky's style.
Garth Greenwell writes about desire, intimacy, and gay male life through careful prose and philosophical reflection. His work explores similar territory to Lisicky in terms of examining sexuality and human connection.
Richard McCann documented illness, loss, and survival through both poetry and memoir. His book Mother of Sorrows shares Lisicky's interest in family dynamics and coming of age as a gay man.