Andrew Sean Greer

Queer writers see the world differently even though they are not visibly different. The LGBTQ+ community is ostracized in a very different way than any race- or gender-based minority because there are no inherent visual indicators that someone is queer. Queer people have the option, and often feel required to hide their identity in order to be accepted. Stories written by queer people show what life is like when your lifestyle revolves around keeping a secret, and what happens when the secret comes out.

Andrew Sean Greer (3)

Andrew Sean Greer is the author of seven novels, including California Book Award winning The Confessions of Max Tivoli and Pulitzer Prize winning Less. He grew up with his identical twin brother in Washington, D.C. He attended Brown University to study writing, where he was the commencement speaker at his own graduation. He went on to earn a Masters from the University of Montana. He taught at several universities around the United States and the world. Greer currently lives with his partner, splitting time between Milan and California(1).

cover of The Confessions of Max Tivoli (5)

 Two themes frequently seen in Greer's novels are aging and love. In his second novel, The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Greer twists the concept of aging on its head with the titular character, Max Tivoli, who is born into the body of a 70-year-old man. He has the mental age and wisdom of anyone else born on the same day as him, but a much different physical appearance(5). He grows up with only a few friends, everyone else being scared off by his elderly appearance (4). He clings tight to these few people who know his secret. For the rest of the world, he acts as the person he appears to be (4). He gets on well enough until he is sixteen, appearing a hair over 50, when he meets the love of his life, Alice, who lives in the apartment beneath him and his mother (5). He approaches her as a romantic interest, but is rejected because she sees him as an old creep (4). Max ends up sleeping with Alice's widowed mother Levy in an effort to be close to Alice. He accidentally reveals his secret to Levy, who is so put off that she moves herself and Alice away (4). Gary Krist, writing for the New York Times, finds a sliver of good in Max's misfortunes here, as he later gets the opportunity to meet Alice again, when they are both in their thirties, and also when Max's physical and mental age are the same. Things don't work out for him then, but Max gets a third chance, when he appears to be a boy and Alice acts as his caregiver. Krist admires the fierce passion with which Max loves Alice, stating that it is consistent throughout a complex, sometimes confusing, and often frivolous novel. The "overcooked" prose is saved by the honest emotions displayed by Max that create a sympathetic character of a biological monster (4). A Kirkus reviewer agrees, claiming that the picturesque snapshots of the times Max lives through and the vivid people he meets are well worth struggling through the convoluted narration. In the end, Max is just another person, stumbling through life, a puppet to the whims of love, making things up as he goes. 

cover of Less (2)

Greer's most popular novel to date, Less, is the story of an aging, midtier, gay American author. Andrew Less is forty-nine years old, soon to be 50, and his younger almost-partner has just announced his engagement to another man (3). To escape having to sit through their wedding, Less decides to accept a slew of authorly invitations he has received, and embarks on a journey across the globe (2). Patrick Gale for The Guardian finds Less' tale to be a reader's view into the life of an author, and how many things an author, especially one of lesser repute, must do to keep afloat. Gale points out Greer's commentary on the literary industry and how Less' self-confidence is ruined because he cannot make a name for himself in an industry in which it is so hard to build name recognition. Ron Charles of The Washington Post adds in that Greer is making a specific commentary on the expectations of the literary world for minority authors. Greer points out that publishers look for very specific stories about gay people from gay authors, and stories that do not meet that criteria will not be accepted (2). Charles admires Greer's ability to include these criticisms of the literary industry without turning the novel into a satire. Instead, Less' "fragile optimism" buoys the mood of the novel and attracts readers to his rather mundane, first-world plights (2). Gale and Charles both admit to being charmed by Less' misadventures as he talks about his ex in Mexico, attends an award show in Italy, teaches a course in Germany, rides a camel in Morocco, and visits a writer's retreat in India. Less is an enjoyable novel about an endearing fellow who travels the world trying to find himself.

Since I went into my book research knowing Greer was gay, I thought from the beginning that The Confessions of Max Tivoli was a queer allegory. Max looks like a normal person at all stages of his life-there is nothing to externally define him as different. The difference is inside him, and people run away when they find out. He never revealed himself to Alice, his true love: he gave up the chance of acceptance and true happiness to ensure that she would not be scared away. He could still have her, even if it was not in the way he wanted. Though I am not queer, I imagine this is not particularly uncommon for people and their romantic partners. I have had friends tell me about having this experience with their families: they do not tell their parents they are queer for fear that they will be rejected. Unfortunately, Max's story does not provide any optimism for people who may find themselves in a similar position. Fortunately, Andrew Less' story is a bit happier. The reviews mentioned that when you step back from the book and think about what exactly Andrew Less is complaining about, it seems as if he should not be complaining at all. Normally, this would make for a very annoying person, but Less seems to be so naive and generally pleasant that he can get away with it. Less is a cisgender white man, and his work does lead to him traveling, which is something not a lot of people get to do, so he is definitely more privileged than most With so many obvious parallels between Less and Greer himself, I wonder what exactly Greer was intending to do with this novel. From my research, Greer has not traveled as extensively as Less, nor has he had the same sort of relationship issues. This leads me to believe that he is simply writing a story about a gay man's normal life, showing how mundane being queer is. Less is simply an uplifting novel about how it's never too late to figure yourself out, and that the bad things might just lead to something good.

To learn more about Andrew Sean Greer, you can visit his website here.

Works Cited

1) "Bio." Andrew Sean Greer, www.andrewgreer.com/bio/. Accessed 20 Mar 2024.

2) Charles, Ron. "'Less' Is the Funniest Novel You'll Read This Year." The Washington Post, 13 July 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/do-we-really-need-another-novel-about-a-novelist-yes--this-one-is-delightful/2017/07/11/7e40267c-545c-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html. Accessed 20 Mar 2024.

3) Gale, Patrick. "Less By Andrew Sean Greer Review-A Literary Skewering Of Stealthy Genius." The Guardian, 1 June 2018, www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/01/less-andrew-sean-greer-review. Accessed 20 Mar 2024. 

4) Krist, Gary. "Hope I Die Before I Get Young." The New York Times, 8 Feb 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/books/hope-i-die-before-i-get-young.html?searchResultPosition=18. Accessed 20 Mar 2024.

5) "The Confessions of Max Tivoli." Kirkus Reviews, 19 May 2010, www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/andrew-sean-greer/the-confessions-of-max-tivoli/. Accessed 20 Mar 2024.