Synopsis
A stunning memoir that not only explores Ian Ayres’s rich, vibrant and complicated past life, but also features his previously unpublished experiences with luminary legends such as Tennessee Williams, Allen Ginsberg, Yoko Ono, Edumund White and Quentin Crisp. More than just a book, Private Parts is an experience of teen angst, hangovers for breakfast, and raw enlightenment tripping over that cliff’s edge in the rye. It would not exist if Ayres were not a survivor. His crusty accounts of a boy’s life on the wild side explores the extreme boundaries of human behavior and amorality, offering a journey through his life from his early years in houses of ill repute to his expatriate life in Paris today.
Reviews
“Very honest, sexy, and above all interesting.” —
EDMUND WHITE, author of “A Boy’s Own Story” and “My Lives”
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“Not only honors his Beat Generation forebears like Allen Ginsberg, but Ayres also gives us his own unique life and experiences in poetry and prose that shows how Ginsberg and the other Beats’ influence continue to enrich our literature. —
FELICE PICANO, author of “Like People in History” and “Tales: From a Distant Planet”
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“Takes me back to shock! A powerful reminder that so much in the LGBT culture and movement today goes way back before Stonewall. — PATRICIA NELL WARREN, author of “The Front Runner” and “The Wild Man”
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“Has all the right elements: obsession, vulnerability, compassion, intrigue, sexiness, self-transcendence… Honesty like this is rare. — THOM NICKELS, author of “Out in History” and “Gay and Lesbian Philadelphia”
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“These works are written with a born story-teller’s panache and, crucially, the candor that redeems both writer and reader. — ARAM SAROYAN, author of “Complete Minimal Poems” and “Last Rites: The Death of William Saroyan”
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“I expected this to be an autobiography of Ian Ayres, but it turned out to be so much more… It is more of the quest of Ian Ayres to become the person he is today and the people that he met along the way… He has had an interesting journey filled with adventure and self discovery. Anyone who reads this will share in his journey and will hopefully learn
… — THE BARYON REVIEW
English