Description – An onstage interview with award-winning Italian-American author Christopher Castellani. Castellani is the author of five books, most of which centre on the Italian and/or queer experience. His most recent novel, Leading Men, tells the story of Frank Merlo, the somewhat forgotten working-class Italian-American who was transformational in the life and work of Tennessee Williams. Currently being adapted into a film by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), the book is a breathtaking work of historical fiction, blending together the real and imagined lives of the two men as they navigate the literary and film circles of 1950s Italy.
For the interview, Castellani was joined onstage by author Christopher DiRaddo (The Family Way). The two discussed Castellani’s work, as well as the generational tension that exists between immigrant and first-generation Italians and where it intersects with queer identity.
This event took place on August 9, 2023 at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montreal,.
A co-presentation between the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montreal, the Queer Studies in Quebec Research Group (ÉRÉQQ), Blue Metropolis and Violet Hour.
