ABOUT
THE BOOK

Named after the Hayden work in which the players leave the stage one-by-one until only a single violinist is left, The Farewell Symphony is the story of a man who has outlived most of his friends. Having reached the six-month anniversary of his lover’s death, he embarks on a journey of remembrance that will recount his struggle to become a writer and his discovery of what it means to be a gay man. The narrative takes us from the 1960s to the present, from erotic scenes in the back rooms of New York clubs to episodes of hilarity in the salons of Paris, to moments of family truth in the American Midwest. As the story carries us across time, space and society, one man’s magnificently realised story grows to encompass an entire generation. Edmund White was born in Cincinnati, USA, in 1940. He has taught literature and creative writing and published several novels. His novel A Boy’s Own Story is widely regarded as an American classic, and his last book, Genet: a biography, was awarded a National Book Critics Award. Edmund White lives in Paris.