Edmund Valentine White, 85, is a monumental figure in the L.G.B.T.Q.+ literary community—so much so that an award named in his honor is bestowed upon a debut queer novelist annually. Unsurprisingly, the omnivorous writer (think: novels, memoirs, plays, biographies, and essays) has won plenty of accolades himself, most notably the National Book Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award. An Illinois native, a young White ditched a postgraduate program at Harvard to follow his lover to New York—a city he’s called home since 1962. Now his new book, The Loves of My Life, recounts his “thousands” of past lovers, whom he met everywhere from the Stonewall Inn to the gay-dating app Grindr. To celebrate the memoir’s publication, White shares his key components to the good life. —Carolina de Armas
Airline: Safe.
Airport: Orderly.
Alibi: Convincing.
App: Efficient.
Bag: Right size.
Bedtime: Later and later.
Bike: Three-wheeled.
Birthday: Fun.
Boyfriend/girlfriend: Even-tempered.
DATE:
Amusing with a happy ending.
Breakfast, weekday: Scones in bed.
Breakfast, weekend: Scones in bed.
Car: Little.
Child: Quiet, myopic, reading in the corner.
Cocktail: Manhattan.
Cocktail appetizer: Calamari.
Couple: Inconstant.
Diet: Mostly vegetarian.
Dinner, weekday: Early, alone.
Dinner, weekend: Late, in company.
Disguise: Heavy.
Dress: Casual.
Drive: Lots of.
Enemy: Avoided.
Escape: To Berlin.
Excuse: Convincing.
Family: Pick and choose.
First Lady/First Man: Beautiful, useless.
Flaw: Ignored.
Foil: Clever.
Friend: Most important.
Good-bye: Never prolonged.
Hideaway: In easy driving distance.
Hotel: Luxurious.
Indulgence: Always forgiven.
Insult: Forgettable.
Jacket: Smartly tailored.
Kiss-off: Quick and irreversible.
Last Meal: Potatoes in duck fat.
Lunch, weekday: Cobb salad.
Lunch, weekend: Cheese soufflé.
Match: Perfect but surprising.
Name: Stuffy, old-fashioned.
Neighbor: Invisible.
Nonfiction book: Biography.
Novel: Good ending.
Pair of pants: Not too tight.
Pair of shoes: Not too conspicuous.
MOVIE:
Slow, dreamy, feast for the eyes.
Pen or Pencil: Ergonomic.
Pet: Loving.
Piece of advice: Rarely offered.
Podcast: Unpretentious.
President: Honest.
Restaurant: Excellent food, unfussy service.
Ride: Occasionally silent.
Saying: “Avoid wisdom.”
Second spouse: More affectionate than first.
Singer: Perfect pitch, fat or thin.
Spouse: Good host.
Storm: Not violent.
STREET: Quiet, shaded.
Theme song to your life: Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman’s “Where or When.”
Time of day: Dusk.
Toast: “Here’s to the hole that never heals.”
Vacation: Istanbul.
Victim: Uncomplaining.
View: Of Manhattan from the air.
Wake-up time: As late as possible.
Weekend bag: Very light.
Work of art: Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne.
Edmund’s Essentials
