"her dreaded sense of humor"
Pedro Lemebel's A Last Supper of Queer Apostles 5 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches & 272 pages & is translated by Gwendolyn Harper.
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A Last Supper of Queer Apostles, a selection of essays published in 2024, presents an English translation of the work of Chilean activist, performance artist, and writer Pedro Lemebel (1952-2015). These are recollections, eulogies, lists of personalities to find yourself among**, field notes on protest work, pranks, stories, instructions for fostering an activist spirit, some essays, some arguments, some score-settling— written, I think, for posterity and laughs. And to catalyze:
“Merci, Beau Coup” bears (1) one of the best titles I’ve ever seen and (2) the character of Mimi. After Pinochet’s successful and expensive coup, Mimi raised funds among the banquet class by extracting expensive jewelry from her fellow society ladies. She goaded them into trading their gorgeous wedding bands for a copper ring which would stain their fingers green “as a moldy emblem of their sacrifice.” “Merci, Beau Coup” has the brevity, precision, and classic symmetry of an O. Henry story. I don’t even like O. Henry! But I like everything through Lemebel’s filter. Here’s a bit:
There are three perfect ingredients in almost every piece from this collection: irony, drama, and urgency. Lemebel produced a good deal of this work during the AIDs epidemic in 1980s and 1990s Chile, under a murderous dictatorship where the state killed gay people freely. This collection has a David Wojnarowicz quality of blistering humor and intense presence— and a disinterest in adhering to any one form, as if they don’t have time for that corralling. They are bursting minds, at a critical moment. Time, while they have it, is of the essence.
A Last Supper of Queer Apostles was also the May installment of Purse Book Gals-On-The-Go Official Book Club Book. Here’s what a few Gals on the Go thought:
“It was like he was both casting a spell and shooting the shit at the same time. Familiar and intimate without making me feel like I'm not in on the joke. And speaking of jokes, funny as hell.” - Tyler B.
“It seems certain that Lemebel did not want to be read in English and actively avoided any efforts to make this work accessible to the English-speaking world. But I feel so lucky that this work was translated and translated with vigor by Gwendolyn Harper, whose version is funny and emotive.” - Emily C., who describes herself as “a greedy and limited American”
“Loved every page, loved every character.” - Allie E.
“The protest actions felt so inspiring and encouraging. It doesn’t hide the fear or the high stakes, but there’s fun in the excitement.” - H. C., who took this book on a family trip and found it a “great gay escape.”
If you’d like to join the club, you can email pursebookletter@gmail.com.