John Irving: "In One Person: A Novel"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-05-09/john-irving-one-person-novel
John Irving, 2010
Natalie Nollert/dapd
John Irving’s latest novel, "In One Person." is narrated by a young bisexual man named Billy Abbot. As a teenager at a New England all-boys prep school in the 1950s, he has crushes on "the wrong people," including the town's transgendered librarian and the wrestling team's golden boy. In the 1980s, he witnesses the horror of the AIDS epidemic. Throughout his life, he experiences the loneliness of knowing no one person can fully satisfy him. Irving first introduced the term, “sexual suspect” three decades ago in his National Book Award- winning novel, "The World According to Garp." He joins Diane to discuss why he has returned to the issues of sexual identity and intolerance in his thirteenth novel.
Guests
John Irving
author
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Program Highlights
Award-wining author John Irving’s 13th novel, “In One Person,” is the coming-of-age portrait of Billy Abbott, a bisexual teenager who struggles with his sexual identity. He talked with Diane about his experiences discovering how varied his own sexual desires were as he came of age. Irving also said one of his sons, who is gay, was the sort of ideal reader he had in mind for the novel – though he didn’t write it because of, or for, his son.
Writing About Politics
Irving said the novel is his most political since he wrote the best-selling books, "The Cider House Rules" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany." He said, like all of his novels, he waits at least a decade after an event or national debate before writing about them. “In One Person” follows the life of a bisexual man growing up in the 1950s before the AIDS epidemic. Irving said the reader knows AIDS is coming and that some of Billy’s closest friends will die from it. “We know that's a collision waiting,” Irving said.
Comparison To Shakespeare
Irving said the book’s title comes from an excerpt from William Shakespeare’s play, “Richard II.” He said it’s ironic that Shakespeare seemed more comfortable with talking about the mutability of sexuality and gender than Americans are today. “It's merely surprising to me as an American, how resistant many Americans still are to the subject of sexual tolerance. We are truly a repressive and juvenile country sexually.”
White House Support For Gay Marriage
During a “Meet the Press” interview over the weekend, Vice President Joe Biden said he was perfectly comfortable with same-sex marriage. Diane asked Irving about his reaction to Biden’s remarks. Irving called Biden’s comments “brave,” and said he wished President Barack Obama would stop procrastinating on the gay marriage issue. “I've heard him use the word evolve about his own feelings toward gay marriage. I think it's time he continued the evolving. I wish he'd get to it,” Irving said about Obama.
Irving’s Upbringing
Irving said he had a fortunate childhood, growing up around people who gave him a lot of attention and cared deeply about his education. “I wish education were more of a priority in this country too, along with sexual equality,” Irving said. He said his sexual desires were “various and everywhere.” He said he was attracted to his friends’ mothers, to young girls his own age and to some older boy wrestlers. “I think many of us, we don't remember what we were like when we were 13 going on 16. We don't want to remember that. I don't believe I'm the only boy who ever was attracted to just about everyone,” Irving said.
You can read the full transcript here.
Video Extra: John Irving
John Irving talks about his own sexual coming of age and the fact that he remembers his desire being "all over the map." He says as a teenager he was attracted to girls his own age, his friends' mothers, and some of the older boys on his wrestling team. He believes that having had varied desires, remembering them, and being honest about them has made him more compassionate and open-minded person when it comes to the question of sexual orientation:
Read An Excerpt
"In One Person" by John Irving. Copyright 2012 by John Irving. Excerpted here by permission of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved:
Comments
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This topic is ironic when following a discussion of the absolute certainty of there being only "men" and "women". How can there be any sexual ambiguity when 30 State constitution recognize the rights of only "men" and only "women" and deny rights to anyone who is not either "men" or "women"?
I like your show, even on days when I disagree with your politics, and it is very seldom that I feel my intelligence so insulted that I'm compelled to reach up and turn it off. Today was such a day. I'm not even going to discuss ruling against the will of the people, instead I will disparage those who still believe the marriage debate is about tradition vs. liberation. It's about the numbers.
- Dinosaur
Diane, you have just made my year having John Irving on today -- one of my all-time favorite authors. "Jenny Fields" long ago became my favorite character of his. I'm a non-fiction author, and I wondered if you'd please ask Mr. Irving what inspiration (if any he wishes to share) he has for new novelists in creating compelling characters of the opposite sex. Thank you Diane for the AMAZING work you do every day. Kelly Merritt, Naples, FL (kellymerrittwrites@gmail.com)
It's disturbing that the show promotes homosexual marriage. I do not want my young girl growing up in a society where marriage includes homosexual unions. Impressionable children are being taught now that this is just another lifestyle choice. I believe in respect and privacy of all people but this is "in your face". I'm afraid I will avoid this show and it's content in the future.
Thank you for having John Irving on, he is one of my favorite authors.
I can't help but think that people in our country need to worry more about what they themselves are doing and less about what other's are doing. Honestly, does what is going on in the next house impact what is going on in mine? Probably not.
Shows like yours help people think through issues. If a listener doesn't like what they hear, they should listen to what others say about it and take the opportunity to explore why they have the belief that they do. They might not change their mind, but they might become less judgmental.
Thanks, Diane!
Dinosaur (Jerry Ingram), Have you thought about what it means and the consequences when you say, "I'm not even going to discuss ruling against the will of the people ..." The will of the people said black folks should be in separates schools. The will of the people said Jim Crow laws were fine. The courts said will of the majority cannot be used to bully the minority out of their rights. What you are saying is it is fine for the majority to bully the minority.
I also have to ask you and other reading this to think about the following questions:
At what age did you choose your sexual orientation?
What factors did you consider when choosing your sexual orientation?
Did you discuss which sexual orientation to select with your friends, family, guidance counselor, like you did choosing a college major or career?
The fact that you cannot remember anything about doing anything to choose your sexual orientation should tell you something important about sexual orientation: Straight, gay or bisexual, you did not choose your sexual orientation!
Best wishes,
Steve Edinger
Isn't it sad that Diane had to warn the audience of the sexual nature of this topic? I stopped listening to NPR when my son was 3 years old because he would get so upset when stories of bombings in the Iraq war were reported. Why don't we have warnings for that subject matter? I would much rather explain what transgender, transsexual, gay, lesbian, etc is to my son, than have to explain how it is that we go to war and why some people feel it is okay to kill one another.
And again, concorddiver, you need to think about those same questions I told Dinosaur to think about:
At what age did you choose your sexual orientation?
What factors did you consider when choosing your sexual orientation?
Did you discuss which sexual orientation to select with your friends, family, guidance counselor, like you did choosing a college major or career?
Sexual orientation is not a lifestyle choice, like choosing to live in the city or suburbs or country. For better or worse, our children are not going to "choose" their sexual orientation, any more than we parents chose ours. No matter how many times people declare sexual orientation a "lifestyle choice" that is not going to change the fact it is determined by biological development. It is outside of our control!
Love is love. Our Separation of Church and State should allow for marriage to be a matter of state. We do not go to the church for a marriage license. We go to our State Provider for this piece of paper that gives us our rights as a married couple.
If you do not believe in same sex marriage, then stop having gay babies. All children are born of some heterosexual means, yet, their sexual orientation is not defined by this. I want marriage equality for my friends and family who are just as committed to serving their nation and communities as their heterosexual neighbors. They are just as loving and nurturing to their children as their heterosexual neighbors.
For those who argue from faith bound beliefs, may you go with your god, but remember that he says it is not for you to judge but for him. No one is forcing you to attend a gay wedding, but if your child happens to fall in love with a member of the same sex, ask yourself, Should she or he be denied this day, this right, and this institution?
Steve Edinger is an echo of what I heard on the broadcast. Calling a responder "Dinosaur"? What bullying tactic is that? Such people are disrespectful directly and in a personal way while claiming other's need to recognize their personal behaviors.
All children are homosexual and develop into heterosexual relationships in adolescence. A society that promotes adult homosexual relationships does in fact affect how children grow up. People who are against homosexual marriage generally work with and like any descent man or woman, regardless of their sexual orientation. The point is to keep sexual preferences your personal business and marriage as the traditional woman-man couple.
Why don't we allow polygamy as a form of marriage? Think about it.
In many South American countries they have a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony. One provides recognition by the state, one by the church. I think part of the problem in this argument here in the States is the mingling of the two.
Just my opinion...
Concorddiver...I'm sorry, I just need to point out that Steve Edinger did not bully the responder. He (Mr. Ingram), signed his own response "dinosaur", in a self-mocking way. That is why Mr. Edinger labeled him that way. Mr. Edinger was in no way being disrespectful.
Authors like John Irving are expert at setting up straw men and then supporting them, or tearing them down. Whichever suits their current agenda.
This was yet another extremely liberal program on NPR. My suggestion to listeners is, in order to be intellectually honest you'll have to strive very hard to see the flip side of the coin concerning the majority of NPR dialogues, and interviews.
Thanks AMD! Yup, you got it right. Never thought somebody would not recognize that I was using the nickname he had used himself!
Dear Concorddriver,
Your contention that, "All children are homosexual and develop into heterosexual relationships in adolescence." has absolutely NO support in the studies of the development of sexual orientation. In fact, it seems pretty clear that sexual orientation is determined early in development by the structure that is built into the brain, most (perhaps all) before birth (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation for a primer on the topic). It appears "all the machinery" is built into the brain early, where it waits till the hormonal changes of puberty to be activated. That means not only were gay folks "born that way", but those of us who are heterosexual folks were "born that way", a fact many people may be uncomfortable with!
I'm sure a lot of people, especially most Republicans and social "conservatives", will simply dismiss the science behind this because they don't like the scientific conclusions that are developing. You can deny reality, you can pretend reality doesn't exist, but all the "wishing it away" will not make reality go away. A more productive activity would be to decide what to do in the light of this reality!
Best wishes,
Steve Edinger
While I have not read the book so I don't know how true this applies to the character "Billy Abbott" but it does not seem to have been mentioned in the interview that "no one person" could satisfy him. I hope that this comment is based on the character's actual issues and not on some generalization about bisexuals in general.
Otherwise, as an ex-gay who now identifies as bisexual I find the idea that "no one person can fully satisfy him" to be perpetuating a negative stereo-type about bi-sexual people. In my experience the people who I have been attracted to, overtime, would have satisfied me just as much as any other person can satisfy someone else.
Thank you :)
Goodbye, Diane.