Quentin Crisp Overview

On Christmas Day in 1908, a child born in London's drab suburbs was given the incredibly ordinary Christian name of Dennis Pratt. But this child knew right away that the ordinary was not for him. In due time Pratt would give... [more]

On Christmas Day in 1908, a child born in London's drab suburbs was given the incredibly ordinary Christian name of Dennis Pratt. But this child knew right away that the ordinary was not for him. In due time Pratt would give himself a new name, one that befit his true persona: Quentin Crisp. Crisp's real life was his ultimate artistic statement. A dandy of iconic status, Crisp remained a well-known character on the cultural stage from the post-war era through the 1980s. Crisp made an entrance onto every scene -- from the welcoming world of letters and theater to the Hell's Angels' dives of New York's First Avenue -- graciously bowing his head but barely masking his fiery presence. The chic attire and brightly painted nails gave it all away. Like an avatar of Oscar Wilde, this professional fop made a living off his lifestyle. A boring childhood ushered in teenage years spent in prison-like schools where Crisp was ridiculed and pummeled because of his persistent effeminacy. As a testament to his undefeatable romanticism, he once proclaimed, "Nobody escapes my love but almost everyone has tried." Adulthood seemed to bode just as poorly for Crisp: the career world turned its back on him at the first whiff of his heavily applied perfume. Ever certain of his imminent success, however, he sought out more accepting circles. He illustrated and designed book covers, free-lanced, dressed windows, and ultimately modeled nude for art classes before receiving a proposition to write his autobiography. Crisp was happily into his fifties when "The Naked Civil Servant" was published. Poetically assembled, the delicious anecdotes of one of England's most unabashedly out gay men sold a modest 3,500 copies. However, after the award-winning British television adaptation aired (starring John Hurt), a small yet enthusiastic cult-following grew. Crisp received funding for several more books, including "How to Have a Lifestyle," in which the artifice of his every smooth move is explored, and "Resident Alien," a collage of diary entries addressing life New York, his adoptive home. Once Crisp had the audience he'd always known he deserved, he created a one-man show, "An Evening with Quentin Crisp," and various theater productions, including (surprise!) "The Importance of Being Earnest." He also took small roles in movies such as "The Bride," "Homo Heights," and "Orlando" (in the latter, Crisp sweated under an obscene number of petticoats to deliver a stunning portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I). In between these projects he toured the world, chatting about his life in his charming, well-mannered way. Crisp fled England at 72 for the blissful blasé of New York City. He wrote, "In America, everybody's your friend and happiness rains down from the sky. And in England, nobody's your friend." For 14 years a hobbling yet feisty Crisp lived in a one-room apartment in the East Village. He kept his number in the phone directory and invited anyone and everyone to invite him to lunch, from Sting and Liz Taylor to kids fresh off a bus from Minnesota. Crisp cherished "his" New York. But shortly before his death he reminisced about the good times in England, leaving a clue as to the source of his overwhelming romanticism: "Well, the war was wonderful, of course. I wrote about that. You see, you were in danger, which is lovely, because you look your last on all things lovely every hour. And that's nice." [show less]