A Boy's Own Story

A Boy's Own Story traces an unnamed narrator's coming-of-age during the 1950s. It was his power that stupefied me and made me regard my knowledge as nothing more than hired cleverness he might choose to show off at a dinner party. Beset by aloof parents, a cruel sister, and relentless mocking from his peers, the unnamed narrator struggles with his sexuality, seeking consolation in art and literature, and in his own fantastic imagination as he fills his head with romantic expectations. The result is a book of exquisite poignancy and humour that moves towards a conclusion which will allow the boy to leave behind his childhood forever. 'Edmund White has crossed The Catcher in the Rye with De Profundis, J. D. Salinger with Oscar Wilde, to create an extraordinary novel' - New York Times Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.

Edmund White was born in 1940. Author of A Boy's Own Story, he was an American novelist, short-story writer and critic. He received many awards and distinctions; among these, he was a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also a member of the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing. White died in 2025.