David Rakoff, 1964-2012

Canadian-born gay writer was known for his humorous autobiographical essays

Award-winning Canadian-born writer David Rakoff died Aug 9 in New York City following a long battle with cancer.

Rakoff’s essays appeared in The New York Times, Salon and Details, and he was a regular on Public Radio International’s This American Life.

Rakoff was especially known for his humorous and witty observations about gay life. He twice won the Lambda Literary Award in the humour category.

“You can suck a mile of cock and it won’t turn you into Oscar Wilde, believe me,” said Rakoff at a 2010 talk in Toronto. “The only thing that makes you an artist is making art.”

In the video interview below, comedian Elvira Kurt speaks to Rakoff in Toronto.


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