Edmund White rose to prominence in the gay community with the publication of The Joy of Gay Sex in 1977, followed by States of Desire: Travels in Gay America in 1980. But White established himself as one of the finest American writers in any genre with the publication of A Boy's Own Story (1982). "With A Boy's Own Story", said The Washington Post, "American literature is larger by one classic novel." The San Francisco Chronicle said that the novel is so ambitious in its intention and so confident of its voice that it reminds us what a singular and potent thing a novel can be."

Edmund White's most recent novel, The Married Man (2000), tells of a gay love affair between a middle-aged American and a younger Frenchman in the Age of AIDS. "Written with characteristic brilliance and the particular flair for poetic detail that so distinguishes his books, Edmund White's new novel is arguably his best to date," said the London Times.

White's other works of autobiographical fiction include The Beautiful Room is Empty (1988) and The Farewell Symphony (1997), both sequels to A Boy's Own Story. Most of his recent narratives of gay life unfold under the shadow of AIDS. His lover died of the disease in 1994; he himself is HIV positive.

White received the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award for fiction in 1983. He also received the National Book Critics Circle award in 1994 for Genet: A Biography. France named him a "Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et lettres" in 1993.

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