What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?
That’s the title of the memoir by bestselling novelist E. Lynn Harris.
It was also the question that his friends and fans are asking.
E. Lynn Harris died on July 23 of hypertension-related heart failure at the age of 54.
I describe him as “a detective of his own soul,” because the way he had to unpack layers of his own identity, including but not limited to his sexuality, paved the way for him to write.
I was privileged to be a part of a recent memorial for Harris at the National Black Arts Forum. Novelist Tina McElroy Ansa led the event. She and her husband, the filmmaker Jonee Ansa, are both incredible people and gave moving (and often funny and inspirational) testimony to E. Lynn’s life.
Terry McMillan, Nathan McCall, and Eric Jerome Dickey were among the other writers who read from E. Lynn’s work and spoke about him.
Ronda Racha Penrice did a great article about the memorial, here.
There should be a video recording uploaded soon. When it’s published, I’ll link to it.
Also, here is an audio interview about Say a Little Prayer that I did with E. Lynn for News and Notes.
One of the many reasons I loved E. Lynn Harris was because he was an unabashedly pop novelist that dealt with eternal, literary themes. He wanted to open the doors wide to anyone who wanted a good summer (or winter/spring/fall) read. But many people who finished his books were, like me, provoked to think about the themes of love, loyalty, sexuality, religion, and yes… one of his many loves… sports.
Ten of E. Lynn Harris’ eleven books went on to be best-sellers. His twelfth book, Mama Dearest, will be published this fall.
Peace to you, Lynn…..
