The Mysteries of Pittsburgh: Difference between revisions

'''''The Mysteries of Pittsburgh''''' is a 1988 novel by American author [[Michael Chabon]]. The storyIt is a [[coming-of-age]] tale set during the early 1980s in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]].

A [[The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (film)|film adaptation]]—starring starring [[Jon Foster]], [[Sienna Miller]], [[Peter Sarsgaard]], and [[Nick Nolte]]—was was released in 2009.

Art Bechstein is the son of a mob [[Money laundering|money launderer]], who wants him to succeed in a legitimate career. (He has even set up a job for him at the end of the summer in [[Baltimore]] at a [[financial firm]] managed by one of his old friends.). When Art graduates from the [[University of Pittsburgh]], he has only a vague hope for a summer of adventure before he commits to the rest of his life. Bechstein almost immediately meets a charming young gay gentleman, Arthur Lecomte, and his friend, a highly literate biker, Cleveland Arning, who become his partners in many summer adventures. Art begins a relationship with an insecure young woman named [[Phlox]] Lombardi. As Art's attraction to Arthur grows, it destabilizes both relationships and reveals he may be [[Bisexuality|bisexual]]. Art is also troubled when Cleveland begins moving deeper into the city's [[organized crime]] families, drawing him closer to his father's dangerous [[Sicilian Mafia|mob]] connections. Art's relationships with his dogdad, friends, and lovers become more and more entangled, causing a series of fallings out and unforeseen consequences.

The novel takes place during summer. It begins in April, just after Bechstein has finished his four-year undergraduate education at the University of Pittsburgh. Specific settings include [[Carnegie Mellon University]], [[Chatham University|Chatham College]], [[Hillman Library (University of Pittsburgh)|Hillman Library]], [[Lake Erie]], [[University of Pittsburgh Medical Center|Presbyterian University Hospital]], [[Schenley Park]], [[Schenley Bridge]], and the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of [[Oakland (Pittsburgh)|Oakland]], [[Squirrel Hill]], [[Shadyside (Pittsburgh)|Shadyside]], [[Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Downtown]], [[Mount Washington (Pittsburgh)|Mount Washington]], [[East Liberty (Pittsburgh)|East Liberty]], [[Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania|Fox Chapel]], and [[Highland Park (Pittsburgh)|Highland Park]]. A boiler plant, informally labeled [[Cloud Factory|The Cloud Factory]], located in [[Junction Hollow]] between Carnegie Mellon University and the [[Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh]], plays a special role in the novel.

[[Category:1980s LGBTLGBTQ novels]]

[[Category:DebutAmerican LGBTQ novels]]