CRISPERANTO: THE QUENTIN CRISP ARCHIVES


Essays | Exhibitions | Facebook | Gallery | Interviews | Letters | Memories Said
The Model Years | Movies | Publications | TheatreWorks | Wallpaper | YouTube

THE LATEST NEWS!

CRISPERANTO NEWS!

All Things Quentin Crisp!

Quentin Crisp passed away on November 21, 1999, yet many people around the world are still inspired by his life and legend. They want to know more about him and to read and see things related to his life, his writings and philosophy. Many want to know what others are writing and doing in his honor and in celebration of his life and history. Read all about it here at CRISPERANTO NEWS! All Things Quentin Crisp!




 


QUENTIN CRISP: THE LAST WORD
by Quentin Crisp

A Stage Adaptation by
Phillip Ward and Brian Edward

City Theatre's Lester Hamburg Studio
1300 Bingham Street | Pittsburgh, PA
412.431.2489


Tickets on sale now for the World Premiere performance. Click here.







AND ONE MORE THING
by Quentin Crisp

Edited by Phillip Ward & Laurence Watts

Click here to learn about Quentin Crisp's latest book

Available on Amazon

On December 25, 2018, on what would have been
Quentin Crisp’s 110th birthday, Phillip Ward and MB Books
announced the publication of And One More Thing by Quentin Crisp,
the companion book to last year’s The Last Word: An Autobiography.
Edited by Phillip Ward and Laurence Watts, 
And One More Thing
 was released on January 1, 2019.

.





Click here to learn about Quentin Crisp's final book

THE LAST WORD: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
by Quentin Crisp

Edited by Phillip Ward & Laurence Watts

Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Reviews
Jenna Orkin, Counterpunch
Darryl Reilly, Theatre Scene
Thom Cuell, Minor Literatures
Guy Kettelhack, Act Three

Interviews

Michael Muzzelli, 'Burgh Vivant
Robert Ince, Queen & Country Magazine
Charlotte Robinson, OUTTAKE VOICES™ (audio)





ON THE INIMITABLE QUENTIN CRISP
Laurence Watts interviews Phillip Ward
Read it at Pink News now!



THE LAST WORD:
Quentin Crisp in Black and White

Book launch and photography exhibition
Curated by Phillip Ward
Victoria Lewandowski & John Noga
Project Space November 24-26, 2017, 12-6pm



See Quentin Crisp's performance suit with hat and Miguel Adrover's "Crisp Ensemble" in
The Museum at FIT's "A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk".
Visit MFIT for more info here. See images at MFIT's Facebook page here.
See images of Mr. Crisp's suit and Mr. Adrover's mattress coat here.

September 13, 2013 – January 4, 2014





In partnership with Phillip Ward and Crisperanto: The Quentin Crisp Archives,
the Museum of Arts and Design presents:

LADIES AND GENTELMEN,
MR. QUENTIN CRISP

Program includes cinema screenings,
panel discussions, and live acts of style.
Screenings are every Friday from
June 14th to September 6th.

Visit MAD Museum for complete details.

THE SECOND COMING OF QUENTIN CRISP
A Masquerade!

A Happening to celebrate Style and an opportunity to
overrun MAD Museum with a multitude of Quentin Crisp
stylists! Saturday, July 27, 2013 - 1:00 pm in The Theater.
FREE with Museum Admission. 

Click here for more info!



REMEMBERING QUENTIN CRISP

Saturday, June 22, 2013 - 3:00 pm
FREE in The Theater at MAD
Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019

Click here for more information!






THE ALTERNATIVE QUEEN’S MESSAGE
Read Quentin's 1993 text here!

See the film on Channel 4


STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT A BENT SPEAKER
Taylor Black interviews author Nigel Kelly
Quentin Crisp: The Profession of Being


QUENTIN CRISP: THE NAKED BON VIVANT!
A Centennial Celebration of Tributes


REGARDING TIM FOUNTAIN'S REMARKS
"on the significant death of Quentin Crisp"





JOHN HURT

(1940-2017)

Click here for obituary.
Visit Mr. Hurt's official website here.
Visit his Facebook page here.





Since before his death in November 1999, various theatrical presentation, or TheatreWorks, have appeared honoring the life and legend of Quentin Crisp.

In 1996 Robert Pacitti produced a theatre work using The Naked Civil Servant as its starting point. Civil is Mr. Pacitti's response.

James Adler offers the
emotionally rich Memento Mori: An AIDS Requiem premiered in Atlanta in 1996.

Resident Alien, a one-man play by Tim Fountain and Quentin Crisp, was created for and performed by Bette Bourne at London's Bush Theatre in 1999.

Carved in Stone, a play by
Jeffrey Hartgraves produced in 2002, takes place in an afterlife lounge with Quentin Crisp surrounded by the likes of Truman Capote, Tennesee Williams, and Oscard Wilde!

Quentin & I, a musical written by and starring David Leddick made its New York debut at The Club at La MaMa ETC in 2006.

Tea 'N Crisp, an unauthorized adaptation of Mr. Crisp's one-man show, An Evening with Quentin Crisp, debuted in 2007 in Berkeley, by Richard Louis James.




The Quentin Crisp Gallery is a representation of Quentin Crisp as an icon through photographs and various media, despite his humble disregard to the fact of his importance to humankind.

The images included in the gallery are a wide array of photographs spanning the reach of his long and enriching life.

The gallery also includes images of paintings and drawings, many from Mr. Crisp's early years as a life model, or as a working "naked civil servant" in art schools around England.

Some images are from his very own collection, while others are gifits from artists or have been located at various sites on Internet.

Also, artwork by Quentin Crisp can be viewed at the Quentin Crisp Gallery too! Take a look!



The Quentin Crisp Gallery

Illustration copyright © Mary Lynch.
All rights reserved.



Quentin Crisp wrote letters almost daily. He answered most of the letters either by hand or on his trusty typewriter.

With great pleasure, the Quentin Crisp Archives presents The Quentin Crisp Letters, a special selection of Quentin Crisp's letters for you to read, letters which he wrote to his fans, friends, and family.

Enjoy reading Mr. Crisp's words. Maybe read them aloud and imagine hearing his voice resounding the words before you!






Quentin Crisp provided his audience a wide scope of who he was individually and as a writer and performer in many interviews which he happily obliged any interviewer, and it was often conducted over lunch at his favorite neighborhood diner: The Cooper Square Diner.

Mr. Crisp rarely said "No" to any request, especially an interview, thus a countless body of interviews exists and are being collected by the Quentin Crisp Archives. Once available, these priceless conversations will be here for you to read and enjoy.

Keep an eye out for your favorite interview to appear on these pages in the coming future!





Interviews

Photo copyright © David Turner.
All rights reserved.





The Model Years

Photo copyright © Jean Harvey.
All rights reserved.



The world at large knows Quentin Crisp as an author, stage performer, and actor in movies. Worldwide, his notoriety ignited in the late 1960s following the publication of The Naked Civil Servant and with John Hurt portraying him in the television movie adaptation of the book.

Quentin Crisp had been an art school personality as a life model in the 1940s, 1950s, and throughout the 1960s with his hennaed hair and memorable poses long before his life as an author and celebrity. To this day, Mr. Crisp is London's best-known model of the 20th century!

With this in mind, the Archives present Quentin Crisp: The Model Years. This section will provide information on Mr. Crisp as a life model, while offering a more comprehensive overview on the early years of his life.

If you worked with Quentin Crisp as a life model, or if you painted or drew his likeness in art school, would you please write about it and send it to the Quentin Crisp Archives
here. In turn, the Archives will compile this history and have it available for all to read and to learn more about his history as a life model.




Memories Said is a section where you can read and contribute your very own writings related to Quentin Crisp.

If you have any memories of Quentin Crisp, if you shared lunch or dinner with him, or if you took him to a movie or a play, we want to hear and read all about it.

Memories Said is your section to share that special moment in time with the world. Please send your memories here.




Memories Said

Photo copyright © Dimitris Yeros.
All rights reserved.





Essays


Photo copyright © Dick Scott-Stewart.
All rights reserved.




Quentin Crisp's life and writings and philosophy have inspired many people worldwide to be themselves. His wit and wisdom seems to have encouraged others, including hooligans and misfits and punks, to be themselves despite constrained rules of modern society.

Various individuals have offered essays explaining their relationship with Quentin Crisp or his influence positioned in their lives. These essays also provide alternate views of Mr. Crisp as he truly reached beyond the gay community and touched all realms of society.



Since November 1999, Phillip Ward and the Quentin Crisp Archives have been active in keeping the life and legend of Quentin Crisp alive and present in our lives by providing public exhibitions of items from Mr. Crisp's personal archives.

Several exhibitions have shared photographs from Mr. Crisp's private collection, as well as paintings and drawings by various contributing artists. Other exhibitions have displayed Mr. Crisp's personal items, such as his telephone and scarves and his famous black leather hat. Check out Exit Art's exhibition below!

Participation in various group shows allows the Quentin Crisp Archives opportunity to provide the public continued awareness of Quentin Crisp and his importance in gay history and, thus, has kept his memory alive for others to enjoy.

An example of this activity is Exit Art's HOMOMUSEUM: Heroes and Moments. Click here to see images from that exhibition. Also read information on
Quentin Crisp: Photographs from the Quentin Crisp Archives, which was curated by Pet Silvia and Phillip Ward for Art@Large.




Exhibitions

Self-portrait by Quentin Crisp







Publications


Photo copyright © Phillip Ward.
All rights reserved.


Various people have written books related to Quentin Crisp, and there have been several of much curious interest. The publications page will alert you to those books as they become available.

This page will also alert you to reprints of Quentin Crisp's books, as well as new translations!

The Pushcart Prize-winning literary magazine, Chiron Review showcases literary offerings by a wide array of authors, included poetry by Quentin Crisp in Issue 81, which is dedicated to the LGBT community.

Published in Serbian by Rende is Quentin Crisp's The Naked Civil Servant. Mr. Crisp probably would have brought his hands to face in amazement proclaiming, "Oh, dear!" and then provide a sardonic yet comic jolt of laughter.

Penguin Classics has reprinted The Naked Civil Servant with a new cover. See the cover here.

Various volumes with Quentin Crisp contributions are also listed at the publications page!




A library of scans of Mr. Crisp's scarves are available for downloading and use as wallpaper on your computer.

These scans are only sections or details of each scarf, which were chosen from Mr. Crisp's personal collection of scarves at the Archives.



Quentin Crisp was never politically correct when speaking about AIDS, yet he voluntarily donated money to AMFAR on a regular basis!

Quentin Crisp said, "Your love is of value to you because you give it. If you have love to give, you give it where it is needed, but never, never ask for anything in return."

Please click the
Red Ribbon to visit the AMFAR website to learn more about AIDS and this important organization. And like Quentin Crisp, give from your heart.








Quentin Crisp publicity photograph copyright © Jean Harvey. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
All photographs used by permission from artists.






Site Copyright © 1999–2019 by the Quentin Crisp Archives
All rights reserved.