This passionate love letter to opera, lavishly praised and nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award when it was first published, is now firmly established as a cult classic. In a learned, moving, and sparklingly witty melange of criticism, subversion, and homage, Wayne Koestenbaum illuminates mysteries of fandom and obsession, and has created an exuberant work of personal meditation and cultural history. "A cornucopia of extravagant gestures and precise observations... [will] leave you breathless." -- Thomas Disch, Washington Post Book World "Passionate, compassionate, and dispassionate at once, this book records a conversation between an art form and a way of life. . ." -- The New Yorker "Successfully explores the relationship between opera and homosexuality..." -- Hungry Mind Review Wayne Koestenbaum is professor of english at CUNY's Graduate School and is the author of several books of criticism, essays, and poetry. He lives in New York City.