American literary theorist (1931–2022)
Leo Bersani (April 16, 1931 – February 20, 2022) was an American academic, known for his contributions to French literary criticism and queer theory. He was known for his 1987 essay "Is the Rectum a Grave?" and his 1995 book "Homos".
Bersani was born in the Bronx. He studied at Harvard University, graduating in 1952 with a bachelor’s in Romance languages, and with a Ph.D. in comparative literature in 1958. He taught at Wellesley College and Rutgers University before joining University of California, Berkeley in 1972, where he'd remain for the rest of his career, assuming emeritus status in 1996. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992. He married his partner, Sam Geraci, in 2014, and died at a care facility under the care of Hospice in Peoria, Arizona, on February 20, 2022, at 1:46AM at the age of 90 with Geraci at his side.
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