Revisiting 'Tales Of The City'

The Sheer Brilliance Of Armistead Maupin

Today marks Armistead Maupin’s 81st birthday, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by starting to re-read the original six Tales of the City books.

And hopefully the next four too!

1. Tales of the City (1978)

2. More Tales of the City (1980)

3. Further Tales of the City (1982)

4. Babycakes (1984)

5. Significant Others (1987)

6. Sure of You (1989)

7. Michael Tolliver Lives (2007)

8. Mary Ann in Autumn (2010)

9. The Days of Anna Madrigal (2014)

10. Mona of the Manor (2024)

If you’ve never read the series, please consider this your invitation. To me, the books are the epitome of summer reading—smart, funny, tender, and endlessly re-readable.

So grab some sunscreen, a beach towel, and let these books transport you to 1970s San Francisco, where every page is filled with love, longing, and a little mystery.

While the miniseries and Netflix revival are entertaining—and certainly worth a watch—nothing compares to the experience of reading the books. Maupin's prose is light yet layered, and his characters are the kind that live with you long after the story ends. There’s an intimacy in reading that the screen can never quite replicate.

Originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle (and the San Francisco Examiner), Tales of the City blurred the lines between fiction and reality in thrilling ways.

Maupin placed his beloved characters—Mary Ann Singleton, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, and the ever-wise Anna Madrigal—directly into the cultural and political headlines of the day. It was daring, fresh, and heartfelt, especially for queer readers who rarely saw themselves represented with such warmth and complexity.

Maupin didn’t just write stories. He created a parallel universe of characters that were as close to a real chosen family as they get. Warts and all. They welcomed outsiders with open arms and reminded readers that love comes in many forms.

Decades later, Tales of the City still feels relevant and revolutionary—because it is, was, and will always be full of hearts and smarts.

So here’s to Armistead Maupin: a trailblazing storyteller and a literary pioneer.

Happy birthday, and thank you for the gift of 28 Barbary Lane.

Keep calm and read on!
Clint 🌈✌️

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ON THIS DAY = MAY 13

BIRTHDAYS

• 1914 = Joe Louis = American boxer

• 1922 = Bea Arthur = American actor and singer

• 1939 = Harvey Keitel = American actor

• 1941 = Ritchie Valens = American singer-songwriter

• 1944 = Armistead Maupin = American writer 🌈

• 1950 = Stevie Wonder = American singer-songwriter

• 1957 = Alan Ball = American writer and director 🌈

• 1962 = Réal Ménard = Canadian politician, political scientist, and lawyer 🌈

• 1964 = Stephen Colbert = American comedian and talk show host

• 1966 = Alison Goldfrapp = English singer-songwriter

• 1966 = Cheryl Dunye = American filmmaker 🌈

• 1966 = Darius Rucker = American singer-songwriter

• 1977 = Samantha Morton = English actor and director

• 1986 = Robert Pattinson = English actor

EVENTS

• 1767 = Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first opera Apollo et Hyacinthus, written when he was 11 years old, premieres in Salzburg.

• 2004 = The final episode of Frasier is watched by 33 million people.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• National Apple Pie Day

• National Crouton Day

• National Fruit Cocktail Day

PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY

“The world changes in direct proportion to the number of people willing to be honest about their lives.”
Armistead Maupin

“I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short.”
Armistead Maupin

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