Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt, (1908-12-25)25 December 1908 – 21 November 1999(1999-11-21)), was an English writer and raconteur.
From a conventional suburban background, Crisp grew up with effeminate tendencies, which he flaunted by parading the streets in make-up and painted nails, and working as a rent-boy. He then spent thirty years as a professional model for life-classes in art colleges, which he said was like being a naked civil servant. His agent suggested that this should be the title of his memoirs, which appeared in 1968. The interviews he gave about his unusual life attracted increasing public curiosity, and he was soon sought-after for his highly individual views on social manners and the cultivating of style. His one-man show was a long-running hit, both in England and America, and he also appeared in films and on TV.
As a high-profile gay person, Crisp defied convention by criticising both Gay Liberation and Princess Diana.
Read more about Quentin Crisp: Influence and Legacy, Works, Filmography, Discography
Famous quotes by quentin crisp:
“For an introvert his environment is himself and can never be subject to startling or unforeseen change.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)
“I recommend limiting one’s involvement in other people’s lives to a pleasantly scant minimum. This may seem too stoical a position in these madly passionate times, but madly passionate people rarely make good on their madly passionate promises.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)
“Manners are love in a cool climate.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)
“Conversation did not flow with the drink; it drowned in it.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)
“If you describe things as better than they are, you are considered to be a romantic; if you describe things as worse than they are, you will be called a realist; and if you describe things exactly as they are, you will be thought of as a satirist.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)