Lucy Sante - I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition

2024, Belgium, English, Interview, Lucy Sante,

Full title: "I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition" by Lucy Sante. The book was published in English and has been translated into Spanish and Italian.

Lucy Sante’s I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition has been recognized as one of the most remarkable literary achievements of recent years, earning the distinction of Best Book of the Year from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Slate. The memoir is celebrated not only for its lyrical prose and incisive cultural observations but also for its unflinching exploration of Sante’s late-in-life gender transition. The Washington Post described it as “a joy to read… much to say about the trans journey and will undoubtedly become a standard for those in need of guidance,” while The Boston Globe praised Sante’s “bold devotion to complexity and clarity” as exemplary of memoir writing, a call to embrace an authentic life. Lit Hub included it among its Most Anticipated Books of 2024, noting the book as “a powerful example of self-reflection and a vibrant exploration of the modern dynamics of gender and identity.”

 

Sante, born in Belgium and raised in the United States by conservative Catholic parents, spent much of her early life feeling out of place. As the only child in a working-class family, she navigated repeated transatlantic moves, ultimately finding a sense of belonging only in New York City in the 1970s among a community of bohemian artists. Her memoir traces the arc of her life, intertwining her career and personal ambitions with the eventual acknowledgment of her true gender identity. She recounts her years of presenting a façade, even to herself, while developing a distinguished career as a writer, critic, and cultural historian. I Heard Her Call My Name is as much a memoir of transition as it is a meditation on the intersection of identity, artistry, and the pursuit of authenticity. It captures with grace and empathy the learning curve of embracing womanhood after decades living in a man’s world, revealing a thoughtful and often humorous engagement with the challenges and joys of transition.

 

Critics have universally hailed the memoir. Nicole Chung, writing for Esquire, called it “beautiful… a profound narrative of self-realization written with curiosity and bracing clarity,” noting that both new and longtime readers of Sante would treasure it. Slate observed that Sante’s writing remains “as perceptive, elegant, and striking as ever, and furthermore it is fearlessly honest,” noting the memoir’s capacity to enrich even those familiar with her previous work. People highlighted the book as “a gorgeous, essential read,” while the Los Angeles Times described it as “arresting… impossible not to be moved and fascinated by Sante’s exhilarating if painful journey.” The New York Times Book Review emphasized Sante’s reflections on aging and vanity, noting the memoir’s “powerful” insights, and Publishers Weekly awarded it a starred review, lauding it as “miraculous” in its blend of humor, insight, and self-examination.

 

Sante’s writing career spans decades and disciplines, including landmark works such as Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, The Other Paris, Nineteen Reservoirs, and Maybe the People Would Be the Times. She has contributed to The New York Review of Books, crafted lyrics for the Del-Byzanteens, and consulted on Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. Her awards and honors include a Whiting Writers Award, a Grammy for album notes, and Guggenheim and Cullman Center fellowships. She taught at Bard College for twenty-four years, influencing generations of writers and photographers with her intellectual rigor and curiosity. In I Heard Her Call My Name, she turns the same attentiveness to her own life, blending cultural critique, autobiography, and memoir into a deeply resonant story of personal discovery and artistic truth.

In an interview for The Heroines of My Life, Sante discussed the intricate process of writing the memoir, sharing insights into both her personal and creative life. She reflected on her emigration from Belgium to the United States, the formative influence of her work at The New York Review of Books, and the complex dynamics of her family relationships, particularly with her mother. She recounted the gradual realization of her gender identity, describing the pivotal moment as the “cracking of the egg” and crediting the use of FaceApp in helping her visualize herself as a woman across decades of photographs. She spoke of her late transition, the support of younger transgender mentors, and the challenges of navigating public and private life simultaneously. Sante described her hormone treatment and evolving understanding of makeup, wardrobe, and self-presentation, emphasizing that the subconscious had been taking notes all her life. She candidly addressed the importance of love, her mixed feelings about online dating, and the unique considerations of transitioning as a well-known writer. 

 

Throughout the interview, Sante’s warmth, humor, and incisive self-reflection shone through. She shared the emotional toll of losing long-term relationships, the resilience required to confront societal judgments, and the joy of finally embracing her identity fully. She spoke of younger transgender generations, the shifting cultural landscape, and the importance of mentorship, noting that her son and long-time friends had embraced her transition without hesitation. She reflected on the continuing dangers and discrimination faced by transgender women in the United States and the role of gendered expectations in shaping societal attitudes. Sante’s honesty and empathy provided not only a window into her own experience but also a framework for understanding the broader challenges and triumphs of transgender life.

 

I Heard Her Call My Name is a luminous meditation on selfhood, identity, and the courage to live authentically. It is at once a personal narrative, a cultural study, and a literary achievement, revealing the hidden histories of a life lived under layers of concealment and the exhilaration of finally emerging as one’s true self. The memoir confirms Lucy Sante as an essential voice in contemporary literature, a writer who merges the meticulous observation of a historian with the intimacy of a deeply reflective memoirist. Both a celebration of womanhood and a testament to the human capacity for transformation, the book stands as a beacon for anyone navigating identity, creativity, and the pursuit of a life fully lived. Through her writing, her interviews, and her example, Lucy Sante invites readers to witness a journey that is profoundly human, vividly rendered, and ultimately inspiring, establishing I Heard Her Call My Name as a modern classic and a touchstone for the understanding of gender, selfhood, and authenticity in the twenty-first century.

Lucy Sante is a Belgian-born American writer, critic, and artist. She is a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books and the author of several books, including Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York and The Other Paris. She is also a professor of writing and the history of photography at Bard College. She announced her transition to female in September 2021 on her Instagram account. 

Available via Amazon

and Heroines of My Life

Photo via Instagram

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