Purusha Larkin
Purusha Androgyne Larkin | |
|---|---|
 Purusha in his home, circa 1983 | |
| Born | Peter Allison Larkin January 17, 1934 |
| Died | June 22, 1988 (aged 54) |
| Other names | Christopher Larkin |
Purusha Androgyne Larkin (17 January 1934 – 22 June 1988), born Peter Allison Larkin and also known as Christopher Larkin, was an American author and filmmaker.
Biography
[edit]Larkin was born as Peter Allison Larkin on January 17, 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri.[1][2] After graduating from John Burroughs School,[3] Larkin studied literature, philosophy, and religion at Rollins College and University of Notre Dame. He devoted ten years to Roman Catholic religious and monastic life, during which he obtained a master's degree in theology from the University of Toronto and served as a theologian and counselor at Yale University's St. Thomas More House.[2]
In the late 1960s, Larkin withdrew from religious life and moved to New York City.[2] Using the stage name Christopher Larkin, he produced and directed the semi-autobiographical 1974 film A Very Natural Thing.[4][2] The film is considered to be the first commercially distributed feature film about gay life made by a gay man.[5] Following the movie's release, Larkin traveled extensively around the world before settling in Ocean Beach, San Diego in 1977.[6][7]
In San Diego, Larkin began to explore tantric sexuality, meditation, massage, body modification and fisting.[2] Around this time he adopted the name "Purusha Androgyne Larkin."[2][4][6] In 1981, he published The Divine Androgyne According To Purusha. Larkin took his own life on June 22, 1988 after two years of struggling with HIV/AIDS.[1][2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. — via Ancestry.com
- ^ a b c d e f g Thompson, Mark (2004). "Erotic Ecstasy: An Interview With Purusha the Androgyne". Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice. Los Angeles: Daedalus Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-881943-20-4.
- ^ "The 1951 Year Book". The John Burroughs School Yearbook. XVII. Clayton, Missouri: John Burroughs School: 31. May 1951 – via Ancestry.com.
- ^ a b Saylor, Steven (1982-04-29). "A Search for Ecstasy" (PDF). The Sentinel. Vol. 9, no. 12. San Francisco. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-05-18 – via University of California, Berkeley.
- ^ "A Very Natural Thing- 1974". Fire Island Pines Historical Society. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ a b Larkin, Purusha (1981). The Divine Androgyne According To Purusha: Adventures In Cosmic Erotic Ecstasy and Androgyne Bodyconsciousness. San Diego, California: Sanctuary Publications. pp. 63, 192.
- ^ 1978 San Diego City Directory. Dallas, Texas: R.L. Polk & Co. 1977. p. 718 – via Ancestry.com.
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