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Gerard Sorme #3
إله المتاهة
إله المتاهة، رواية تناقض السائد المتوارث وتدفع بالتأثير التغريبي نحو سياقات وفضاءات روائية واسعة، خاصة وأنها اتخذت من أدب الجنس منطلقاً حقيقياً، للانطلاق بهذه الرؤى التغريبية نحو تلك الفضاءات الرحبة والواسعة.
من هنا فلا يمكن اعتبار هذه الرواية من روايات الأدب الداعر التي تسعى لتدمير التأثير التغريبي، وقد جاءت الرواية على شكل مذكرات اعترافيه، تتخذ من الجنس منطلقاً لأفكارها ورؤاها من دون أن يكون الركيزة الأساسية لبناءها الروائي، وبذلك فقد شكلت بحق تحدي ممتع وكبير، لأن رواية الأدب الداعر أكثر صراحة من الناحية الشكلية من أي نوع روائي آخر، أن الرواية تتمتع بشيء من الصراحة الرمزية التي تصف بها البالية من دون أن تنتهك حرمة هذا الفن الراقي الرائع.
من هنا فلا يمكن اعتبار هذه الرواية من روايات الأدب الداعر التي تسعى لتدمير التأثير التغريبي، وقد جاءت الرواية على شكل مذكرات اعترافيه، تتخذ من الجنس منطلقاً لأفكارها ورؤاها من دون أن يكون الركيزة الأساسية لبناءها الروائي، وبذلك فقد شكلت بحق تحدي ممتع وكبير، لأن رواية الأدب الداعر أكثر صراحة من الناحية الشكلية من أي نوع روائي آخر، أن الرواية تتمتع بشيء من الصراحة الرمزية التي تصف بها البالية من دون أن تنتهك حرمة هذا الفن الراقي الرائع.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Colin Wilson
401 books1,291 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Colin Henry Wilson was born and raised in Leicester, England, U.K. He left school at 16, worked in factories and various occupations, and read in his spare time. When Wilson was 24, Gollancz published The Outsider (1956) which examines the role of the social 'outsider' in seminal works of various key literary and cultural figures. These include Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William James, T. E. Lawrence, Vaslav Nijinsky and Vincent Van Gogh and Wilson discusses his perception of Social alienation in their work. The book was a best seller and helped popularize existentialism in Britain. Critical praise though, was short-lived and Wilson was soon widely criticized.
Wilson's works after The Outsider focused on positive aspects of human psychology, such as peak experiences and the narrowness of consciousness. He admired the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow and corresponded with him. Wilson wrote The War Against Sleep: The Philosophy of Gurdjieff on the life, work and philosophy of G. I. Gurdjieff and an accessible introduction to the Greek-Armenian mystic in 1980. He argues throughout his work that the existentialist focus on defeat or nausea is only a partial representation of reality and that there is no particular reason for accepting it. Wilson views normal, everyday consciousness buffeted by the moment, as "blinkered" and argues that it should not be accepted as showing us the truth about reality. This blinkering has some evolutionary advantages in that it stops us from being completely immersed in wonder, or in the huge stream of events, and hence unable to act. However, to live properly we need to access more than this everyday consciousness. Wilson believes that our peak experiences of joy and meaningfulness are as real as our experiences of angst and, since we are more fully alive at these moments, they are more real. These experiences can be cultivated through concentration, paying attention, relaxation and certain types of work.
Colin Henry Wilson was born and raised in Leicester, England, U.K. He left school at 16, worked in factories and various occupations, and read in his spare time. When Wilson was 24, Gollancz published The Outsider (1956) which examines the role of the social 'outsider' in seminal works of various key literary and cultural figures. These include Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William James, T. E. Lawrence, Vaslav Nijinsky and Vincent Van Gogh and Wilson discusses his perception of Social alienation in their work. The book was a best seller and helped popularize existentialism in Britain. Critical praise though, was short-lived and Wilson was soon widely criticized.
Wilson's works after The Outsider focused on positive aspects of human psychology, such as peak experiences and the narrowness of consciousness. He admired the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow and corresponded with him. Wilson wrote The War Against Sleep: The Philosophy of Gurdjieff on the life, work and philosophy of G. I. Gurdjieff and an accessible introduction to the Greek-Armenian mystic in 1980. He argues throughout his work that the existentialist focus on defeat or nausea is only a partial representation of reality and that there is no particular reason for accepting it. Wilson views normal, everyday consciousness buffeted by the moment, as "blinkered" and argues that it should not be accepted as showing us the truth about reality. This blinkering has some evolutionary advantages in that it stops us from being completely immersed in wonder, or in the huge stream of events, and hence unable to act. However, to live properly we need to access more than this everyday consciousness. Wilson believes that our peak experiences of joy and meaningfulness are as real as our experiences of angst and, since we are more fully alive at these moments, they are more real. These experiences can be cultivated through concentration, paying attention, relaxation and certain types of work.
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August 14, 2023
- سأبدأ المراجعة بإقتباس من نهاية المقال التحليلي او التعليلي الذي كتبه كولن ويلسون عنها وهو ملحق في الرواية التي ترجمتها دار الآداب عام 1974:
هذا المقطع يلخص نظرة الكاتب، فهو لا يؤمن بالأشياء الجامدة، لا يعترف بالـ "تابو" او الأفكار المحرمة و بذلك فهو سيكتب عن كل شيئ بتفاصيل دقيقة، عن علاقات جنسية عديدة وحفلات جنسية ايضاً، لن يهبط الى مستوى الكتابات الداعرة (البورنو) لكنه لن يغطي شمس موضوعه بغربال، فأقتضى التحذير!
- تنطلق الرواية من كاتب انكليزي (مستر سورم) يعرض عليه كتاب، يفترض ان من الفّه يدعى "ايزموند دونيللي"، من اجل ان يكتب مقدمة له مقابل مبلغ مالي، فيبدأ السيد "سورم" برحلة استقصائية عن حياة "دونيللي" باحثاً هنا وهناك عن مذكرات ويوميات ومقالات قد يكون كتبها، وعن اصدقاء تراسلوا معه ولا زالت خطاباتهم موجودة. القصة تتنقل بين الولايات المتحدة وانكلترة وايرلندا ويتخللها اكتشاف الكثير من الخفايا عن حياة "دونيللي" وانخراطه في جماعة سرية وتحوله من "كازانوفا" عادي الى "معلم اكبر". القصة الإستقصائية تتخذ طابعاً ميتافيزيقياً في نهايتها بالتقارب العقلي بين "سورم" و"دونيللي" يصل الى حد التوحد في الجسد الواحد وقدرة "دونيللي" بالتحدث بلسان "سورم" واستعمال جسده بمقاربة هندوسية الفلسفة.
- الرواية ليست عادية، ولا تقوم على الجنس من اجل الجنس، بل هي محاولة التمسك بالحالة الذهنية في لحظة النشوة:
فالكاتب يبني على هذا المعنى ومن اجل هذا المعنى، والرواية تسير بالمعنى الفلسفي الى هذه النتيجة.
- النقاط السلبية في هذه الرواية هي كمية العربدة، ورغم تفهمي لوقت صدور الرواية واستهداف الكاتب منها، الا انها زادت كثيراً وتحوّلت الى حفلات جنسية مشتركة في النهاية، ولم يقنعني "مستر سورم" بما فعل حينما تقمّص "دونيللي" جسده! بالإضافة الى توقّع العديد من الأحداث خصوصاً ان "مستر سوير" كلما تعرف على فتاة قام وضاجعها بعد قليل.
- الرواية تحفل بعشرات، اذا لم يكن اكثر، من أسماء الكتاب والفلاسفة والشعراء والكتب المختلفة وهذه اذا كانت قد قدمت بعض الإضافة للنص لكنها ستقدم العديد من الكتب للقارئ.
- الترجمة جيدة وسلسة رغم العديد من الأخطاء الإملائية.
"هل هناك سبب يمنع الراشدين، اذا كان هذا هوا احتياجهم العقلي، من القراءة عن الجنس مع الإحساس بالإنفصال، او التفكير، او حتى مع قدر معين من الإحساس بالمشاركة؟ اننا اذا كان بوسعنا ان نقول عن شيئ ما انه "صادم" دون ان نعني انه قبيح او شرير، اذن فإنها تبدو لي كفكرة ممتازة ان استخدم هذا الشيئ لكي اصدم اكثر عدد ممكن من الناس، حتى يفقد تأثيره الصادم، وحتى يمكن ان ننظر اليه بهدوء ودون تشويه. ففي مجتمع متحضر حقاً - ونحن ما نزال بعيدين عنه- لن تكون هناك كتب محرمة، ولا افكار محرمة".
هذا المقطع يلخص نظرة الكاتب، فهو لا يؤمن بالأشياء الجامدة، لا يعترف بالـ "تابو" او الأفكار المحرمة و بذلك فهو سيكتب عن كل شيئ بتفاصيل دقيقة، عن علاقات جنسية عديدة وحفلات جنسية ايضاً، لن يهبط الى مستوى الكتابات الداعرة (البورنو) لكنه لن يغطي شمس موضوعه بغربال، فأقتضى التحذير!
- تنطلق الرواية من كاتب انكليزي (مستر سورم) يعرض عليه كتاب، يفترض ان من الفّه يدعى "ايزموند دونيللي"، من اجل ان يكتب مقدمة له مقابل مبلغ مالي، فيبدأ السيد "سورم" برحلة استقصائية عن حياة "دونيللي" باحثاً هنا وهناك عن مذكرات ويوميات ومقالات قد يكون كتبها، وعن اصدقاء تراسلوا معه ولا زالت خطاباتهم موجودة. القصة تتنقل بين الولايات المتحدة وانكلترة وايرلندا ويتخللها اكتشاف الكثير من الخفايا عن حياة "دونيللي" وانخراطه في جماعة سرية وتحوله من "كازانوفا" عادي الى "معلم اكبر". القصة الإستقصائية تتخذ طابعاً ميتافيزيقياً في نهايتها بالتقارب العقلي بين "سورم" و"دونيللي" يصل الى حد التوحد في الجسد الواحد وقدرة "دونيللي" بالتحدث بلسان "سورم" واستعمال جسده بمقاربة هندوسية الفلسفة.
- الرواية ليست عادية، ولا تقوم على الجنس من اجل الجنس، بل هي محاولة التمسك بالحالة الذهنية في لحظة النشوة:
(ص263: في اللحظة التي تفيض فيها قوة الذروة الجنسية فتغرق عقلي، كنت احاول ان امسك بها فلا ادعها تفلت، وارفض ان اسمح لها بالهبوط ثانية الى المستوى العادي. وسرعان ما اكتشفت انني كنت احاول ان اطور قدرة كبيرة على التركيز. من الحق انني لا استطيع ان اتمسك بكثافة لحظة الذروة الجنسية او ان امسك بها. ولكن حالما يتحول عقلي الى الخارج فقد كان بوسعي ان اركز على توسيع نطاق رؤياي"
فالكاتب يبني على هذا المعنى ومن اجل هذا المعنى، والرواية تسير بالمعنى الفلسفي الى هذه النتيجة.
- النقاط السلبية في هذه الرواية هي كمية العربدة، ورغم تفهمي لوقت صدور الرواية واستهداف الكاتب منها، الا انها زادت كثيراً وتحوّلت الى حفلات جنسية مشتركة في النهاية، ولم يقنعني "مستر سورم" بما فعل حينما تقمّص "دونيللي" جسده! بالإضافة الى توقّع العديد من الأحداث خصوصاً ان "مستر سوير" كلما تعرف على فتاة قام وضاجعها بعد قليل.
- الرواية تحفل بعشرات، اذا لم يكن اكثر، من أسماء الكتاب والفلاسفة والشعراء والكتب المختلفة وهذه اذا كانت قد قدمت بعض الإضافة للنص لكنها ستقدم العديد من الكتب للقارئ.
- الترجمة جيدة وسلسة رغم العديد من الأخطاء الإملائية.
August 28, 2023
كثيرا ما تشكو النساء من عدم ثبات الرجال على العهد. و لكن لماذا ينبغي علينا أن نتمتع بصفة الثبات على العهد في الحب بينما نحن لا نملك شيئا من الثبات في أي شكل آخر من أشكال الفكر أو الإحساس أو الرغبة؟إنه أحد الكتب المحرمة التي تتناول التابو الوحيد المحبوب
الجنس
نعم هو التابو الذي نحبه في السر و نلعنه في العلن.
يتناول الكاتب الدافع الجنسي من خلال رحلة بحث أشبه بروايات دان براون و لكن مع فلسفة عميقة و عشرات العناوين للكتب و الشخصيات المؤثرة في الأحداث بين القرن الثامن عشر و القرن العشرين. في رواية ممتعة متماسكة بدأت واقعية و انتهت بأجواء غرائبية سحرية غير منطقية و لكن يغفر له دمج التجربة الصوفية بالتجربة الجنسية ما بين الفردية و الجماعية الإباحية و إذا ذكرت الصوفية انتحر المنطق و لا حرج.
لقد كنت أعرف دائما أن الحياة الإنسانية أشبه بالحلم. لأن أكثر الكائنات الإنسانية تعيش بشكل سلبي. إن وعيهم لا يزيد إلا قليلا عن كونه انعكاسا لبيئتهم. و عند حدوث النشوة الجنسية تشتد قوة تيار عقولهم فجأة إلى حد الاصطخاب. فيدركون للحظة مؤقتا انهم لم يعودوا مصباحا كهربائيا لا تتجاوز قوته الأربعين واط و انما مائتين و خمسين .. خمسمائة .. ألف . ثم ينخفض التيار فيعودون ثانية إلى مستوى الأربعين واط دونما احتجاج... في ومضة خاطفة أدركت الحقيقة الواضحة العابثة. لا شيء تستحق أن تمتلكه إلا عمق الوعي. هذه هي الحقيقة التي نلمحها لحظة النشوة الجنسية. فإذا أدركتها الكائنات الإنسانسة لكانوا جديرين بأن يهجروا أي مطمح آخر من أجل تحقيق هذا الهدف.
August 21, 2016
Gerard Sorme — the hero of several of Wilson’s previous novels, and something of an autobiographical one, I think — is hired to write an introduction to a book of 18th-century smut by the rakish Esmond Donnelly, and initially takes on the task simply for the money. Soon, though, he becomes increasingly fascinated by Donnelly’s involvement with the mysterious Sect of the Phoenix, a secret group who aimed to ‘raise venery to the level of a religious feeling’. On his quest to find out more about Donnelly, Sorme meets a number of peculiar characters, including, in an odd way, the 18th-century rake himself…
I used to read a lot of Wilson, and revisit his books every so often. When I do, it’s always to be reminded of both why I did read a lot of him, and why I don’t so much now. On the plus side, Wilson makes a far better novelist than someone who thought of himself primarily as a philosopher ought to: he has a real feel for the little details that make a scene or a character feel realistic, as well as a sense of the breadth of little oddities and deeper peculiarities that make for such variety among people. Plus, he’s always interested in what he’s writing, and that interest is infectious.
On the minus side, Wilson admits that whatever he’s writing, be it fiction or non-fiction, histories of the occult or books about murder, he’s really only interested in expressing the one main idea that gripped him: the intensification of human consciousness. And, for me, it can get a little boring if he comes back to this point too often. Novels that attempt to do more than merely capture life — and Wilson’s good at that — but actually transcend it, really need imaginative vision (of the likes of David Lindsay or Philip K Dick) to enact their ideas, rather than having people talk about them, otherwise they turn into a series of philosophical lectures. Wilson, I think, has the ideas, but not that imaginative vision — at least, not here. So, his evident abilities as a novelist serve him on the scene-by-scene level, but not in the ultimate development of the plot. After a while, The God in the Labyrinth begins to feel episodic. Each episode was gripping while I was reading it, but afterwards, I found myself wondering why it was there, and what it added to the plot.
There are a few bits of (quite well-written) mock-18th century pornography in The God in the Labyrinth, in the extracts from letters and diaries and stories by Donnelly and his fellows; and, as the book itself is set at the end of the permissive 1960s, and Sorme finds himself involved with various ‘free-thinking’ or downright perverse individuals, there’s plenty in the novel’s modern day portion, too. The 18th-century bits at least felt like parody, and often have a humorous side, but the modern bits, less humorous, felt skewed by the 1960s' casual misogyny, and it all started to feel a little sordid by the end.
I used to read a lot of Wilson, and revisit his books every so often. When I do, it’s always to be reminded of both why I did read a lot of him, and why I don’t so much now. On the plus side, Wilson makes a far better novelist than someone who thought of himself primarily as a philosopher ought to: he has a real feel for the little details that make a scene or a character feel realistic, as well as a sense of the breadth of little oddities and deeper peculiarities that make for such variety among people. Plus, he’s always interested in what he’s writing, and that interest is infectious.
On the minus side, Wilson admits that whatever he’s writing, be it fiction or non-fiction, histories of the occult or books about murder, he’s really only interested in expressing the one main idea that gripped him: the intensification of human consciousness. And, for me, it can get a little boring if he comes back to this point too often. Novels that attempt to do more than merely capture life — and Wilson’s good at that — but actually transcend it, really need imaginative vision (of the likes of David Lindsay or Philip K Dick) to enact their ideas, rather than having people talk about them, otherwise they turn into a series of philosophical lectures. Wilson, I think, has the ideas, but not that imaginative vision — at least, not here. So, his evident abilities as a novelist serve him on the scene-by-scene level, but not in the ultimate development of the plot. After a while, The God in the Labyrinth begins to feel episodic. Each episode was gripping while I was reading it, but afterwards, I found myself wondering why it was there, and what it added to the plot.
There are a few bits of (quite well-written) mock-18th century pornography in The God in the Labyrinth, in the extracts from letters and diaries and stories by Donnelly and his fellows; and, as the book itself is set at the end of the permissive 1960s, and Sorme finds himself involved with various ‘free-thinking’ or downright perverse individuals, there’s plenty in the novel’s modern day portion, too. The 18th-century bits at least felt like parody, and often have a humorous side, but the modern bits, less humorous, felt skewed by the 1960s' casual misogyny, and it all started to feel a little sordid by the end.
July 25, 2022
Academic philanderer gets possessed by victorian sex ghost and discovers the meaning of life through edging.
Can you believe I finished it?
Can you believe I finished it?
October 11, 2015
اذا لم تكن ذا صبرا شديد ونهم للمعرفة وعشق للقراءة فإنك لن تستطيع قراءة عشر صفحات لكولن ولسون .
مقدمة اقل ما يقال عنها رديئة جدا ولا علاقة لها بموضوع الكتاب كأن ولسون يحاول ان يبعد عن كتبه المتطفلين والفضوليين محبي المعرفة السريعة هو يريد قارئ صبورا ليعطيه ثمرة معرفته .
الرواية تدور حول كاتب يعد موضوعا عن كاتب انجليزي مغمور يعالج من خلال الرواية مواضيع متعلقة بالفلسفة والجنس الكتاب ليس ممتعا ولا سهلا اذا كنت مستعدا لتركيز تفكيرك والعمل الذهني الشاق فأهلا بك في متاهة كولن ولسون متاهة الإله.
مقدمة اقل ما يقال عنها رديئة جدا ولا علاقة لها بموضوع الكتاب كأن ولسون يحاول ان يبعد عن كتبه المتطفلين والفضوليين محبي المعرفة السريعة هو يريد قارئ صبورا ليعطيه ثمرة معرفته .
الرواية تدور حول كاتب يعد موضوعا عن كاتب انجليزي مغمور يعالج من خلال الرواية مواضيع متعلقة بالفلسفة والجنس الكتاب ليس ممتعا ولا سهلا اذا كنت مستعدا لتركيز تفكيرك والعمل الذهني الشاق فأهلا بك في متاهة كولن ولسون متاهة الإله.
January 14, 2015
It’s the best book of the Gerard Sorme trilogy, indeed. Much food for thinking; and Colin Wilson intuits some transrational elements in quite an intriguing way. His phenomenology of sex and sexuality (and the ways it is related to intensity of consciousness—the thing he constantly strives for) is worth being acquainted with. One may only be sorry that Wilson was not probably familiar well enough with, e.g., nondual traditions of Vajrayana and Shaivism in order to understand the ultimate aim of complete liberation. Craving for intensity, if left to its own means, can be misleading; if, however, it is coupled with the proper view of reality and human spiritual quest in it (with a proper motivation), the search for intensity of conscious will becomes a powerful tool of inhabiting our lifeworlds.
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July 20, 2019تغيير طبيعه الوعي...الجنس هو حجر الفلاسفه الذي كان بوسعه ان يغير المعادن الوضيعه للوعي العادي و يحولها الى روئ...رفع الوعي الى درجه اعلى من الحده...و كما قال فيرجيل سعيد من استطاع ان يكتشف اسباب الاشياء...عند جماعه الروح الحره اساس تعاليم مفاده ان الانسان يمتزج مع الرب عن طريق العشق و انه عندما يحدث هذا تصبح الخطيئه مستحيله بالنسبه للانسان...يمكن للانسان ان يحصل على الكشف الالهي المقدس من خلال اللذه الجسديه بدلا من الصلاه...العالم لغز غامض...اننا لا نحتاج سوى لحظه واحده من التفكير لكي نعرف ان كل معتقداتنا التي ترقى الى مرتبه اليقين ليست سوى معتقدات قامت على اساس من التعود...نطيعها مثلما نطيع قواعد لعبه لكن دون دليل يبرهن او يؤكد صحتها...ليس هناك من شيء يمكن ان يدلنا على الطريق المقدس افضل من النساء و الجبل...استعاده المعنى...الصعود بالتلذذ الحسي الى مستوى الاحاسيس الدينيه...معنى الوجود الانساني و الطريق المؤدي للعثور عليه...نقطه البدايه الثمينه للارتقاء...عند جيل جائع للافكار و الى حريه التعبير و الخلاص...و هو مستمر في معترك حياه مع اله المتاهه
July 4, 2015
"من امن العقوبة اساء الادب"
في البداية لا بد لي من شكر المترجم ... لانه ابدع في سرده للرواية.
كم من ايزموند موجود بيننا ...
هو موضوع حساس طرحه بكل روعه ...
في البداية لا بد لي من شكر المترجم ... لانه ابدع في سرده للرواية.
كم من ايزموند موجود بيننا ...
هو موضوع حساس طرحه بكل روعه ...
May 5, 2019
The ideas sections are ok, but even these are not as good by Colin Wilsons usual standards in other works. The sex stuff just has little appeal to me. It feels like a deeply out of date view that we could completely make profane and mundane sexuality, just like other aspects of life had been made, the false liberation of the 60's. But this approach hit its limits some time ago. Some things indeed must remain with a sacred element to them, a ritual of initiation element to them. Not to say that repressed understandings of sexuality common among people are good, or that dogmatic assertions of how and when sex should be enacted are good. Change to a healthier understanding of sex in society is clearly needed. But I don't think the answer lies in a complete liberal orgy as seems to be the suggestion of Colin Wilson in this book. It is strange in these enlightened times that taboos remain. But then we were never really as enlightened as we kidded ourselves we were, and this is just reality encroaching back on us, reminding us that some realities about humanity don't have simple one-sided all or nothing solutions. I would never dream that the ideas in this book be forbidden, but I am also free to subject them to deep criticism. On the whole, it just for me is not an appealing notion, it is a misguided and outdated over simplified view of sexuality and on the whole it did not provide some of the more subtle insights I was hoping to find.
January 14, 2015
Это действительно лучшая книга из трилогии про Джерарда Сорма (первые две книги — «Ритуал в темноте» и «Человек без тени»; на русском издана только третья — «Бог лабиринта»). Читал на английском, поэтому качество перевода книги на русский мне не известно (судя по обложке, книга издавалась под видом эротического романа).
Много пищи для размышлений. Колин Уилсон интуитивно касается некоторых трансрациональных элементов, причём делает это весьма интригующим способом. Его феноменология секса и сексуальности (и то, как она соотносится с феноменом «интенсивности сознания» — к достижению которого он постоянно стремился) стоит того, чтобы с ней познакомиться.
Можно лишь сожалеть о том, что Уилсон, вероятно, не был достаточно знаком, скажем, в недвойственными традициями ваджраяны или шиваизма, чтобы отчётливо понимать предельную цель полного освобождения. Жажда интенсивности, если предоставить её самой себе, может вести в ошибочном направлении; если же, однако, совместить поиск интенсивности с правильным воззрением на реальность и человеческий духовный поиск в ней (снабжённый соответствующей мотивацией), тогда он может стать мощным инструментом обитания в наших жизненных мирах.
(На мой взгляд, не стоит слишком акцентировать внимание на эротической составляющей: как и во всех его работах, она используется Уилсоном для исследования Идеи художественным образом.)
Много пищи для размышлений. Колин Уилсон интуитивно касается некоторых трансрациональных элементов, причём делает это весьма интригующим способом. Его феноменология секса и сексуальности (и то, как она соотносится с феноменом «интенсивности сознания» — к достижению которого он постоянно стремился) стоит того, чтобы с ней познакомиться.
Можно лишь сожалеть о том, что Уилсон, вероятно, не был достаточно знаком, скажем, в недвойственными традициями ваджраяны или шиваизма, чтобы отчётливо понимать предельную цель полного освобождения. Жажда интенсивности, если предоставить её самой себе, может вести в ошибочном направлении; если же, однако, совместить поиск интенсивности с правильным воззрением на реальность и человеческий духовный поиск в ней (снабжённый соответствующей мотивацией), тогда он может стать мощным инструментом обитания в наших жизненных мирах.
(На мой взгляд, не стоит слишком акцентировать внимание на эротической составляющей: как и во всех его работах, она используется Уилсоном для исследования Идеи художественным образом.)
January 3, 2012
Writer Gerard Sorme, while on a lecture tour of the US, is approached by a publisher to write an introduction to a book entitled 'Memoirs of an Irish Rake'; one Esmond Donelly. At first glance, Donelly seems to be a run-of-the-mill pornographer but as Sorme delves deeper he discovers that Donelly's was a first-rate mind and that he was known to many of the illustrious men of his era. From there the story goes into the possible existence of a secret society of a sexual nature. Go back to the 20th Century, throw some Reichian concepts into the brew and you have the novel's denoument. As always, Wilson entertains while discoursing on his own 'pet' theories... This novel is dated and not one of Wilson's finest, and while I gave it a high rating due to Wilson's inimitable style and certain passages of undeniable brilliance, I think it is a tepid conclusion to the Gerard Sorme trilogy.
Want to read
May 13, 2009Super condition 1971 paperback of this obtained at Half Price Books. The come-ons of the text and cover art were too much for me to resist. This is the US release version of Wilson's "God of the Labyrinth" (published originally in the UK in 1970). I have to say I prefer the simpler more lurid title, obviously.
July 12, 2018
Brilliant
Another excellent book from the author, Colin Wilson. I'm slowly digesting them all, & thoroughly enjoying every one. Full of excitement, thought, & psychological insight. A brilliant read.
Another excellent book from the author, Colin Wilson. I'm slowly digesting them all, & thoroughly enjoying every one. Full of excitement, thought, & psychological insight. A brilliant read.
July 18, 2008
If you're looking for a sexy mystery involving orgone energy, secret societies and orgiastic rites, here it is. Well-written and intelligent.
November 8, 2015
رواية رائعة , تفتح آفاق واسعة لمفهوم الجنس بفلسفة راقية وبصراحة لبقة بعيدا عن أي إسفاف .
May 30, 2016
لم تعجبني رغم تحمسي للكاتب تطور مبهم وبطيء للأحداث اضافة الى حشوها بمواقف جنسية غبية قرفتني من إكمالها ..
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August 10, 2017I remember this as the single most inappropriate book I pulled off my parents' shelves as a child.
January 3, 2024
“… Ciò che era improvvisamente svanito in modo permanente era quella paura fondamentale che entra nella mente di tutte le persone intelligenti in qualche momento della loro vita: di essere in realtà l’unica persona nell’universo, che la vita sia uno scherzo elaborato, uno spettacolo cinematografico creato da un dio annoiato che sa di essere solo e che si è reso immemore per dimenticare la propria solitudine. […] E in un attimo ho capito il significato del sesso. È una brama di mescolanza di coscienza, il cui simbolo è la mescolanza dei corpi. Ogni volta che un uomo e una donna placano la loro sete nelle strane acque dell’identità dell’altro intravedono l’immensità della loro libertà”. L’ultimo romanzo dedicato da Colin Wilson al suo alter ego letterario Gerard Sorme, dopo aver collezionato alcuni iniziali rifiuti (“troppo intellettuale”, “troppo non convenzionale”, “troppo sottile”) vede la luce nel 1970 con il titolo originale The God of the Labyrinth. Nemmeno il pubblico gli dedica particolare attenzione: gli scarsi introiti derivati dalle vendite finiscono persino con il provocare qualche problema finanziario al vivace, irregolare e poliedrico autore de L’Outsider.
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January 6, 2023
Looking inside the cover of this book, I found I'd bought it in November 1989, shortly after completing my degree, so I thought it was high time I read it.
It was a very enjoyable book which reminded me of The Da Vinci Code -- though, of course, it was far better-written -- in that it concerned a literary investigation and the piecing together of some obscure clues. This investigation was so complex and detailed that I often wondered how much of it was actually fictional. The subject was an eighteenth-century sexual adventurer called Esmond Donnelly, and in the course of his investigation the narrator has some pretty exciting sexual adventures himself, causing a considerable amount of juice to flow in this reader. The descriptions are surprisingly restrained, and even use some amusingly antiquated euphemisms.
Koerner's Corner reminded me of a certain house I once thought was the answer to life's problems.
It was a very enjoyable book which reminded me of The Da Vinci Code -- though, of course, it was far better-written -- in that it concerned a literary investigation and the piecing together of some obscure clues. This investigation was so complex and detailed that I often wondered how much of it was actually fictional. The subject was an eighteenth-century sexual adventurer called Esmond Donnelly, and in the course of his investigation the narrator has some pretty exciting sexual adventures himself, causing a considerable amount of juice to flow in this reader. The descriptions are surprisingly restrained, and even use some amusingly antiquated euphemisms.
Koerner's Corner reminded me of a certain house I once thought was the answer to life's problems.
April 1, 2020
A bit dated, a bit wanky, a lot erotic but wY too much, some silly ideas
Over the top sex but well written, some crazy ideas as if they were facts, but look, it was written in the 70s and so it’s still a good enough read with some reall good writing now and again.
I shall re read the outsider but that’s it from mr Wilson
Over the top sex but well written, some crazy ideas as if they were facts, but look, it was written in the 70s and so it’s still a good enough read with some reall good writing now and again.
I shall re read the outsider but that’s it from mr Wilson
November 27, 2023
أحيانا تبدو الحياة مثيرة للإهتمام بشكل واسع و عميق مفعمة بالمعني ، فيبدو هذا المعني حقيقة موضوعية و أحيان اخري تبدو عقيمة خالية من المعني مثل الريح ، اننا نقبل هذا الخواء من المعني ، هذا الانهيار في وجوده ، و لكن ايزموند لم يقبله كشئ طبيعي . و قد لاحظ اننا في كل مره نستثار فيها جنسيا ، يعود إلينا المعني .
February 6, 2022
Senti Colin, mi permetto dato che ho letto tutto quanto ed eri un cancerino, forse bastava dire che a questo giro il noir/mistery assumeva connotazioni da romanzo pornografico, nessunx se la prendeva.
December 19, 2024
Riveting
As always, Colin Wilson weaves a story expertly: the warp protagonists of complex character interwoven with characters and situations that challenge and lead to their evolution. A truly satisfying read.
As always, Colin Wilson weaves a story expertly: the warp protagonists of complex character interwoven with characters and situations that challenge and lead to their evolution. A truly satisfying read.
March 18, 2023
Gestopt op de fameuze p.64. Een seksboek op mijn leeftijd? Nee toch?
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May 10, 2023لم ترق لي فلم اتممها
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July 15, 2025أسوأ من قرأت له ، و أسوأ ما قرأت في حياتي
September 28, 2015
There are very few authors who can invent an entirely new kind of hero. And fewer still who can write books in which sexuality is the main theme without descending into cheap softcore porn. Few would be ambitious enough to attempt both feats in a single trilogy - but the brilliant Colin Wilson achieves it with ease.
In his amazing Gerard Sorme trilogy - "Ritual in the Dark," "The Man without a Shadow, (published as "The Sex Diary of Gerard Sorme" in the US)" and "The God of the Labyrinth," Wilson brings his eponymous hero to the end of his quest for an understanding of the sexual experience via Sorme's investigation into an 18th Century libertine, Edmund Donnelly, in a climax (no pun intended) that is a treat for both the libido and the intellect.
Wilson is better known as a writer of popular philosophy, criminology and occultism, and it appears that writing fiction was originally only a literary sideline. Wilson's background in non-fiction is obvious when reading this trilogy, and does much to increase both the authenticity and the interest of the story. His underlying philosophy - that mankind is constantly striving for the next stage of mental evolution through the control of "peak experiences" - is evident here.
In Sorme's search, the orgasm, which (in the case of a male, at least) is ecstatic but transient, like (Wilson's phrase)"fairy gold," is just one of the methods used to aspire to this state of "super consciousness." The similarity between Sorme's (and, Wilson's) central idea and the Hindu belief in Tantric Sex is obvious.
But this is not just a philosophical treatise thinly disguised as a novel. It's an adventure tale in its own right, full of twists and turns (now, now, I didn't mean that, madam!) and genuine suspense. Forget that this was published in 1970 (and the other books in the trilogy even earlier) - Gerard Sorme truly is a hero for our times. Perhaps, in some ways, the hero for our times. Do not go past this one, I implore you!
In his amazing Gerard Sorme trilogy - "Ritual in the Dark," "The Man without a Shadow, (published as "The Sex Diary of Gerard Sorme" in the US)" and "The God of the Labyrinth," Wilson brings his eponymous hero to the end of his quest for an understanding of the sexual experience via Sorme's investigation into an 18th Century libertine, Edmund Donnelly, in a climax (no pun intended) that is a treat for both the libido and the intellect.
Wilson is better known as a writer of popular philosophy, criminology and occultism, and it appears that writing fiction was originally only a literary sideline. Wilson's background in non-fiction is obvious when reading this trilogy, and does much to increase both the authenticity and the interest of the story. His underlying philosophy - that mankind is constantly striving for the next stage of mental evolution through the control of "peak experiences" - is evident here.
In Sorme's search, the orgasm, which (in the case of a male, at least) is ecstatic but transient, like (Wilson's phrase)"fairy gold," is just one of the methods used to aspire to this state of "super consciousness." The similarity between Sorme's (and, Wilson's) central idea and the Hindu belief in Tantric Sex is obvious.
But this is not just a philosophical treatise thinly disguised as a novel. It's an adventure tale in its own right, full of twists and turns (now, now, I didn't mean that, madam!) and genuine suspense. Forget that this was published in 1970 (and the other books in the trilogy even earlier) - Gerard Sorme truly is a hero for our times. Perhaps, in some ways, the hero for our times. Do not go past this one, I implore you!
May 30, 2007
Colin Wilson is quite an amazing writer, having put together compendiums of fascination about Occult, Crime, Poltergeists, and others. He has a great grasp on the psychology of humans, and what makes them tick... and explode too!
This book for Wilson is a departure from his canon in that it's fictional, or in my opinion is a fictional extrapolation of non-fictional events. The Outsider (which I haven't read) is another of his fictions, his first and acclaimed book.
The book follows the trail (through narrator Gerald Sorme's research) of an 18C rake, Esmond Donnely, who was apparrently more attractive to the ladies than his kooky name would suggest. This guy, it seems, is a lothario on a quest for sexual fulfillment, and the narrator researches his writings, his fantasies and depictions, until some very curious parallels start occuring for him.
Though the tone of the book is quite dry, when passing through descriptions of the sexual act it can be quite a thrilling ride, and not without humour. On discussion of the normal repetitive sexual act: "There is the story of the psychiatrist who advised an impotent man to try self-hypnosis; before he got into bed, he was to close his eyes and repeat over and over again: "She is not my wife, she is not my wife...")"
The tone of the book contrasts with some of the breaking of or through the tight-lipped englishness in explicit depictions of desire.
Donnely is a hard man to catch and to unwind, he seems to have reputations for all sorts of perversion, literary pretensions, genius, and more. Sorme is drawn deep into his spell and meets relatives and experts, somehow managing to spend weeks away from his wife and child, who seem to be generally ignored for most of the story.
There are some wonderful insights into the nature of sex and consciousness, and some scenes which are as erotic as Nin, with the element of consciousness research also. Recommended for fans of her, and of readers interested in altered states.
This book for Wilson is a departure from his canon in that it's fictional, or in my opinion is a fictional extrapolation of non-fictional events. The Outsider (which I haven't read) is another of his fictions, his first and acclaimed book.
The book follows the trail (through narrator Gerald Sorme's research) of an 18C rake, Esmond Donnely, who was apparrently more attractive to the ladies than his kooky name would suggest. This guy, it seems, is a lothario on a quest for sexual fulfillment, and the narrator researches his writings, his fantasies and depictions, until some very curious parallels start occuring for him.
Though the tone of the book is quite dry, when passing through descriptions of the sexual act it can be quite a thrilling ride, and not without humour. On discussion of the normal repetitive sexual act: "There is the story of the psychiatrist who advised an impotent man to try self-hypnosis; before he got into bed, he was to close his eyes and repeat over and over again: "She is not my wife, she is not my wife...")"
The tone of the book contrasts with some of the breaking of or through the tight-lipped englishness in explicit depictions of desire.
Donnely is a hard man to catch and to unwind, he seems to have reputations for all sorts of perversion, literary pretensions, genius, and more. Sorme is drawn deep into his spell and meets relatives and experts, somehow managing to spend weeks away from his wife and child, who seem to be generally ignored for most of the story.
There are some wonderful insights into the nature of sex and consciousness, and some scenes which are as erotic as Nin, with the element of consciousness research also. Recommended for fans of her, and of readers interested in altered states.
Want to read
May 2, 2009The U.S. paperback edition of this was called "The Hedonists," just to up the sexy come-on factor. There's a copy over at Half Price I need to get, because the book is hard to get.
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