The Penguin Book of Erotic Stories By Women

by Richard Glyn Jones (Editor), Marquise De Mannoury D'Ectot, Simone de Beauvoir

An anthology of erotic fiction by great female writers, with stories by: Kathy Acker, Isabel Allende, Laila Baalabaki, Simone de Beauvoir, Svetlana Boym, Angela Carter, Kate Chopin, Colette, Elizabeth Cook, Candas Jane Dorsey, Carol Emshwiller, L.A. Hall, Radclyffe Hall, Bessie Head, Siv Holm, Evelyn Lau, La Marquise de Mannoury d'Ectot, Katherine Mansfield, Ann Oakley, Iva Pekárková, Claire Rabe, Alifa Rifaat, Joanna Russ, May Sinclair, Verena Stefan, Gertrude Stein, Nicole Ward Jouve, Anna- Elisabeth Weirauch, Edith Wharton, Amy Yamada.

Tales of forbidden lust, illicit desires, the twin hungers of loneliness and lust and the complexities of intimacy: all are explored in this fascinating anthology of stories on erotic themes.

Spanning the last hundred years The Penguin Book of Erotic Stories by Women brings together tales that capture the sexual mores of their ages. This is an anthology that acknowledges and confirms a woman's right to shape and define her own sexuality, rather than having it forced on her by men.

'Sexy, scholarly and full of surprises' Independent

'An astounding array of accomplished sexual writing . . . thoughtful and original' Lynne Truss, Sunday Times

'A fascinating collection . . . from fairytale whimsy to postpunk invective, from fables of oppression to those of liberation, it is full of unforeseen delights, surprising us into reshaping our thoughts about familiar writers, about sexual politics and about the meaning of erotica itself' Independent

Genres: Erotica, Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[iina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories in this collection made me think. Some stories made me laugh. Some taught me something. Some were boring. Some were exciting. Some were fun. Some were well-written, others less so. Some I want to keep in my heart, others forget instantly. Some I loved, very few I hated (or perhaps strongly disliked).

What do all these stories have in common, then?
Even now, after reading every single one of them, I have no idea. The title of the book suggests erotica; but with most of the stories I didn't find an erotic aspect at all (for example: how is years of abuse and neglect of a wife and the subsequent murder of a husband erotic? I still don't know...). Be as it may, I would still recommend this book for anyone interested in reading a variety of texts by female writers - for that this collection is more than adequate.

[Sheila Bitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already liked Kate Chopin: The Awakening. For my MFA we read Isabelle Allende, Kathy Acker, Angela Carter, and others. Laila Baalbaki's "A Spaceship of Tenderness to the Moon" was sad and sweet.

Other writers and their stories that should be looked at is Buthayna Al-Nasiri's "Man and Woman."
Also, "Dead Girls" by Selva Almada.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a very good collection of stories written by, about and for women, it is certainly not an erotic collection (although granted some of the stories do fit this catergory). These stories deal with more than just the carnal pleasures that women can, should and do enjoy but also the more emotive side of lust and love including the feelings of longing, delight, guilt and freedom that go with them. This is certainly a collection that shows how women can shape their own desires but also their own identities as a person as well, which goes beyond the confines of the collection's title.