Sex and Isolation: And Other Essays

by Bruce Benderson, Catherine Texier (Foreword)

Winner of France’s 2004 Prix de Flore for his memoir The Story of an Obsession , Bruce Benderson has gained international respect for his controversial opinions and original take on contemporary society. In this collection of essays, Benderson directs his exceptional powers of observation toward some of the most debated, as well as some of the most neglected, issues of our day.
     In Sex and Isolation , readers will encounter eccentric street people, Latin American literary geniuses, a French cabaret owner, a transvestite performer, and many other unusual characters; they’ll visit subcultures rarely described in writing and be treated to Benderson’s iconoclastic opinions about culture in former and contemporary urban society. Whether proposing new theories about the relationship between art, entertainment, and sex, analyzing the rise of the Internet and the disappearance of public space, or considering how religion and sexual identity interact, each essay demonstrates sharp wit, surprising insight and some startling intellectual positions.
     This is the first American volume of Benderson’s collected essays, featuring both new work and some of his best-known writings, including his famous essay “Toward the New Degeneracy.”

 

 

Outstanding University Press Book selection, Foreword Magazine

Genres: Essays

181 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2007

About the author

Bruce Benderson is a novelist, essayist, journalist, and translator.

Reviews

[Andrew]

Bruce Benderson doesn't get anywhere near the accolades he deserves. Like Gary Indiana, he writes from this very distinctive hyper-literate, ultra-articulate, shade-throwing gay perspective, one which has the same revulsion for, say, the cast of Queer Eye or the career of Pete Buttigieg as it does for blatantly homophobic Senate Republicans. He writes against blasé neoliberalism, against Prod morality, against the gentrification of Manhattan, against the commodification of every aspect of society, against the atomization of society and the concomitant preclusion of any kind of solidarity, against the reduction of queerness to same-sex attraction, etc. etc. etc. The trouble is that he did most of his writing long before these ideas were pushed closer to the mainstream of the American cultural conversation. If he was 40 years younger, he'd probably have a podcast and a platform – as it is, he remains obscure. Which is why you should read these essays.

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Mike Mcelhaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great essays on life, sex and class. When he is spouting opinions, he has a gifted eye. His biographical articles on the semi-famous are not as entertaining, but have merit just the same. A good, quick take on contemporary society.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exceptionally uneven - some real brilliant stuff, some utterly obnoxious and angry-making stuff, some pedantry, and even a couple of places where I couldn't decide which of those three things it was... I would start with The Romanian, not here.

[Awet Moges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the awkward title, the book is a great primer for the thoughts of a literate intellectual who transcends the petty dichotomy of left and right wing politics. Although the collection of essays were in their own right superb, I was left hungry for a deeper, more comprehensive analysis of the largely unexamined underground culture.