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El motel del voyeur
Poco antes de la publicación de La mujer de tu prójimo, Gay Talese recibió una carta de un misterioso hombre de Colorado que le hacía partícipe de un secreto sorprendente: había comprado un motel para dar rienda suelta a sus deseos de voyeur. En los conductos de ventilación había instalado una «plataforma de observación» a través de la cual espiaba a sus clientes.
Talese viajó entonces a Colorado, donde conoció a Gerald Foos y pudo comprobar con sus propios ojos la veracidad de la historia. Además, tuvo acceso a algunos de sus muchos diarios: un registro secreto sobre el cambio producido en las costumbres sociales y sexuales de su país. Pero Foos había sido también testigo de un asesinato, y no lo había delatado. Tenía, pues, muchos motivos para permanecer en el anonimato, y Talese pensó que esta historia nunca vería la luz.
Hoy, treinta y seis años más tarde, Foos está listo para hacerla pública y Talese puede darla a conocer. El motel del voyeur es una extraordinaria obra de periodismo narrativo que abre un intenso debate ético, y uno de los libros de los que más se ha hablado en los últimos años.
Talese viajó entonces a Colorado, donde conoció a Gerald Foos y pudo comprobar con sus propios ojos la veracidad de la historia. Además, tuvo acceso a algunos de sus muchos diarios: un registro secreto sobre el cambio producido en las costumbres sociales y sexuales de su país. Pero Foos había sido también testigo de un asesinato, y no lo había delatado. Tenía, pues, muchos motivos para permanecer en el anonimato, y Talese pensó que esta historia nunca vería la luz.
Hoy, treinta y seis años más tarde, Foos está listo para hacerla pública y Talese puede darla a conocer. El motel del voyeur es una extraordinaria obra de periodismo narrativo que abre un intenso debate ético, y uno de los libros de los que más se ha hablado en los últimos años.
227 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2016
340 people are currently reading
4109 people want to read
About the author
Gay Talese
65 books564 followersGay Talese is an American author. He wrote for The New York Times in the early 1960s and helped to define literary journalism or "new nonfiction reportage", also known as New Journalism. His most famous articles are about Joe DiMaggio, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
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January 16, 2020
“I know a married man with two children who bought a twenty-one-room motel near Denver many years ago in order to become its resident voyeur. With his wife nearby to assist, he cut rectangular-shaped holes in the ceilings of a dozen rooms, each hole measuring six by fourteen inches. Then he covered the openings with louvered aluminum screens that simulated ventilation grilles, but were in fact, observation vents that allowed him, while he knelt or stood on the thickly carpeted floor of the attic, under the motel’s pitched roof, to see his guests in the rooms below. He continued to watch them for decades, while keeping an almost daily written record of what he saw and heard – and never once, during all those years, was he caught…”
- Gay Talese, The Voyeur’s Hotel
What am I doing? I asked myself, as I purchased Gay Talese’s The Voyeur’s Motel.
What am I doing? I asked myself, as I cracked the front cover.
What in the literal hell am I doing? I asked myself, as I began reading the “true” story of a man who bought a motel, installed peep-vents in the ceiling, and then spied on his customers for years, while obsessively recording his observations in a journal.
This book is garbage. I knew that long before I read it. Hence, the questioning of myself. Why did I do it?
Oh, come on!
We all know why. I’m attracted to trash like a raccoon is attracted to…well, also trash.
You might have heard about the concept of The Voyeur’s Motel. If not, I hate to be the one to tell you – but I’m going to, anyway. This is your last chance to leave. Still here? Okay. Later on, when you’re trying to scrub the memory from your brain, don’t say I didn't warn you.
As mentioned above, The Voyeur’s Motel is about an innkeeper who spies on his guests. The owner, a high-functioning degenerate named Gerald Foos, purchased the motel to satiate his pathological urge to snoop. He built a walkway above the rooms of his motel, and installed vents through which he could observe his customers going about their quotidian chores: watching television, going to the bathroom, engaging in marital spats. Oh, and having sex. That’s what this is really about. Foos watching people having sex. And writing about it. In a field journal in which he kept meticulous notes filled with his utterly banal descriptions (“a beautiful body, slightly plump, but sexually attractive anyway”) and ridiculously unsupported conclusions (“[t]hey are not a happy couple…He is very ignorant of sexual procedure and foreplay despite his college education”).
Allegedly, this is a true story, which ratchets up the ick-factor to eleven. In the 1980s, when Talese was close to publishing Thy Neighbor’s Wife, his classic account of the sexual revolution, he received an anonymous letter from a man who turned out to be Foos. This man claimed to have important contributions to Talese’s survey of sex in America, specifically his ability to out-peep any Peeping Tom in history. Talese engaged Foos over the years, but refused to do anything with Foos’ material until Talese could use his real name. Talese declares that his hesitance had to do with his high journalistic standards against nameless sources. This should no longer be an issue, because I don’t believe – in light of this book’s publication – that Talese has any standards left.
The Voyeur’s Motel courted controversy from the start. This controversy is twofold. First, there is a moral component at play in this book’s very existence. Specifically, Talese is writing about an uncharged criminal who unlawfully violated the privacy of his guests for years, and years, and years. (The Denver DA has said that the statute of limitations has run out for any potential charges). Should such a book even be published? And if published, read?
Second, there are issues about Talese’s journalistic integrity, calling into question many of the basic factual underpinnings. As I'll discuss in a moment, many of the things Foos says he witnessed occurred at times when he did not own his motel.
Let us explore these controversies in turn.
As to the moral question, I’m not really in the position to cast judgment. After all, I knew what I was getting into. I can’t pick up a book about a perverted motel owner and then get the vapors because the book is, in fact, all about a perverted motel owner. No one tricked me into reading this; no one forced me. No, I was compelled by my own prurient interest, making me, in a way, as complicit as Foos (a notion a more intelligent book might have taken time to explore).
Even if I had grounds for self-righteousness, I’d give The Voyeur’s Motel a pass. I don’t condone Foos’ actions, but bookshelves the world over groan beneath the weight of titles concerning terrible people doing terrible deeds. It’s a little too late to only start publishing books about good people doing helpful and amazing things.
(For example, I hate Adolf Hitler, as any sane person does. Yet I have an entire bookcase – not shelf, bookcase – devoted to the Nazis).
My thinking would be different if I thought there was a serious risk that innocent people would be harmed by this, but I don’t think there is. Foos never mentions anyone by name; he didn't take pictures or videos or post anything to the internet; and his descriptions are so dreadfully stupid and juvenile (usually centered on bust size) that you’d never be able to identify an actual person from his words (if, in fact, much of this actually happened; which I’ll discuss below). Of course, anyone reading this who has spent time in Aurora’s “Manor House Motel” might be emotionally affected; this risk, though, is mitigated by the fact that decades have passed since Foos’ project ended.
Thus, we get to the second controversy regarding Talese’s journalism. Publication was delayed after Foos’ credibility was called into question. Foos’ journal, you see, begins describing his voyeuristic journey in 1966. The problem is that records show he didn't purchase the place until 1969. Other events are recorded as happening in the 80s, again, during a period in which Foos did not own the motel. Talese mentions this offhandedly in the manuscript, and shrugs it off as the result of Foos being an “unreliable narrator.” According to the Washington Post, however, Talese did not know about the extent of Foos’ fabrications until presented with the information by its journalists. In other words, Talese’s research falls a bit short of meticulous. (When the Washington Post first presented Talese with these oopsies, Talese disavowed his book. A half second later, he said he stood by it. I can only assume there was a financial aspect to this decision). Talese also relates the story of a murder that took place in the motel, one that Foos claimed to have witnessed. You will not be surprised, dear reader, to learn that there is no evidence that this ever occurred.
Is the book entirely false? Well, according to Talese, he actually visited the motel and watched a couple engaging in sexual activity. Not only that, but his tie slipped through the vent, and they almost got caught. If that story – with that too-cute detail about his tie – convinces you of anything…Well, I’ll leave it at that.
I will add, as an aside, that this might have made a fascinating novel. I can see a better, more imaginative author building on Foos’ petty megalomania, his inflated ego, his radically unjustified sense of his own powers of observation, and used that to construct a dark and kinky piece of fiction. That’s not what happens here, though. Instead, we get bad fiction dressed up as worse nonfiction.
Let’s leave the controversy aside. Does the book have merit as entertainment? No. This is an empty collection of excerpts from Foos’ journal, large parts of it (based on property records, and the clearly-invented dialogue) simply false. Talese doesn’t try to find a larger meaning to all this. He just plods along, relating dirty stories jotted down by a narcissistic hack. There is no titillation, because these jottings have all the artistry of the masturbatory daydreams of a thirteen year-old boy. In Thy Neighbors Wife, Talese used a masterful structure of segueing chapters to survey contemporary sex in America. Here, he just gives an entry, briefly comments on it, and then repeats.
I am frankly a bit shocked that Talese couldn’t derive anything more out of Foos’ tale. We live in the age of the voyeur and the exhibitionist. We live in the age of the security state. We are all prying into the lives of others, and allowing our lives to be surveilled in turn. These are obvious connections, but Talese is so busy mailing this in, he can’t be bothered to draw any of them. Talese has had a remarkable career. Tom Wolfe once dubbed him the founder of New Journalism. This is not worthy of him or his talent.
Most of you know I’m not a literary snob. I like a good gutter-wallow as much as the next chap. I find a lot of value in the cheap and tawdry. But this goes beyond cheap and tawdry. It is cheap and tawdry and lazy and false and skeevy and also, just as damning, entirely unentertaining.
To paraphrase Nietzsche, when I peer too long into the abyss, I see myself, holding this book, staring back.
- Gay Talese, The Voyeur’s Hotel
What am I doing? I asked myself, as I purchased Gay Talese’s The Voyeur’s Motel.
What am I doing? I asked myself, as I cracked the front cover.
What in the literal hell am I doing? I asked myself, as I began reading the “true” story of a man who bought a motel, installed peep-vents in the ceiling, and then spied on his customers for years, while obsessively recording his observations in a journal.
This book is garbage. I knew that long before I read it. Hence, the questioning of myself. Why did I do it?
Oh, come on!
We all know why. I’m attracted to trash like a raccoon is attracted to…well, also trash.
You might have heard about the concept of The Voyeur’s Motel. If not, I hate to be the one to tell you – but I’m going to, anyway. This is your last chance to leave. Still here? Okay. Later on, when you’re trying to scrub the memory from your brain, don’t say I didn't warn you.
As mentioned above, The Voyeur’s Motel is about an innkeeper who spies on his guests. The owner, a high-functioning degenerate named Gerald Foos, purchased the motel to satiate his pathological urge to snoop. He built a walkway above the rooms of his motel, and installed vents through which he could observe his customers going about their quotidian chores: watching television, going to the bathroom, engaging in marital spats. Oh, and having sex. That’s what this is really about. Foos watching people having sex. And writing about it. In a field journal in which he kept meticulous notes filled with his utterly banal descriptions (“a beautiful body, slightly plump, but sexually attractive anyway”) and ridiculously unsupported conclusions (“[t]hey are not a happy couple…He is very ignorant of sexual procedure and foreplay despite his college education”).
Allegedly, this is a true story, which ratchets up the ick-factor to eleven. In the 1980s, when Talese was close to publishing Thy Neighbor’s Wife, his classic account of the sexual revolution, he received an anonymous letter from a man who turned out to be Foos. This man claimed to have important contributions to Talese’s survey of sex in America, specifically his ability to out-peep any Peeping Tom in history. Talese engaged Foos over the years, but refused to do anything with Foos’ material until Talese could use his real name. Talese declares that his hesitance had to do with his high journalistic standards against nameless sources. This should no longer be an issue, because I don’t believe – in light of this book’s publication – that Talese has any standards left.
The Voyeur’s Motel courted controversy from the start. This controversy is twofold. First, there is a moral component at play in this book’s very existence. Specifically, Talese is writing about an uncharged criminal who unlawfully violated the privacy of his guests for years, and years, and years. (The Denver DA has said that the statute of limitations has run out for any potential charges). Should such a book even be published? And if published, read?
Second, there are issues about Talese’s journalistic integrity, calling into question many of the basic factual underpinnings. As I'll discuss in a moment, many of the things Foos says he witnessed occurred at times when he did not own his motel.
Let us explore these controversies in turn.
As to the moral question, I’m not really in the position to cast judgment. After all, I knew what I was getting into. I can’t pick up a book about a perverted motel owner and then get the vapors because the book is, in fact, all about a perverted motel owner. No one tricked me into reading this; no one forced me. No, I was compelled by my own prurient interest, making me, in a way, as complicit as Foos (a notion a more intelligent book might have taken time to explore).
Even if I had grounds for self-righteousness, I’d give The Voyeur’s Motel a pass. I don’t condone Foos’ actions, but bookshelves the world over groan beneath the weight of titles concerning terrible people doing terrible deeds. It’s a little too late to only start publishing books about good people doing helpful and amazing things.
(For example, I hate Adolf Hitler, as any sane person does. Yet I have an entire bookcase – not shelf, bookcase – devoted to the Nazis).
My thinking would be different if I thought there was a serious risk that innocent people would be harmed by this, but I don’t think there is. Foos never mentions anyone by name; he didn't take pictures or videos or post anything to the internet; and his descriptions are so dreadfully stupid and juvenile (usually centered on bust size) that you’d never be able to identify an actual person from his words (if, in fact, much of this actually happened; which I’ll discuss below). Of course, anyone reading this who has spent time in Aurora’s “Manor House Motel” might be emotionally affected; this risk, though, is mitigated by the fact that decades have passed since Foos’ project ended.
Thus, we get to the second controversy regarding Talese’s journalism. Publication was delayed after Foos’ credibility was called into question. Foos’ journal, you see, begins describing his voyeuristic journey in 1966. The problem is that records show he didn't purchase the place until 1969. Other events are recorded as happening in the 80s, again, during a period in which Foos did not own the motel. Talese mentions this offhandedly in the manuscript, and shrugs it off as the result of Foos being an “unreliable narrator.” According to the Washington Post, however, Talese did not know about the extent of Foos’ fabrications until presented with the information by its journalists. In other words, Talese’s research falls a bit short of meticulous. (When the Washington Post first presented Talese with these oopsies, Talese disavowed his book. A half second later, he said he stood by it. I can only assume there was a financial aspect to this decision). Talese also relates the story of a murder that took place in the motel, one that Foos claimed to have witnessed. You will not be surprised, dear reader, to learn that there is no evidence that this ever occurred.
Is the book entirely false? Well, according to Talese, he actually visited the motel and watched a couple engaging in sexual activity. Not only that, but his tie slipped through the vent, and they almost got caught. If that story – with that too-cute detail about his tie – convinces you of anything…Well, I’ll leave it at that.
I will add, as an aside, that this might have made a fascinating novel. I can see a better, more imaginative author building on Foos’ petty megalomania, his inflated ego, his radically unjustified sense of his own powers of observation, and used that to construct a dark and kinky piece of fiction. That’s not what happens here, though. Instead, we get bad fiction dressed up as worse nonfiction.
Let’s leave the controversy aside. Does the book have merit as entertainment? No. This is an empty collection of excerpts from Foos’ journal, large parts of it (based on property records, and the clearly-invented dialogue) simply false. Talese doesn’t try to find a larger meaning to all this. He just plods along, relating dirty stories jotted down by a narcissistic hack. There is no titillation, because these jottings have all the artistry of the masturbatory daydreams of a thirteen year-old boy. In Thy Neighbors Wife, Talese used a masterful structure of segueing chapters to survey contemporary sex in America. Here, he just gives an entry, briefly comments on it, and then repeats.
I am frankly a bit shocked that Talese couldn’t derive anything more out of Foos’ tale. We live in the age of the voyeur and the exhibitionist. We live in the age of the security state. We are all prying into the lives of others, and allowing our lives to be surveilled in turn. These are obvious connections, but Talese is so busy mailing this in, he can’t be bothered to draw any of them. Talese has had a remarkable career. Tom Wolfe once dubbed him the founder of New Journalism. This is not worthy of him or his talent.
Most of you know I’m not a literary snob. I like a good gutter-wallow as much as the next chap. I find a lot of value in the cheap and tawdry. But this goes beyond cheap and tawdry. It is cheap and tawdry and lazy and false and skeevy and also, just as damning, entirely unentertaining.
To paraphrase Nietzsche, when I peer too long into the abyss, I see myself, holding this book, staring back.
October 2, 2016
A guy I have a crush on recommended this book to me. Warning sign?
July 14, 2016
Freaky .... Freaky .... Creepy!!!!!
Gerald Foos is the former owner of the Manor House ....a twenty-one room motel near Denver. (Aurora, Colorado). He later owned the Riviera motel, about a 10 minute drive from the Manor House. It was a two-story building with seventy-two rooms.
Foos was married with two children. His first wife, Donna assisted Gerald with cutting
rectangular-shaped holes in the ceilings of a dozen rooms, each hole measuring six by fourteen inches at the Manor House. His second wife Anita ( after Donna died), also 'helped' with Foos hobby.
Then he covered the openings with louvered aluminum screens that stimulated ventilation grilles, but were, in fact, observation vents that allowed him, while he knelt or stood on the thickly carpeted floor of the attic, under the motel pitched roof, to see his guests in the rooms below. He continued to watch for DECADES, while keeping an
almost daily written record of what he saw and heard.
NEVER ONCE ....in all those years ....DID HE GET CAUGHT! CRAZY!!!!
He admitted to author -Gay Talese, "to constant fear of being found out, but he was unwilling to concede that his activities in his motel's attic brought harm to anyone. First of all, he pointed out, he was indulging his curiosity within the boundaries of his own property, and since his guests where unaware of his voyeurism, they were not affected by it".
"Voyeurs are cripples.....whom God has not blessed " he wrote. God said to us,
"You get to observe at your own risk".
Everything about this story....( one I couldn't put down)...is definitely...ABNORMAL...
TABOO...ILLEGAL...STRANGE....ODD....FREAKY/CREEPY.....FREAKY/CREEPY!!!!!...
The 'fascination' I had was .... ( I must have been living under a rock because I didn't know this story)...was....
DID HE EVER GET CAUGHT? Did he die? The connection--( story behind), the AUTHOR 'writing' this book and Gerald Foos is thought provoking -and truthfully interesting in the way strange news is. Film rights have been purchased by Sam Mendes, with Steven Spielberg slated to direct.
The reason 'I' bought and read this book yesterday...( the physical book includes photos and a hand written letter)...is that I learned Grove Atlantic was the book's publisher. I haven't been shy about saying I have a 'crush' with the staff at Grove Atlantic. I've much respect for the type of books they stand behind...the genuine support they offer to people, and the difference they make in our world. I trust their integrity while being open to look at alternate material.
They are a special publishing company and I LIKE THEM!!!
Back to "The Voyeur's Motel", by Gay Talese:
I wonder if 'any' of the guests have recently figure out if they may have been victims between the years of 1969 ....on ....until Foos sold his motel in 1995? I can't imagine how these people would feel now. I wonder if anyone will step forward.
So many questions enter the readers mind. Not knowing a damn thing about Gerald Foos kept me turning pages...non-stop. Wives..(PLURAL), participated. Foos was
witness to a murder. My god...a person couldn't write a fiction book with more disturbing drama...danger, creepy, illegal behavior....than this true story. He spent hours in his locked attic watching hundreds of people having sex, listening to their conversations about money, jobs, eating and wiping their hands on his bed covers....making 'conclusions' about which couples were happy - which were not...
judging bodies and sexual styles. His wife would 'deliver' him a sandwich. The voyeur still had to eat! lol. Oh my...YIKES ALMIGHTY!!!
The BIG question I had was, why didn't the author ever contact the authorities and turn Foos in? It's sure something to think about...but by reading this book...I picked up hints - of understanding- of why he didn't.
I imagine ratings for this book might be all over the place. I'm going with 5 stars
because even with the controversy ---We've all heard crazy true stories - injustice -and otherwise. This story just takes the cake for being insane! It's hard to believe the guy not only got away with it for decades .. but is still a free man today!!!
Bizarre Bizarre!!!!!
Gerald Foos is the former owner of the Manor House ....a twenty-one room motel near Denver. (Aurora, Colorado). He later owned the Riviera motel, about a 10 minute drive from the Manor House. It was a two-story building with seventy-two rooms.
Foos was married with two children. His first wife, Donna assisted Gerald with cutting
rectangular-shaped holes in the ceilings of a dozen rooms, each hole measuring six by fourteen inches at the Manor House. His second wife Anita ( after Donna died), also 'helped' with Foos hobby.
Then he covered the openings with louvered aluminum screens that stimulated ventilation grilles, but were, in fact, observation vents that allowed him, while he knelt or stood on the thickly carpeted floor of the attic, under the motel pitched roof, to see his guests in the rooms below. He continued to watch for DECADES, while keeping an
almost daily written record of what he saw and heard.
NEVER ONCE ....in all those years ....DID HE GET CAUGHT! CRAZY!!!!
He admitted to author -Gay Talese, "to constant fear of being found out, but he was unwilling to concede that his activities in his motel's attic brought harm to anyone. First of all, he pointed out, he was indulging his curiosity within the boundaries of his own property, and since his guests where unaware of his voyeurism, they were not affected by it".
"Voyeurs are cripples.....whom God has not blessed " he wrote. God said to us,
"You get to observe at your own risk".
Everything about this story....( one I couldn't put down)...is definitely...ABNORMAL...
TABOO...ILLEGAL...STRANGE....ODD....FREAKY/CREEPY.....FREAKY/CREEPY!!!!!...
The 'fascination' I had was .... ( I must have been living under a rock because I didn't know this story)...was....
DID HE EVER GET CAUGHT? Did he die? The connection--( story behind), the AUTHOR 'writing' this book and Gerald Foos is thought provoking -and truthfully interesting in the way strange news is. Film rights have been purchased by Sam Mendes, with Steven Spielberg slated to direct.
The reason 'I' bought and read this book yesterday...( the physical book includes photos and a hand written letter)...is that I learned Grove Atlantic was the book's publisher. I haven't been shy about saying I have a 'crush' with the staff at Grove Atlantic. I've much respect for the type of books they stand behind...the genuine support they offer to people, and the difference they make in our world. I trust their integrity while being open to look at alternate material.
They are a special publishing company and I LIKE THEM!!!
Back to "The Voyeur's Motel", by Gay Talese:
I wonder if 'any' of the guests have recently figure out if they may have been victims between the years of 1969 ....on ....until Foos sold his motel in 1995? I can't imagine how these people would feel now. I wonder if anyone will step forward.
So many questions enter the readers mind. Not knowing a damn thing about Gerald Foos kept me turning pages...non-stop. Wives..(PLURAL), participated. Foos was
witness to a murder. My god...a person couldn't write a fiction book with more disturbing drama...danger, creepy, illegal behavior....than this true story. He spent hours in his locked attic watching hundreds of people having sex, listening to their conversations about money, jobs, eating and wiping their hands on his bed covers....making 'conclusions' about which couples were happy - which were not...
judging bodies and sexual styles. His wife would 'deliver' him a sandwich. The voyeur still had to eat! lol. Oh my...YIKES ALMIGHTY!!!
The BIG question I had was, why didn't the author ever contact the authorities and turn Foos in? It's sure something to think about...but by reading this book...I picked up hints - of understanding- of why he didn't.
I imagine ratings for this book might be all over the place. I'm going with 5 stars
because even with the controversy ---We've all heard crazy true stories - injustice -and otherwise. This story just takes the cake for being insane! It's hard to believe the guy not only got away with it for decades .. but is still a free man today!!!
Bizarre Bizarre!!!!!
Read
August 28, 2025Primero que nada, este libro tiene alrededor de 230 páginas y por alguna razón Goodreads lo tiene registrado con 168,,,, se preguntarán. ¿Eso por qué te importa? Y yo les diré que, pues nada más. Ahora tendré páginas menos en mi contador. Jajajaja. Fuera de broma, estoy leyendo mis libros del más corto al más largo y cuando me di cuenta de este error me sentía tracionada.
Anyways, yendo al libro.
Yo no tenía idea alguna que se trataba de un trabajo perdiodístico. Cuando me di cuenta creo que la repulsión me subió a un millón. Y como dije en mi reseña sobre Camus: no me gusta dar ratings en cosas de este tipo, las historias reales, matemáticas, filosóficas o lo que sea. Mientras sea real lo dejo sin rating porque yo no soy quien para calificar la vida y pensamientos de otras personas.
Quitando este hecho, debo recalcar que la pluma de Talese es bastante buena. Te deja enganchado en todo momento, sabe cómo contar, dónde contarlo y cuándo contarlo. No me aburrí ni por un segundo, al contrario, me sentía igualmente asqueada y fascinada por la historia de nuestro protagonista, quizá de la misma forma en que Talese se sintió cuando la carta llego a sus manos.
Ahora, este libro es un crimen tremendo. Entre más leía el diario del voyeur más se me retorcía la piel ante la imagen... Es una cosa que te crees que solo pasa en las películas pero bien dicen que la realidad siempre supera la ficción. Gerald Foos es la viva prueba de ello.
Anyways, yendo al libro.
Yo no tenía idea alguna que se trataba de un trabajo perdiodístico. Cuando me di cuenta creo que la repulsión me subió a un millón. Y como dije en mi reseña sobre Camus: no me gusta dar ratings en cosas de este tipo, las historias reales, matemáticas, filosóficas o lo que sea. Mientras sea real lo dejo sin rating porque yo no soy quien para calificar la vida y pensamientos de otras personas.
Quitando este hecho, debo recalcar que la pluma de Talese es bastante buena. Te deja enganchado en todo momento, sabe cómo contar, dónde contarlo y cuándo contarlo. No me aburrí ni por un segundo, al contrario, me sentía igualmente asqueada y fascinada por la historia de nuestro protagonista, quizá de la misma forma en que Talese se sintió cuando la carta llego a sus manos.
Ahora, este libro es un crimen tremendo. Entre más leía el diario del voyeur más se me retorcía la piel ante la imagen... Es una cosa que te crees que solo pasa en las películas pero bien dicen que la realidad siempre supera la ficción. Gerald Foos es la viva prueba de ello.
July 31, 2016
I think of this book as 2 creepers for the price of 1. I get it that a defining element of New Journalism is the author inserting him/herself into the story. And I am fascinated by the dark and the weird. However, what Gay Talese does -- and doesn't do -- here infuriates. These guys (Gay and his subject, Gerald) surely have little empathy for their catalog of unsuspecting victims, and as a reader I'd love for either one to have a little taste of that same medicine. There's a big difference between a journalist embedding with a swinging nudist colony presumably with full informed consent, and one who participates in a crime or has knowledge of a crime but does nothing about it. Ugh. Don't waste your time -- the sex is just so much work in the end. For a much more interesting true crime memoir, try Walter Kirn's "Blood Will Out" about the guy who impersonated a Rockefeller. Kirn is unrelenting in examining his own motives for becoming involved in his story. Talese could learn something from that enterprise, which I guess is perhaps the difference between a journalist's approach and a novelist's approach. The latter is just so much more gratifying. I wish I had abandoned this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2016
The Voyeur’s Motel consists of the confessions of a motel owner and voyeur by the name of Gerald Foos. His lifelong obsession began in childhood, spying on his aunt through the window of her bedroom. It was his purchase in the 1960s of the Manor Park Motel in Aurora, Colorado that provided Foos with the perfect opportunity to indulge in his passion. Having constructed a viewing area above some of the rooms, consisting of a carpeted crawl space and artificial vents in the ceiling, he embarked on three decades of voyeurism.
His observations, chronicled here in meticulous detail, entail heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, oral sex, threesomes, bathroom shenanigans, and much more besides. The book elicits a range of emotions, including humour, an example being when the author joins Foos in the viewing area and is nearly discovered because his tie is dangling through the vent of an occupied room. Readers will feel empathy for the despondent, disabled Vietnam Vets, visiting with their partners. There are scenes that some may find unpalatable, such as an incidence of incest and a serious crime.
Our voyeur considers himself to be no mere peeping Tom, but rather the chronicler of social change. This argument would be more convincing were it not for the inordinate amount of time he spends snooping on others’ most intimate moments, masturbating furiously all the while.
By the author’s own admission our prurient voyeur masturbator is an unreliable narrator, there being a number of inconsistencies in his records. In spite of these doubts over the veracity of Foos’s claims, The Voyeur’s Motel is in this reader’s opinion a curious and compelling work, boasting a perceptive protagonist and an effective journalistic approach.
His observations, chronicled here in meticulous detail, entail heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, oral sex, threesomes, bathroom shenanigans, and much more besides. The book elicits a range of emotions, including humour, an example being when the author joins Foos in the viewing area and is nearly discovered because his tie is dangling through the vent of an occupied room. Readers will feel empathy for the despondent, disabled Vietnam Vets, visiting with their partners. There are scenes that some may find unpalatable, such as an incidence of incest and a serious crime.
Our voyeur considers himself to be no mere peeping Tom, but rather the chronicler of social change. This argument would be more convincing were it not for the inordinate amount of time he spends snooping on others’ most intimate moments, masturbating furiously all the while.
By the author’s own admission our prurient voyeur masturbator is an unreliable narrator, there being a number of inconsistencies in his records. In spite of these doubts over the veracity of Foos’s claims, The Voyeur’s Motel is in this reader’s opinion a curious and compelling work, boasting a perceptive protagonist and an effective journalistic approach.
February 7, 2017
3'5 ⭐ Reconozco que me ha enganchado a pesar de no ser lo que esperaba, tal vez es que todos somos en el fondo voyeurs como opina Gerald Foos el dueño del motel. http://huellalibrosicc.blogspot.com.e...
August 5, 2018
Tengo sentimientos contradictorios con este libro. Lo vi en la biblioteca y me llamó la atención porque vi que trataba el caso real de un hombre que era propietario de un motel y que se dedicaba a espiar a sus clientes. Al parecer, generó cierta controversia en Estados Unidos ya que un periódico cuestionó la veracidad de la historia, pero sea cierta o no, creo que da que pensar.
El autor del libro es Gay Talese, un periodista con el que Gerald Foos, el voyeur, se puso en contacto a principios de 1980. Ahí le contó lo que se dedicaba a hacer en su motel y las razones por las que lo hacía. Durante los años posteriores, ambos estuvieron intercambiando correspondencia hasta que en 2013 Gerald autorizó a Gay a hacer público todo lo que le había contado. En todos esos años en los que estuvieron en contacto, Gay Talese solo visitó el motel una vez en 1980 y observó junto a Gerald a una pareja teniendo relaciones, por lo que comprobó que era verdad que Gerald espiaba a los huéspedes y cómo lo hacía.
En teoría, Gerald pasó años observando a la gente y vio de todo, pero el libro está especialmente centrado en los encuentros sexuales, que al fin y al cabo eran el verdadero interés de Gerald. Yo entiendo que eso era lo que le gustaba a él, pero no me creo que no tuviera muchas más anécdotas que contar. Él apuntaba lo que veía, así que me parece un desperdicio no profundizar más en observaciones de otro tipo. En ocasiones, como para desconectar un poco de tanto sexo, se cuentan otras cosas, pero son pocas. Incluso se habla de un asesinato, pero tengo mis dudas de que eso realmente sucediera. En la edición que yo he leído, al final hay una nota del autor que aclara algunas polémicas. En ella se dice que, a raíz del reportaje en la prensa que puso en duda todo, hay pequeñas modificaciones en el libro. Yo noté estos cambios porque a veces el propio Gay Talese cuestiona lo que Gerald dice y uno de los temas más llamativos es el del asesinato. Por lo que cuenta, personalmente creo que nunca tuvo lugar (al menos como Gerald lo describió).
Gerald suele justificarse diciendo que prácticamente todo el mundo tiene un lado de voyeur, pero parecía no entender que no es lo mismo pensar en algo que hacerlo. Él violaba la privacidad de muchos clientes y eso es injustificable aunque él insistiera en que su hobby también le servía para investigar comportamientos sexuales.
Como dije al principio, tengo sentimientos contradictorios con esta lectura. Cuando la acabé pensé que no me había aportado casi nada, pero luego me puse a comentarle el libro a otra persona y me di cuenta de que me hizo reflexionar más de lo que yo creía. Las observaciones de Gerald te muestran lo relativamente fácil que puede ser espiar a la gente sin su consentimiento y también te hacen ver que muchas personas se transforman cuando creen estar en la intimidad y no se parecen en nada a quienes son cuando están de cara al público. Todo el mundo esconde algo, unos sencillamente son más tímidos o más atrevidos, pero otros ocultan secretos que destrozarían a los que les rodean.
Solo tiene 225 páginas y algunas contienen fotografías de los principales implicados en la historia, que no son solo Gerald y Gay, la familia del voyeur también juega un papel importante, así que puede ser interesante si buscáis una lectura diferente. Si se le hubiera sacado más provecho a lo que Gerald vio, hubiera estado mejor. Además, tampoco hubiera estado mal que Gay Talese no se diera tanto protagonismo innecesario en algunas páginas.
Si pudiera, le daría un 2,5/5 , pero no le daré un 2/5 porque fue un libro que supo mantener mi interés y sutilmente logró que me planteara varias cosas.
El autor del libro es Gay Talese, un periodista con el que Gerald Foos, el voyeur, se puso en contacto a principios de 1980. Ahí le contó lo que se dedicaba a hacer en su motel y las razones por las que lo hacía. Durante los años posteriores, ambos estuvieron intercambiando correspondencia hasta que en 2013 Gerald autorizó a Gay a hacer público todo lo que le había contado. En todos esos años en los que estuvieron en contacto, Gay Talese solo visitó el motel una vez en 1980 y observó junto a Gerald a una pareja teniendo relaciones, por lo que comprobó que era verdad que Gerald espiaba a los huéspedes y cómo lo hacía.
En teoría, Gerald pasó años observando a la gente y vio de todo, pero el libro está especialmente centrado en los encuentros sexuales, que al fin y al cabo eran el verdadero interés de Gerald. Yo entiendo que eso era lo que le gustaba a él, pero no me creo que no tuviera muchas más anécdotas que contar. Él apuntaba lo que veía, así que me parece un desperdicio no profundizar más en observaciones de otro tipo. En ocasiones, como para desconectar un poco de tanto sexo, se cuentan otras cosas, pero son pocas. Incluso se habla de un asesinato, pero tengo mis dudas de que eso realmente sucediera. En la edición que yo he leído, al final hay una nota del autor que aclara algunas polémicas. En ella se dice que, a raíz del reportaje en la prensa que puso en duda todo, hay pequeñas modificaciones en el libro. Yo noté estos cambios porque a veces el propio Gay Talese cuestiona lo que Gerald dice y uno de los temas más llamativos es el del asesinato. Por lo que cuenta, personalmente creo que nunca tuvo lugar (al menos como Gerald lo describió).
Gerald suele justificarse diciendo que prácticamente todo el mundo tiene un lado de voyeur, pero parecía no entender que no es lo mismo pensar en algo que hacerlo. Él violaba la privacidad de muchos clientes y eso es injustificable aunque él insistiera en que su hobby también le servía para investigar comportamientos sexuales.
Como dije al principio, tengo sentimientos contradictorios con esta lectura. Cuando la acabé pensé que no me había aportado casi nada, pero luego me puse a comentarle el libro a otra persona y me di cuenta de que me hizo reflexionar más de lo que yo creía. Las observaciones de Gerald te muestran lo relativamente fácil que puede ser espiar a la gente sin su consentimiento y también te hacen ver que muchas personas se transforman cuando creen estar en la intimidad y no se parecen en nada a quienes son cuando están de cara al público. Todo el mundo esconde algo, unos sencillamente son más tímidos o más atrevidos, pero otros ocultan secretos que destrozarían a los que les rodean.
Solo tiene 225 páginas y algunas contienen fotografías de los principales implicados en la historia, que no son solo Gerald y Gay, la familia del voyeur también juega un papel importante, así que puede ser interesante si buscáis una lectura diferente. Si se le hubiera sacado más provecho a lo que Gerald vio, hubiera estado mejor. Además, tampoco hubiera estado mal que Gay Talese no se diera tanto protagonismo innecesario en algunas páginas.
Si pudiera, le daría un 2,5/5 , pero no le daré un 2/5 porque fue un libro que supo mantener mi interés y sutilmente logró que me planteara varias cosas.
August 26, 2017
american history seX. prendi una strada della provincia americana, un motel, un proprietario voyeur.
hitchcock ci ha costruito sopra uno dei film più memorabili di sempre, basandosi su un romanzo a sua volta ispirato a un serial killer reale. nel libro di gay talese, invece, di norman bates non ce ne sono. ed essendo anche questo tratto da fatti realmente accaduti, la comunità e le forze dell'ordine sentitamente ringraziano. la qui presente lettrice invece sprofonda in un tedio di dimensioni epocali.
e questo sarebbe un esempio di new journalism? uno spaccato di usi e (s)costumi sessuali dell'america tra gli anni '60 e '90? tocca rivalutare il giornalismo vecchia scuola, allora (e la posizione del missionario, forse pure).
già un paio d'anni fa avevo preso una sòla in campionato affine, abbagliata dalla firma di geoff dyer, facendomi rifilare un'insipiente raccolta di frattaglie dietro l'ingannevole titolo il sesso nelle camere d'albergo. il tema credo mantenga un suo interesse, ma a questo punto guarderò al limite come lo ha affrontato tangenzialmente, a suo tempo, colette. intanto per questo giro il fondo è stato toccato. il libro di talese e gli estratti del diario della sua fonte gerald foos - un uomo che guarda senza però che ci sia dietro moravia, e lo dice una sua non estimatrice - sono deprimenti come un frigobar con la schweppes tiepida e senza le noccioline. e inutili sotto tutte le prospettive meno una: avermi confermato che faccio benissimo a togliere il copriletto appena entro in una camera d'hotel. e in punta di dita, pure. bleah.
hitchcock ci ha costruito sopra uno dei film più memorabili di sempre, basandosi su un romanzo a sua volta ispirato a un serial killer reale. nel libro di gay talese, invece, di norman bates non ce ne sono. ed essendo anche questo tratto da fatti realmente accaduti, la comunità e le forze dell'ordine sentitamente ringraziano. la qui presente lettrice invece sprofonda in un tedio di dimensioni epocali.
e questo sarebbe un esempio di new journalism? uno spaccato di usi e (s)costumi sessuali dell'america tra gli anni '60 e '90? tocca rivalutare il giornalismo vecchia scuola, allora (e la posizione del missionario, forse pure).
già un paio d'anni fa avevo preso una sòla in campionato affine, abbagliata dalla firma di geoff dyer, facendomi rifilare un'insipiente raccolta di frattaglie dietro l'ingannevole titolo il sesso nelle camere d'albergo. il tema credo mantenga un suo interesse, ma a questo punto guarderò al limite come lo ha affrontato tangenzialmente, a suo tempo, colette. intanto per questo giro il fondo è stato toccato. il libro di talese e gli estratti del diario della sua fonte gerald foos - un uomo che guarda senza però che ci sia dietro moravia, e lo dice una sua non estimatrice - sono deprimenti come un frigobar con la schweppes tiepida e senza le noccioline. e inutili sotto tutte le prospettive meno una: avermi confermato che faccio benissimo a togliere il copriletto appena entro in una camera d'hotel. e in punta di dita, pure. bleah.
January 10, 2022
Un relato espeluznante y perturbador, pero también una sórdida historia de sexo, costumbres y locura épica.
February 28, 2017
After 50 pages, I wanted to have a shower and throw this book in the trash where it belongs. This is a "true life" account of a hotel owner who spied on his guests for years and of the author who joined him in his voyeurism in the name of "journalism."
The question here is not how the motel owner got away with it, or even why he did it, but rather why Talese thinks we want to read about it. There is nothing compelling here - it is just repugnant and repulsive. The fact that no guest names are revealed is not ample protection of their privacy.
There are all manner of sexual exploration, and there is nothing wrong with any of it, so long as everyone is of age and is consenting. There is no consent here. Every bit of it feels wrong.
The truly curious part is that I don't really believe a word of it. Talese does not earn the audience's trust or good will. It all feels fake. I only hope it is.
The question here is not how the motel owner got away with it, or even why he did it, but rather why Talese thinks we want to read about it. There is nothing compelling here - it is just repugnant and repulsive. The fact that no guest names are revealed is not ample protection of their privacy.
There are all manner of sexual exploration, and there is nothing wrong with any of it, so long as everyone is of age and is consenting. There is no consent here. Every bit of it feels wrong.
The truly curious part is that I don't really believe a word of it. Talese does not earn the audience's trust or good will. It all feels fake. I only hope it is.
August 5, 2016
This book would have been much more interesting in someone else's hands that would have pushed the creep at the book's center more in his hypocrisy and inconsistencies and looked at the wider scope of the subject as well as found the victims of the voyeurism.
August 1, 2016
3.5 stars for this book.
This book isn't as explosive as one would think. Yes, an owner of a hotel rigged some rooms and spied on his visitors in various sexual positions and in various sexual arrangements.
Nothing shocking was described in the pages of the journal that Gerald Foos would send to Gay Talese over the years. Yes it was an invasion of privacy, but at the same time it was harmless. The guy was curious, and he took it a bit too far.
Is he mentally ill? I don't think so. As he got older, and sold the motel; this activity stopped.
In the book Gerald does narrate how it all began and how it all ended.
And yes, Talese does say there are inconsistencies in the narrative, the dates and some events. Some would say that he should have checked and recheck everything written in the journal... But Talese wanted to present the material as is with all its promises and shortcomings.
It's a good, quick read. Maybe not Talese's best, but very readable.
This book isn't as explosive as one would think. Yes, an owner of a hotel rigged some rooms and spied on his visitors in various sexual positions and in various sexual arrangements.
Nothing shocking was described in the pages of the journal that Gerald Foos would send to Gay Talese over the years. Yes it was an invasion of privacy, but at the same time it was harmless. The guy was curious, and he took it a bit too far.
Is he mentally ill? I don't think so. As he got older, and sold the motel; this activity stopped.
In the book Gerald does narrate how it all began and how it all ended.
And yes, Talese does say there are inconsistencies in the narrative, the dates and some events. Some would say that he should have checked and recheck everything written in the journal... But Talese wanted to present the material as is with all its promises and shortcomings.
It's a good, quick read. Maybe not Talese's best, but very readable.
April 11, 2016
Posturing as nonfiction, here's really baaad fiction by a basse-bourgeois writer who should forget Sex and stick to writing about bridges. Talese's fantasies are not interesting because he is not interesting.
June 26, 2025
«Un hombre nunca se cansa de ver la naturaleza humana»
Este libro me sorprendió para bien.
Está basado en hechos reales y es interesante tanto del lado periodístico como desde el punto de vista psicológico. Nos acercamos directamente a fragmentos del diario del voyeur, donde narra los detalles de sus observaciones, las cuales son de todo tipo y calibre, y tal como suceden en la intimidad de una habitación de motel.
Obviamente es un libro polémico y un tanto morboso. Sin embargo, el escritor logra tratar un tema tan delicado de una forma respetuosa y accesible.
Por otro lado, si prejuzgamos al voyeur, podríamos tacharlo de pervertido e inadaptado, pero siempre es mejor ver el trasfondo de la historia y tratar de entender mentes tan peculiares como la suya. Hacia el final, nos encontramos con una reflexión muy interesante de este sujeto, relacionado con la idea del Gran Hermano.
No es un libro para todos, pero creo que a quien le interese aunque sea un poco lo relacionado a estos temas, lo puede sorprender gratamente. Tiene reflexiones muy ricas.
Este libro me sorprendió para bien.
Está basado en hechos reales y es interesante tanto del lado periodístico como desde el punto de vista psicológico. Nos acercamos directamente a fragmentos del diario del voyeur, donde narra los detalles de sus observaciones, las cuales son de todo tipo y calibre, y tal como suceden en la intimidad de una habitación de motel.
Obviamente es un libro polémico y un tanto morboso. Sin embargo, el escritor logra tratar un tema tan delicado de una forma respetuosa y accesible.
Por otro lado, si prejuzgamos al voyeur, podríamos tacharlo de pervertido e inadaptado, pero siempre es mejor ver el trasfondo de la historia y tratar de entender mentes tan peculiares como la suya. Hacia el final, nos encontramos con una reflexión muy interesante de este sujeto, relacionado con la idea del Gran Hermano.
No es un libro para todos, pero creo que a quien le interese aunque sea un poco lo relacionado a estos temas, lo puede sorprender gratamente. Tiene reflexiones muy ricas.
December 1, 2017
Built around the nonfiction tale of a Colorado motel owner that built observation portals into some of his establishment's rooms, this guy watches how people's private and public images are so very different. He sees everything from a brother and a sister having sex and a priest beating off to a porno mag to a murder. Some of the events seem fanciful due to timing and evidence checked after the fact; however, the truthfulness of the proprietor never really comes into question. Most amazing of all; to this date the man has not been prosecuted and he was able to include two wives in his enterprises. An eye-opening read.
June 8, 2020
This is a bizarre little book. Talese is known for his vignettes of people from sports stars to gangsters. He's also been intrigued by the sexual habits of Americans (Thy Neighbors Wife raised more than a few eyebrows as he inserted himself into the story to write his book.) This book came out long after TNW but only because he was waiting for permission from the ostensible author to reveal himself.
Talese had received a hand-written letter from a man who claimed to have purchase a 21-room motel so he could watch what went on in those rooms. He cut holes in the ceiling which were covered with screening to appear to be part of the ventilation system. He carpeted the floor of the attic with thick carpet so he could move about silently. And then he kept detailed journals of the sexual habits of those who stayed in his rooms.
Put off at first, Talese rationalized his interest in pursuing the story, with his observation that journalists are really just voyeurs of the human condition, and he had kept detailed journals himself of people's activities while writing Thy Neighbors Wife among others.
Most of the time, Foos (the owner of the motel) realized how bored people were, and he developed a very negative view of people in general.
“People are basically dishonest and unclean; they cheat and lie and are motivated by self-interest,” he commented, continuing, “They are part of a fantasy world of exaggerators, game players, tricksters, intriguers, thieves, and people in private who are never what they portray themselves as being in public.” The more time he spent in the attic, he insisted, the more disillusioned and misanthropic he became. As a result of his observations, he claimed to have become extremely antisocial, and when he was not in the attic he tried to avoid seeing his guests in the parking area or anywhere around the motel, and in the office he kept his conversations with them to a minimum. . . 'Conclusion: My observations indicate that the majority of vacationers spend their time in misery. They fight about money; where to visit; where to eat; where to stay; all their aggressions somehow are immeasurably increased, and this is the time they discover they are not properly matched. Women especially have a difficult time adjusting to both the new surroundings and their husbands. Vacations produce all the anxieties within mankind to come forward during this time, and to perpetuate the worst of emotions.' "
After it was published, the Washington Post wrote a story attacking the premise, arguing that several details could not be corroborated or were incorrect. Talese had noted in the book of the unreliability of the Voyeur, but given the concurrence in personal interviews of Foos's two wives and photographs obtained by Talese, I have to conclude the majority of it holds up.
Perhaps ironically, we are now under almost constant surveillance from innumerable cameras that someone is watching. The government and big business have become the Everest of voyeurism. And who's to say how all that material is used?
It's a short book, guaranteed to appeal to the voyeur in all of us.
Talese had received a hand-written letter from a man who claimed to have purchase a 21-room motel so he could watch what went on in those rooms. He cut holes in the ceiling which were covered with screening to appear to be part of the ventilation system. He carpeted the floor of the attic with thick carpet so he could move about silently. And then he kept detailed journals of the sexual habits of those who stayed in his rooms.
Put off at first, Talese rationalized his interest in pursuing the story, with his observation that journalists are really just voyeurs of the human condition, and he had kept detailed journals himself of people's activities while writing Thy Neighbors Wife among others.
Most of the time, Foos (the owner of the motel) realized how bored people were, and he developed a very negative view of people in general.
“People are basically dishonest and unclean; they cheat and lie and are motivated by self-interest,” he commented, continuing, “They are part of a fantasy world of exaggerators, game players, tricksters, intriguers, thieves, and people in private who are never what they portray themselves as being in public.” The more time he spent in the attic, he insisted, the more disillusioned and misanthropic he became. As a result of his observations, he claimed to have become extremely antisocial, and when he was not in the attic he tried to avoid seeing his guests in the parking area or anywhere around the motel, and in the office he kept his conversations with them to a minimum. . . 'Conclusion: My observations indicate that the majority of vacationers spend their time in misery. They fight about money; where to visit; where to eat; where to stay; all their aggressions somehow are immeasurably increased, and this is the time they discover they are not properly matched. Women especially have a difficult time adjusting to both the new surroundings and their husbands. Vacations produce all the anxieties within mankind to come forward during this time, and to perpetuate the worst of emotions.' "
After it was published, the Washington Post wrote a story attacking the premise, arguing that several details could not be corroborated or were incorrect. Talese had noted in the book of the unreliability of the Voyeur, but given the concurrence in personal interviews of Foos's two wives and photographs obtained by Talese, I have to conclude the majority of it holds up.
Perhaps ironically, we are now under almost constant surveillance from innumerable cameras that someone is watching. The government and big business have become the Everest of voyeurism. And who's to say how all that material is used?
It's a short book, guaranteed to appeal to the voyeur in all of us.
February 22, 2018
Hay que tener algo de voyeur para leer este libro porque de lo contrario va a ser una experiencia desagradable.
El motel del voyeur comienza con Gay Talese contando cómo llegó a conocer esta historia: una carta recibida en los años 80 en la que un hombre le cuenta que es un voyeur y tiene un motel adaptado para espiar a sus huéspedes, un viaje al lugar para conocer el laboratorio de observación del voyeur y más de 20 años de cartas del voyeur con anotaciones respecto a sus observaciones.
El libro tiene un estilo original, porque Gay Talese expone un tema en particular observado por el voyeur (rutina, discapacidad, malos hábitos, aberraciones, homosexualismo, incesto, infidelidad, asesinato, relaciones interraciales, etc.), lo comenta y luego incluye fragmentos específicos de las anotaciones del voyeur que se refieren a comportamientos de individuos que visitaron el motel e ilustran el tema.
Algunas de las cosas que me parecieron curiosas sobre este libro:
* Un voyeur no solo observa las escenas sexuales entre los individuos, sino que es testigo de su cotidianidad y cuando documenta todo como lo hizo este, termina construyendo un “estudio sociológico” informal sobre la evolución de los comportamientos de las personas a lo largo de los años.
* La esposa del voyeur conocía su comportamiento, lo apoyó y lo ayudó a construir y a obtener los mejores resultados de su plataforma de observación.
* Si fuéramos voyeurs probablemente seríamos menos infelices, porque veríamos que la gente en general es aburrida, que la vida es bastante rutinaria y sentiríamos que la nuestra es maravillosa.
* En la parte final del libro, Gay Talese menciona las críticas que el voyeur hace del Gobierno, al que califica como el mayor voyeur por espiar la vida de todas las personas con autorización.
Creo que no es una obra imprescindible, pero no me arrepiento de haberla leído: mi curiosidad me lo agradeció.
Más en: https://vistoleidohecho.com/
El motel del voyeur comienza con Gay Talese contando cómo llegó a conocer esta historia: una carta recibida en los años 80 en la que un hombre le cuenta que es un voyeur y tiene un motel adaptado para espiar a sus huéspedes, un viaje al lugar para conocer el laboratorio de observación del voyeur y más de 20 años de cartas del voyeur con anotaciones respecto a sus observaciones.
El libro tiene un estilo original, porque Gay Talese expone un tema en particular observado por el voyeur (rutina, discapacidad, malos hábitos, aberraciones, homosexualismo, incesto, infidelidad, asesinato, relaciones interraciales, etc.), lo comenta y luego incluye fragmentos específicos de las anotaciones del voyeur que se refieren a comportamientos de individuos que visitaron el motel e ilustran el tema.
Algunas de las cosas que me parecieron curiosas sobre este libro:
* Un voyeur no solo observa las escenas sexuales entre los individuos, sino que es testigo de su cotidianidad y cuando documenta todo como lo hizo este, termina construyendo un “estudio sociológico” informal sobre la evolución de los comportamientos de las personas a lo largo de los años.
* La esposa del voyeur conocía su comportamiento, lo apoyó y lo ayudó a construir y a obtener los mejores resultados de su plataforma de observación.
* Si fuéramos voyeurs probablemente seríamos menos infelices, porque veríamos que la gente en general es aburrida, que la vida es bastante rutinaria y sentiríamos que la nuestra es maravillosa.
* En la parte final del libro, Gay Talese menciona las críticas que el voyeur hace del Gobierno, al que califica como el mayor voyeur por espiar la vida de todas las personas con autorización.
Creo que no es una obra imprescindible, pero no me arrepiento de haberla leído: mi curiosidad me lo agradeció.
Más en: https://vistoleidohecho.com/
July 31, 2016
This just fed my persistently nosy mentality. Part of me is horrified by this -- horrified that I slurped this book up in less than 3 hours of reading, horrified that this went on and he never got caught, horrified for all those people who never had any idea that someone was violating one of their fundamental human rights.
But it's like a bad car accident, or a crime scene -- you just can't look away. I have a hard time believing that Talese would publish this book if he didn't feel confident about 99% of what this guy was saying. His credibility and all previous works would be just like Lehrer's fall from grace. Too risky. He's been in the game too long to do something stupid. That said, I don't know if I believe everything Foos transcribed in his journal.
But yo -- what an egotistical, misogynistic asshole he is. And his wives are just as culpable for facilitating his hobby.
But it's like a bad car accident, or a crime scene -- you just can't look away. I have a hard time believing that Talese would publish this book if he didn't feel confident about 99% of what this guy was saying. His credibility and all previous works would be just like Lehrer's fall from grace. Too risky. He's been in the game too long to do something stupid. That said, I don't know if I believe everything Foos transcribed in his journal.
But yo -- what an egotistical, misogynistic asshole he is. And his wives are just as culpable for facilitating his hobby.
August 3, 2017
Si la idea era contar la experiencia de un voyeur como pionero de la investigación sexual (como Gerald Foos quería ser recordado), el autor ha fallado.
Si quería contar la historia de un mirón, con relatos de poca profundidad, desordenados y aburridos. Lo logró.
Suerte que no supe antes toda la controversia que causó la publicación de este libro, o sino hubiera tenido las expectativas muy altas.
Si quería contar la historia de un mirón, con relatos de poca profundidad, desordenados y aburridos. Lo logró.
Suerte que no supe antes toda la controversia que causó la publicación de este libro, o sino hubiera tenido las expectativas muy altas.
September 30, 2016
Asinine. This was like reading some lonely dude's letters to a milder version of Penthouse magazine. I do not doubt that this motel owner spied on hundreds of people over the years, but I doubt the truthfulness of what he witnessed, and I absolutely question his "objective" opinion on what he saw. Terrible journalism on the part of Telese as well.
February 16, 2017
Suppongo che mister Gay Talese si sia pentito di aver scritto questo libro, che tra accuse di mancanza di etica (abbastanza fondate, direi) e di carenza di attendibilità (pare infatti che Gerald Foos, il soggetto ossessionato dalla volontà di ficcare il naso negli affari altrui di cui il giornalista americano ci narra, abbia mentito su parecchi fatti) non gli ha certo fruttato né consensi, né soddisfazioni.
Se a questo aggiungiamo che la vita di questo indefesso voyeur non viene presentata al lettore in modo particolarmente brillante (per intenderci, siamo ben distanti da narrazioni quali “L’avversario”, di Carrère, oppure “A sangue freddo”, di Capote), direi che avrebbe fatto meglio a lasciar perdere.
Se a questo aggiungiamo che la vita di questo indefesso voyeur non viene presentata al lettore in modo particolarmente brillante (per intenderci, siamo ben distanti da narrazioni quali “L’avversario”, di Carrère, oppure “A sangue freddo”, di Capote), direi che avrebbe fatto meglio a lasciar perdere.
July 17, 2016
This book is disturbing on so many levels, but as in coming upon a horrific accident or inadvertently catching a member of the opposite sex in the nude, your first reaction is to turn away, but your gaze is riveted for a fleeting second and you take it all in. Such is the case with The Voyeur's Motel by Gay Talese who is one of the writers, such as Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe, who was part of the new journalism of the 1960s. It seems that at 84 he's still pushing the boundaries of journalism. You probably will be bothered by what he does in this book—and by what he doesn't do, but it's hard to look away.
It's a quick read and I predict this will be the summer's big beach book.
It's a quick read and I predict this will be the summer's big beach book.
September 19, 2016
I was very much looking forward to reading this one. It is a terribly creepy idea that a man, and sometimes other people, were observing guests without their knowing. I wanted to know more. However, what I got instead was a terrible story of things that may, or more likely, never happened. There were frequent inconsistencies in the story, both with dates and people and their behaviors. Nearly half the book consisted of excepts from this "journal" which read like Penthouse letters. I am not really sure how to express my severe disappointment with this book more clearly. Definitely not recommended.
abandoned
February 15, 2018Bought this book a while back, and watched the Netflix documentary about a month ago, so thought I should finally pick this up. I got through a few chapters, and finished reading the section where Talese visits Foos' motel and goes up into the attic to observe his customers having sex. After lying awake for a few minutes, disgusted with a journalist who believed he would never be able to tell Foos' story and yet DIDN'T report him to the police in any way, I finally fell asleep in order to have weird, unsettling dreams that I'll attribute directly to this book. This book, and this author, is not for me.
March 15, 2021
How on earth did someone ever pay this guy to write this?
January 12, 2018
La polémica persigue a “El Motel del Voyeur” desde que Gay Talase hiciera pública la temática de su último libro. Y no es para menos… En esta ocasión, el escritor utiliza sus técnicas de periodismo literario para poner al descubierto las prácticas voyeurísticas de Gerald Foos a lo largo de varias décadas a finales del siglo pasado. Lo particular es que Foos no es uno de esos voyeurs que espían con binoculares desde la atalaya urbana de su ventana oscura, ni mucho menos. Este hombre construyó una fortaleza voyeur a su gusto y medida: un motel, el Manor House, en el que podía espiar a sus huéspedes a través de rejillas de ventilación que le permitían observar sin ser observado.
La polémica viene propulsada por el hecho de que lo expuesto en “El Motel del Voyeur” no solo es reprobable a un nivel puramente moral, sino que incluso debería ser penado de forma directamente legal. No solo eso: Foos llegó a ser (presunto) testigo de un asesinato que no reportó de ninguna forma por miedo a que se descubriera la infraestructura que había montado para satisfacer sus bajas pasiones, lo que embarulla más todavía la compleja madeja legal del asunto… E incluso salpica al mismo Talase, quien habría incurrido en un delito de complicidad al mantener silencio durante todos estos años pese a tener la información en su poder.
Pero seamos sinceros con nosotros mismos: más allá del posible barullo legal, “El Motel del Voyeur” ha levantado la polémica que ha levantado simple y llanamente porque, tal y como afirma reiteradamente Foos en las notas recogidas durante años que Talase reproduce de forma parcial (es de suponer que las notas íntegras son poderosamente aburridas), todos somos voyeurs. Todos tenemos esa semillita dentro. Y, por lo tanto, nos encontramos ante un espejo más que ante un libro.
Sea como sea, hay que quitarse el sombrero de nuevo ante las refinadas artes de un Gay Talase que, pese a lo fangoso del asunto, consigue salir totalmente limpio e inmaculado de esta refriega. Su punto de vista siempre es distante y quirúrgico, ascético y minimalista, pulcro y casi esterilizado. Queda claro que tiene una opinión al respecto: ambos han mantenido una relación epistolar desde los años 80 en la que Foos le ha ido enviando un material muy inflamable a rebosar de notas y reflexiones. Es inevitable, entonces, que a Talase a veces se le escape el juicio de valor: “Foos existía de manera clandestina, y lo consiguió durante muchos años, un éxito que él considera digno de mención; y al mismo tiempo había creado un laboratorio único para el estudio del comportamiento humano secreto, por lo cual creía que se le debía atribuir algún mérito. Tal como él lo veía, no era un simple mirón morboso, sino más bien un investigador pionero cuyos esfuerzos podían equipararse a los de los renombrados sexólogos del Instituto Kinsey o del Instituto Masters & Johnson. Gran parte de la investigación y los datos de esos institutos se obtuvieron mientras se observaba a participantes voluntarios, mientras que los sujetos de Foos jamás supieron que estaban siendo observados, por lo que consideraba sus descubrimientos más representativos de un realismo inconsciente y sin adulterar“.
En otras ocasiones, se le intuye un poso de pena puramente empática hacia la ardua labor del voyeur: “Un voyeur está motivado por la expectativa; en silencio invierte infinitas horas con la esperanza de ver lo que espera ver. Y sin embargo, por cada episodio erótico que presencia, también tiene acceso a multitud de momentos mundanos y a veces de lo más aburridos que representan la rutina diaria humana de lo vulgar: gente defecando, haciendo zapping, roncando, afeitándose delante del espejo y haciendo otras cosas demasiado tediosos y reales para los reality shows de la actualidad. Nadie cobra menos por hora que un voyeur“.
Pese a todo, la situación de ambos a lo largo de las décadas vive un verdadero enroque: el voyeur no quiere que se publique su nombre porque podría acarrearle problemas legales, mientras que la condición sine qua non del escritor para publicar el material es básicamente hacerlo con pelos y señales, pero también con nombres propios. Esta es una de las reglas básicas de la literatura de Talase, y en este caso se mantiene inquebrantable hasta que Foos, en su vejez, con Manor House ya lejos de su poder e incluso demolido, da luz verde al uso de su nombre y su apellido… Aquí está, sin embargo, uno de los grandes problemas aunque también uno de los pasajes más fascinantes de “El Motel del Voyeur“.
Se le han criticado a Talase varios puntos de su nuevo libro, desde lo innecesario de su existencia (¿por qué publicarlo aquí y ahora cuando ya no aporta nada más que el morbo de su temática?) hasta su falta de intención a la hora de profundizar en el retrato mental de Gerald Foos. Al final de todo, cuando el voyeur da su brazo a torcer y permite la publicación del libro, Talase se sienta con él para realizar una pequeña entrevista que cualquier lector con dos dedos de frente hubiera deseado que se extendiera de forma mucho más profunda. Quedan muchas incógnitas por resolver, entre ellas la fiabilidad y verosimilitud de lo explicado por el voyeur y cuál es su intención real.
El retrato de Foos le resultará excesivamente esquemático a algunos. Pero debería tenerse en cuenta aquí que, al llegar a la recta final del libro y jugar al contraste entre Gerald y el Voyeur (el mismo Foos escribe sus notas en un continuo desdoblamiento de personalidad, como si el propietario del hotel y el voyeur fueran dos personas diferentes), Talase se aventura una reflexión realmente elocuente a partir de ciertas declaraciones de su retratado: “Gerald vuelve a su coche, y en el camino de vuelta a casa piensa en todos los cambios que él y el Voyeur han vivido desde que abrió el motel Manor House, hace más de treinta años. Ahora las vidas privadas de los personajes públicos se exponen casi a diario en los medios de comunicación, e incluso el director de la CIA, el general David Patraeus, es incapaz de mantener su vida sexual secreta fuera de los titulares. Los medios de comunicación son los mirones de la actualidad, y el mayor mirón de todos es el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, que controla nuestras vidas cotidianas a través del uso de cámaras de seguridad, internet, nuestras tarjetas de crédito, nuestras cuentas bancarias, nuestros teléfonos móviles, nuestros iPhones, la información del GPS, nuestros billetes de avión, las escuchas telefónicas y todo lo demás“.
¿Podría haber forzado Talase la digresión hacia la disolución del espacio privado y el sinsentido del término “voyeur” en esta era en la que el control sobre la población va parejo al exhibicionismo de la intimidad a través de los medios de comunicación y las redes sociales? Sí, claro que podría haberlo hecho. Pero no confundamos lo que nosotros queremos como lectores aficionados al amarillismo con el verdadero oficio del autor: Talase se dedica a dejar al descubierto en una herida… pero nunca se permite la licencia de meter el dedo en ella y escarbar para que salga la pus, para que corra la sangre. Al que le corresponde la actitud carroñera es, sin lugar a dudas, al lector. Que sea él quien opte por un papel activo en “El Motel del Voyeur” e introduzca el dedo en la herida (si es valiente).
La polémica viene propulsada por el hecho de que lo expuesto en “El Motel del Voyeur” no solo es reprobable a un nivel puramente moral, sino que incluso debería ser penado de forma directamente legal. No solo eso: Foos llegó a ser (presunto) testigo de un asesinato que no reportó de ninguna forma por miedo a que se descubriera la infraestructura que había montado para satisfacer sus bajas pasiones, lo que embarulla más todavía la compleja madeja legal del asunto… E incluso salpica al mismo Talase, quien habría incurrido en un delito de complicidad al mantener silencio durante todos estos años pese a tener la información en su poder.
Pero seamos sinceros con nosotros mismos: más allá del posible barullo legal, “El Motel del Voyeur” ha levantado la polémica que ha levantado simple y llanamente porque, tal y como afirma reiteradamente Foos en las notas recogidas durante años que Talase reproduce de forma parcial (es de suponer que las notas íntegras son poderosamente aburridas), todos somos voyeurs. Todos tenemos esa semillita dentro. Y, por lo tanto, nos encontramos ante un espejo más que ante un libro.
Sea como sea, hay que quitarse el sombrero de nuevo ante las refinadas artes de un Gay Talase que, pese a lo fangoso del asunto, consigue salir totalmente limpio e inmaculado de esta refriega. Su punto de vista siempre es distante y quirúrgico, ascético y minimalista, pulcro y casi esterilizado. Queda claro que tiene una opinión al respecto: ambos han mantenido una relación epistolar desde los años 80 en la que Foos le ha ido enviando un material muy inflamable a rebosar de notas y reflexiones. Es inevitable, entonces, que a Talase a veces se le escape el juicio de valor: “Foos existía de manera clandestina, y lo consiguió durante muchos años, un éxito que él considera digno de mención; y al mismo tiempo había creado un laboratorio único para el estudio del comportamiento humano secreto, por lo cual creía que se le debía atribuir algún mérito. Tal como él lo veía, no era un simple mirón morboso, sino más bien un investigador pionero cuyos esfuerzos podían equipararse a los de los renombrados sexólogos del Instituto Kinsey o del Instituto Masters & Johnson. Gran parte de la investigación y los datos de esos institutos se obtuvieron mientras se observaba a participantes voluntarios, mientras que los sujetos de Foos jamás supieron que estaban siendo observados, por lo que consideraba sus descubrimientos más representativos de un realismo inconsciente y sin adulterar“.
En otras ocasiones, se le intuye un poso de pena puramente empática hacia la ardua labor del voyeur: “Un voyeur está motivado por la expectativa; en silencio invierte infinitas horas con la esperanza de ver lo que espera ver. Y sin embargo, por cada episodio erótico que presencia, también tiene acceso a multitud de momentos mundanos y a veces de lo más aburridos que representan la rutina diaria humana de lo vulgar: gente defecando, haciendo zapping, roncando, afeitándose delante del espejo y haciendo otras cosas demasiado tediosos y reales para los reality shows de la actualidad. Nadie cobra menos por hora que un voyeur“.
Pese a todo, la situación de ambos a lo largo de las décadas vive un verdadero enroque: el voyeur no quiere que se publique su nombre porque podría acarrearle problemas legales, mientras que la condición sine qua non del escritor para publicar el material es básicamente hacerlo con pelos y señales, pero también con nombres propios. Esta es una de las reglas básicas de la literatura de Talase, y en este caso se mantiene inquebrantable hasta que Foos, en su vejez, con Manor House ya lejos de su poder e incluso demolido, da luz verde al uso de su nombre y su apellido… Aquí está, sin embargo, uno de los grandes problemas aunque también uno de los pasajes más fascinantes de “El Motel del Voyeur“.
Se le han criticado a Talase varios puntos de su nuevo libro, desde lo innecesario de su existencia (¿por qué publicarlo aquí y ahora cuando ya no aporta nada más que el morbo de su temática?) hasta su falta de intención a la hora de profundizar en el retrato mental de Gerald Foos. Al final de todo, cuando el voyeur da su brazo a torcer y permite la publicación del libro, Talase se sienta con él para realizar una pequeña entrevista que cualquier lector con dos dedos de frente hubiera deseado que se extendiera de forma mucho más profunda. Quedan muchas incógnitas por resolver, entre ellas la fiabilidad y verosimilitud de lo explicado por el voyeur y cuál es su intención real.
El retrato de Foos le resultará excesivamente esquemático a algunos. Pero debería tenerse en cuenta aquí que, al llegar a la recta final del libro y jugar al contraste entre Gerald y el Voyeur (el mismo Foos escribe sus notas en un continuo desdoblamiento de personalidad, como si el propietario del hotel y el voyeur fueran dos personas diferentes), Talase se aventura una reflexión realmente elocuente a partir de ciertas declaraciones de su retratado: “Gerald vuelve a su coche, y en el camino de vuelta a casa piensa en todos los cambios que él y el Voyeur han vivido desde que abrió el motel Manor House, hace más de treinta años. Ahora las vidas privadas de los personajes públicos se exponen casi a diario en los medios de comunicación, e incluso el director de la CIA, el general David Patraeus, es incapaz de mantener su vida sexual secreta fuera de los titulares. Los medios de comunicación son los mirones de la actualidad, y el mayor mirón de todos es el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, que controla nuestras vidas cotidianas a través del uso de cámaras de seguridad, internet, nuestras tarjetas de crédito, nuestras cuentas bancarias, nuestros teléfonos móviles, nuestros iPhones, la información del GPS, nuestros billetes de avión, las escuchas telefónicas y todo lo demás“.
¿Podría haber forzado Talase la digresión hacia la disolución del espacio privado y el sinsentido del término “voyeur” en esta era en la que el control sobre la población va parejo al exhibicionismo de la intimidad a través de los medios de comunicación y las redes sociales? Sí, claro que podría haberlo hecho. Pero no confundamos lo que nosotros queremos como lectores aficionados al amarillismo con el verdadero oficio del autor: Talase se dedica a dejar al descubierto en una herida… pero nunca se permite la licencia de meter el dedo en ella y escarbar para que salga la pus, para que corra la sangre. Al que le corresponde la actitud carroñera es, sin lugar a dudas, al lector. Que sea él quien opte por un papel activo en “El Motel del Voyeur” e introduzca el dedo en la herida (si es valiente).
November 6, 2023
Un libro curioso y diferente.
Gay Talese, el 7 de enero de 1980, recibió una carta de un tal Gerald Foos, dueño de un motel en Aurora, Denver. En ella le decía que, sabedor del estudio que sobre el comportamiento sexual a lo largo y ancho del país el escritor pensaba incluir en su próximo libro "La mujer de tu prójimo", le gustaría compartir con él información y conocimientos sobre el asunto que cree podría ser de su interés.
Así fue como el autor norteamericano entró en contacto con ese hombre cuya principal actividad, aparte de la profesional dedicada al mundo de la hostelería, era la de observar a sus huéspedes, sin ellos saberlo, en las habitaciones de su motel.
Talese le dijo a Foos que nunca publicaría nada anónimo y sólo 30 años después de haberse conocido y con Foos ya jubilado, el voyeur permitió la publicación de este estudio de sus memorias.
El análisis de Talese no se limita a lo mórbido del asunto. El escritor se interesa por la actitud de Foos hacia sus actos. Foos se cree el más docto y santo de los mirones y se permite juzgar sus actos sexuales. Se veía así mismo como un investigador sexual serio, dotado de un laboratorio más real y confiable que aquellos utilizados por otros científicos de la sexualidad que requieren el consentimiento de los sujetos estudiados.
Su obsesión por anotar los actos de sus huespedes le llevo a crear un complejo sistema desde donde observaba y que mantuvo durante 30 años hasta su jubilación, cuando vendió el hotel.
Un libro que me ha despertado la curiosidad por leer más los artículos de investigación de Talese.
Gay Talese, el 7 de enero de 1980, recibió una carta de un tal Gerald Foos, dueño de un motel en Aurora, Denver. En ella le decía que, sabedor del estudio que sobre el comportamiento sexual a lo largo y ancho del país el escritor pensaba incluir en su próximo libro "La mujer de tu prójimo", le gustaría compartir con él información y conocimientos sobre el asunto que cree podría ser de su interés.
Así fue como el autor norteamericano entró en contacto con ese hombre cuya principal actividad, aparte de la profesional dedicada al mundo de la hostelería, era la de observar a sus huéspedes, sin ellos saberlo, en las habitaciones de su motel.
Talese le dijo a Foos que nunca publicaría nada anónimo y sólo 30 años después de haberse conocido y con Foos ya jubilado, el voyeur permitió la publicación de este estudio de sus memorias.
El análisis de Talese no se limita a lo mórbido del asunto. El escritor se interesa por la actitud de Foos hacia sus actos. Foos se cree el más docto y santo de los mirones y se permite juzgar sus actos sexuales. Se veía así mismo como un investigador sexual serio, dotado de un laboratorio más real y confiable que aquellos utilizados por otros científicos de la sexualidad que requieren el consentimiento de los sujetos estudiados.
Su obsesión por anotar los actos de sus huespedes le llevo a crear un complejo sistema desde donde observaba y que mantuvo durante 30 años hasta su jubilación, cuando vendió el hotel.
Un libro que me ha despertado la curiosidad por leer más los artículos de investigación de Talese.
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January 17, 2020umm.....
May 23, 2019
Tja, bijna een corvee.
(Freaky remark:p.206 30x85 is minder dan halve hectare)
(Freaky remark:p.206 30x85 is minder dan halve hectare)
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