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The Shepherd and the Nymph: The Erotic Letters of Marco Vassi and Eve Diana
What happens when two people reject the sexual limitations of both society and their own "sensible" inner voices, and choose instead to exult in their shared sexual energy and go wherever that energy might take them? That's what celebrated erotic writer and sexual explorer Marco Vassi and Eve Diana decided to find out when they embarked on their passionate, adventurous, yet conflicted seven-month relationship in 1986.
The Shepherd and the Nymph is the powerful, intimate, delightfully literary chronicle of that relationship, as recorded in the private letters between these two writers, twenty years apart in age, different from each other in almost every way aside from their shared fascination with sex as a compelling, fundamental aspect of what it means to be fully and unapologetically alive.
In addition to being an eloquent tale of personal and sexual exploration, The Shepherd and the Nymph is a vivid reminder of the social upheaval that came to be known as the sexual revolution, a time when all things sexual were seen as possible, intriguing, and magical - and an opportunity for Vassi aficionados to see and understand who Vassi was - his flaws as well as his genius - in ways that go beyond even his most self-revelatory other writings.
The Shepherd and the Nymph is the powerful, intimate, delightfully literary chronicle of that relationship, as recorded in the private letters between these two writers, twenty years apart in age, different from each other in almost every way aside from their shared fascination with sex as a compelling, fundamental aspect of what it means to be fully and unapologetically alive.
In addition to being an eloquent tale of personal and sexual exploration, The Shepherd and the Nymph is a vivid reminder of the social upheaval that came to be known as the sexual revolution, a time when all things sexual were seen as possible, intriguing, and magical - and an opportunity for Vassi aficionados to see and understand who Vassi was - his flaws as well as his genius - in ways that go beyond even his most self-revelatory other writings.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 11, 2020
13 people want to read
About the author
Marco Vassi
36 books10 followersMarco Ferdinand William Vasquez-d'Acugno Vassi (New York City, November 6, 1937 – New York City, January 14, 1989) was an American experimental thinker and author, most noted for his erotica. He wrote fiction and nonfiction, publishing hundreds of short stories, articles, and more than a dozen novels. Many of his works appeared as "Anonymous" in their first printings. He is most often compared to Henry Miller, has been called the greatest erotic writer of his time and "foremost of his generation," and praised by the likes of Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, Saul Bellow, and Kate Millett.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 2, 2022
Sexy, smart, startling. I enjoyed every bit of it. Excellent writing, too.
March 3, 2020
This is a powerful story, detailing the 1986 adventurous relationship between noted erotic writer and sex explorer Marco Vassi and Eve Diana through the detailed and brilliantly written correspondence between them during their seven-month relationship. Full of passion, introspection, conflict, and insight, these personal letters, never intended for a public audience, reveal both Vassi and Diana and all their glory and with all their faults. It's a remarkably naked look at two people who went straight to the edge exploring their sexuality, their issues about complex relationship, and their innermost thoughts and desires. The unabashed spirit of the 1980s -- the sexual revolution before the advent of AIDS -- fills every page. The book is available at www.davidsteinberg.us.
March 6, 2020
I love this book. I didn’t know Marco or Eve but a friend of mine shared their story with me many years ago so when I saw this book I was curious. After reading it I’m blown away. A real life story of the passion of two amazing people that show what it’s like to love with utter abandon. I keep it on my bedside table.
This book has brought me great joy and pleasure.
This book has brought me great joy and pleasure.
March 16, 2023
Disclaimer: I have known Eve since before this period of her life. And I have some memory of their relationship. Additionally it is deeply graphic, erotic does not quite capture the depth of detail and vulnerability of this book.
In part this has been an intense read for me, due to knowing Eve and seeing her laid bare in print, versus our conversations over the decades is an odd relationship to have with a book.
It is hard to decide on a star rating as this is a book of letters, the immediacy of the moment is what is most important and heart wrenching at times. I was swept into the whirlwind and also a part of me read this knowing a bit of how it ended, emotionally for Eve, and thus with a more dispassionate eye looking at the drives, hopes, and perhaps a touch of madness that were being served.
In the end, it was a bittersweet ride, a good one to be sure and a hard one.
In part this has been an intense read for me, due to knowing Eve and seeing her laid bare in print, versus our conversations over the decades is an odd relationship to have with a book.
It is hard to decide on a star rating as this is a book of letters, the immediacy of the moment is what is most important and heart wrenching at times. I was swept into the whirlwind and also a part of me read this knowing a bit of how it ended, emotionally for Eve, and thus with a more dispassionate eye looking at the drives, hopes, and perhaps a touch of madness that were being served.
In the end, it was a bittersweet ride, a good one to be sure and a hard one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews