Two Erotic Tales: Aphrodite/the Songs of Bilitis

by Pierre Louÿs, Dorothy Kavka (Editor), Mary H. Harrison (Translator)

These exquisitely crafted tales have provided inspiration to a wide range of artists, from Debussy, Gide, and Colette, to the directors of classic film noir. Originally banned in the United States, this first English translation from the original French editions recaptures the passionate writing that propelled Louys to the forefront of Fin de Siecle literature.

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Pierre Louÿs was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection". He was made first a Chevalier and then an Officer of the Légion d'honneur for his contributions to French literature.

Born in Belgium, in 1870, but moved to France where he would spend the rest of his life. He was a friend of authors André Gide and Oscar Wilde, and of composer Claude Debussy.

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two Erotic Tales by Pierre Louÿs includes The Songs of Bilitis, which I have already reviewed, and Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the story of Demetrios and Chrysis. Chrysis is a famous courtesan in Alexendria; Demetrios the famous sculptor and lover of the queen. During a chance meeting between the two Demetrios falls in love with Chrysis. But she is disdainful and says she will only bestow her favors upon him if he gets her three gifts. Demetrios must steal a silver mirror from Rhodopis, another famous courtesan; an ivory comb from the wife of the high priest of Alexandria; and the pearl necklace from around the neck of the statue of Aphrodite in the temple. All three are bold crimes which Demetrios commits. After the crimes Demetrios finds that he is indifferent to Chrysis, but she, convinced that his crimes means he loves her, has fallen in love with him. When Demetrios tells Chrysis where he has hidden the three gifts he rejects her loving advances and demands that she put all three gifts on and walk through the middle of Alexandria wearing them. Chrysis, her passion for Demetrios driving her on, does so. She is arrested and sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. Demetrios, however, escapes punishment.

Louÿs' poetic language made it a treat to read Aphrodite and The Songs of Bilitis. Aphrodite has more of a narrative; The Songs of Bilitis is a series of prose poems with a looser narrative arc. I really like the plot of Aphrodite. The crimes and their consequences, while horrifying, were riveting. Demetrios' eventual rejection of Chrysis followed by her execution lend the story a sense of tragedy. Aphrodite is a great story, but with its erotic themes, it is not for everyone.

3.75/5

[Kiwi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a while back; I put in little page dividers for pages that moved me or I had thoughts about, but I had to take them out and return the book to the library before I had time to update on it.

There were definitely sections that I enjoyed and sections (or mostly lines) that were the author's opinion (as well as the MC's) and were not my own. That hardly ever means I won't enjoy a book, though.

I loved the poetry of the language and loved many of the supporting characters--like the two musician virgins. I LOVED them more than I can possibly describe. And the young prostitute who was loved by so many. Once again, the supporting characters really did it for me.

One thing I loved was that I was outside Mister Sister--an erotic boutique in Providence, RI--and chatting with the owner, a butch dyke. We talked about butchness and I mentioned that despite being 4'11 and having long-long hair, I could never deny the masculinity inside of me and hated it when others would not acknowledge it. We talked about that in regards to lesbianism (especially how the modern assumption is that if a woman has long hair, she certainly isn't a lesbian).

I took out this book, she took a quick look, and said, "Songs of Bilitis, eh? You really ARE a lesbian!"

To hear that from a long-time, high-visibility lesbian from P-Town MA and now Providence made me incredibly happy. It was a proud little baby-dyke moment--despite the fact that I'll have been out for a decade next year! Being around people like Mister Sister remind me what a little baby dyke I am. (;