Singular Pleasures [Paperback]

Harry Mathews (Author), Francesco Clemente (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000 | Series: American Literature (Dalkey Archive)

Sixty-one vignettes on the sole subject of masturbation record the imaginative varieties of this activity in prose that is playful, intimate, quirky and humane. Illustrated throughout with watercolors by Francesco Clemente that offer an intriguing counterpoint to Mathews's fictions.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

The singular pleasures of Mathews's (Cigarettes, 1987, etc.) title are in fact only one pleasure, and that one is the--well, the pleasure of masturbation. Here are sixty-odd (publisher's count) tiny pieces, one or two almost a page long, most only a paragraph or just a few lines, describing various people--well, doing it. Those various people are very various, from kids to old fogies, of all sexes, nations, places, needs, and callings, some alone, some with like-minded company. Some of the vignettes are silly, some exotic, some satiric, some erotic, most poetic, some neutral, and some--a few--touchingly lovely. The point seems to be--well, let that be determined by those who choose to ponder it. The illustrations by Francesco Clemente aren't lubricous at all, but (usually) slight, charming, and as ephemeral as a--well, as, say, a falling leaf. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Harry Mathews is a playful, precise writer, a modernist with a singular sense of humor, a stylist whose subject matter often seems irrelevant next to the beauty of his language. -- Michael Perkins

Like seeds of closeness, like some always penultimate leisure to make it up out of an alphabet of selves, these glimpses yield a gentle, conspiring privacy. -- Joseph McElroy

Quietly, with gentle and all-embracing humanism, these prose poems refute the taboos. . . . As a literary device the focus on that singular moment inspires Mathews to bravura feats of compression. . . . So that brief as these glimpses are, they're more than character 'sketches.' You see something more like a whole person in the snap of Mathews' shutter. -- John Strausbaugh, New York Press, 4/28/93

Singular Pleasures is wonderfully shocking and a joy to read, and gives a new meaning to reading for pleasure. -- Alexander Laurence, Cups , 9/93

There is nothing pornographic, in the strict sense, about Mathews' text, since it does not seek to arouse the reader: its tone is cool, humorous, and affectionate. His intention is to leave us deeply impressed by the ingenuity, tenacity, and inventiveness with which humans in all places and at all ages have pursued their own pleasure. He succeeds completely. -- John Ash, Artforum, Summer 1993

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564782336
• ISBN-13: 978-1564782335
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant realization of high concept, March 25, 2000

By 

wordtron (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Singular Pleasures (Paperback)

The concept, as I read it, is that most of us are bound by a common secret--masturbation--and that the lengths we go to in order to achieve release are what makes us distinct from each other as individuals--our imaginations. To prove it, Mathews, one of America's best unkowns, has written 61 vignettes of people of all ages and nationalities doing whatever it takes to express themselves. For example: "A man of thirty-five is about to experience orgasm in one of the better condominiums in Gaza. He is masturbating, but neither hand nor object touches his taut penis: arranged in a circle, five hairblowers direct their streams of warm air toward that focal point. He has plugged his ears with wax balls." Not all the vignettes are as funny; some are sad, some are touching, some make you tilt your head to one side, hoping for understanding; hoping in vain.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A series of fetes for the one thing besides death..., May 26, 2000

By 

boeanthropist "Philip Welsh" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singular Pleasures (Paperback)

...that unites us all. The sheer breadth of fantasy, mechanical aids and passive witness employed in these 61 tableux is staggering: hysterical, sad, inventive, invective, or finally just so blatantly quotidian you suddenly find yourself acknowledging your habituated pleasures in a similar light.

If you don't feel the need for the illustrations (I personally prefer it without), the complete text of "Singular Pleasures" is included in the Mathews prose anthology "The Way Home" published by the ever-trustworthy Atlas Press.