Desires (Paperback)

~ Adrienne Benedicks (Editor), Shivaji Sengupta (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An anthology of first rate erotic fiction written by some of the best erotica writers from England, Canada, the US and India. Edited by Adrienne Benedicks, founder of Eotica Readers Association and Shivaji Sengupta, the book features such authors as Maxim Jakubowski, Thomas S. Roche, M. Christian, Cecilia Tan, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Marilyn Jaye Lewis and Portia Da Costa. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Author

Desire is pure energy. It brings people together, joins them. anticipating it is thrilling; its fulfilment is overpowering. Control. on the other hand, is the very antithesis. While control is essential for civil life, it has also been misuded by people in power from time immemorial. Especially, in matters of sex, the struggle between desire and control has taken center stage.

When Ms. Benedicks and I conceived of this collection it was with an express desire to raise the level of erotic writing to literature. We wanted stories hot and stimulating but we also wanted stories with plot, character development, conflicts fraught with human contradictions.We wanted stories that craved with desire but that were also frustrated by control. We wanted tension.

Thus, we gave our clarion call and writers poured in literally from far corners of the world, taking up our challenge and rising to the occasion.

"Good sex," Lonie Barbach, author of "Pleasures: Women Write Erotica," wrote in the preface, "does not make a good story. Adrienne and I, however, felt that a good story can and does make good sex. As we read the submissions dealing with the ternal tension alluded to above, we became enlightened about another interesting aspect of erotic writing: the two distinct processes from which erotica evolves.

The western expression of erotica pits moratlity in opposition to the erotic feeling; and the eastern one believes in reincarnation and the immortality of the soul. It sees erotica as celebration of the body and life itself. There is no thought of death there.

This is not to say that Western people do not write erotica that celebrates life or easterners do not write erotica that strives to stave off death. The stories in this anthology have been inspired by either of these philosphies. The very first one is a classic example of the western approach, while many of the stories that follow are examples of the eastern joie de vivre. There is also a dialogue between the two editors at the end of the book that discusses erotica at the end of the twentieth century.

"Desires," appearing at the very dawn of the twety-first century, is really Janus-faced work: looking back at the age gone by; anticipating the future. In between, there is the eternal struggle between indomitable desire and the politics of power and control.

Read it, you will like it! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: AmarMira Press (February 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967397804
• ISBN-13: 978-0967397801
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,274,040 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, provocative anthology!, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

DESIRES contains some of the most sensual and literary fiction available today. While many other erotica anthologies tend to either forgo the sensual aspect in favor of dry, intellectual writing or rely on clichéd stories, DESIRES beautifully merges lush descriptions of sexuality with thought-provoking, emotional scenarios.

The variety of writing styles from the 24 talented authors provides an outstanding complement to the stories themselves. For example, Robert Schaffer's "Fried Blonde Tomatoes" is a hard-edged, sharp narrative about a man's craving for "burnt-out blondes," while Elana White's "Wee Sunny Garrett" is a highly poetic and rewarding story about a woman's rediscovery of herself in the warmth of a French village. James Martin's "The Civil Servant" is a delicious story involving a wife's sexual commands over the telephone, and Debra Hyde's "Weigh Station" is a reunion of two lovers and the subsequent revelation of both masochistic tendencies and futile realizations. There are also excellent stories by well-known erotica authors such as Maryanne Mohanraj, Cecilia Tan, Maxim Jakubowski, and Thomas Roche. The stories involve a range of exceptional characters and situations, all of which appeal to the intellect as well as the libido. This emphasis on the intellect especially distinguishes this anthology.

Another element that sets DESIRES apart from the norm is the discerning and intelligent "dialogue" between the two editors, which touches upon such issues as porn versus erotica, Barthes' and Battailes' respective philosophies about eroticism, the psychological aspects of erotic fiction, "sex as ritual," and Tantric philosophies. The dialogue serves to enhance the collection by providing greater insight into the essential meaning of both the chosen stories and erotica as a genre.

DESIRES is a truly superb and unique collection, with the editorial dialogue providing a very stimulating closure to the book. Collections such as this one serve not only to hold erotic fiction to a much higher standard, but also to encourage both readers and writers to examine the emotional and intellectual underpinnings of sensual literature. With DESIRES as a model of excellence, the erotica genre will surely attain the literary respect and authority it so deserves. Read it for pleasure and for both sexual and intellectual stimulation!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anthology of Erotic Fiction: Desires, April 23, 2000

By	Charlie (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews

I've never sent a review in to Amazon before, but this book is a little different. Benedicks and Sengupta have collected some of the best erotic stories I've read in quite some time. Not only have they published stories in the book from writers such as Jakubowski, Mohanraj, Roche and Reed. They have introduced me to some new and very talented authors. Authors I hope to see more of in the future. The stories are erotic, romantic, hot, humorous, and lusty. A very beautiful gamut of reading material. I hope to see more from them in the future. This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexiness, Sophistication, and Dialogue in *Desires*, March 6, 2000

By	Crystal Ianna (Manhattan) - See all my reviews

I'd like to mention that this is the most sophisticated collection of erotica I've come across . . . Of course, "sophisticated" is usually conceived of as being opposed to "fun" (or, more appropriate here, "really sexy"). I have to say that this isn't the case with *Desires*. I bought a copy, on a whim, for my partner on Valentine's Day. As sugary sweet as that often regretable holiday may be, this book is free from all that watered-down, pre-processed sentimentality that is usually a hallmark of soft-core sex writing. Which isn't to say it's not tender . . . very quietly and beautifully tender. Also attractive is the very intelligent afterward--a conversation on the nature and appeal of erotica between the two editors. Dialogue seems an appropriate note for the book to end on, as each of the stories depicts characters having their own kinds of arousing "intercourse."