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Intimacy
This is Sartre's masterly portrait of life seen from new and revealing angles, in which the human soul is stripped of all its civilized veneer, and layers of experience are peeled back with ferocious skill - to reveal the depths of the private oppressions, sensualities and neuroses of our time and the overpowering evil to which modern man can descend.
CONTENTS:
Intimacy - ...more
CONTENTS:
Intimacy - ...more
Paperback, 220 pages
Published
January 1st 1972
by Panther
(first published January 1st 1938)
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Intimations of Intimacy
This collection of five short stories was first published in French in 1939.
At the time, Sartre had already written his first novel, “Nausea”, and several philosophical works.
My copy of the English translation was published by Panther Books and was marketed as“the brilliant study of the corruption of love”.” There are four photos of a naked brunette woman only partly cloaked by her bedsheets, as if viewed in an oval mirror (the frame of which could also pass for a large ke ...more
This collection of five short stories was first published in French in 1939.
At the time, Sartre had already written his first novel, “Nausea”, and several philosophical works.
My copy of the English translation was published by Panther Books and was marketed as“the brilliant study of the corruption of love”.” There are four photos of a naked brunette woman only partly cloaked by her bedsheets, as if viewed in an oval mirror (the frame of which could also pass for a large ke ...more
I remember; It was only the other day that I was with a couple of friends and I spoke to them about a story I intended to write... It was my (in my head, as always) an original idea and they liked it as well. Little did I know that Monsieur le Sartre had deja produced a work which resembled my deepest thoughts. I reckon, after having read the wall, I started to realise that my stories revolved around an existentialist backdrop. This caused me a lot of turmoil, for in I had absolutely no intentio
...more
Written in 2011. I am versed in the Sartre these days.
You know, for a book titled Intimacy, there's never a truly intimate moment.
I actually don't know much about Sartre, other than the fact that he developed existentialism, his relationship with Simone de Beauvoir, and that he wrote No Exit. Albert Camus is more in my realm of interest. When I was in an introduction to philosophy class, my teacher presented Camus and Sartre as almost Camus' philosophy vs. Sartre's philosophy, which I think is t ...more
You know, for a book titled Intimacy, there's never a truly intimate moment.
I actually don't know much about Sartre, other than the fact that he developed existentialism, his relationship with Simone de Beauvoir, and that he wrote No Exit. Albert Camus is more in my realm of interest. When I was in an introduction to philosophy class, my teacher presented Camus and Sartre as almost Camus' philosophy vs. Sartre's philosophy, which I think is t ...more
One day, when I grow up, I want to write with the uncertainty that Sartre seems to be able to put into his words. There is no future determined in each of the short works presented here. Time unravels for the reader as it does for the characters. It is beautiful.
I purchased this book thinking it was a novel. I'm glad it isn't, though each of the five stories are interesting enough that they could become a novel, and one, The Childhood of a Leader, is a sweeping tale that certainly would qualify ...more
I purchased this book thinking it was a novel. I'm glad it isn't, though each of the five stories are interesting enough that they could become a novel, and one, The Childhood of a Leader, is a sweeping tale that certainly would qualify ...more
The only stuff I knew about Sartre was that he once refused a Nobel and that he was part of the French intelligentsia, plus I had a strong suspicion that his work is of the difficult kind. But curiosity got the best of me, curiosity and the size of this small collection. Four short stories and a novella. The first story in this edition took me a few pages to get into but maybe it was just prejudice or something because it suddenly sort of cleared up and it just got progressively better and bette
...more
Read this too long ago. It made a huge impression but with time Sartre's contrived narratives to convey his arguments dims somewhat. It is essential reading for a brief, but very, significant period.
Five stories, all brilliant, all dark, most perverse to some degree, all so full of insight into the human condition it was a pain every time I had to stop reading. "Intimacy" itself tells of a woman who can't quite leave the man she doesn't love. "Erostratus" puts us in the mind of a young man who intends to kill randomly. "The Wall" is the tale of prisoners of war doomed to be killed by firing squad. "The Childhood of a Leader," the longest story here by far, follows the constantly shifting i
...more
It is just really sad to finish these stories; they have all been such good friends to me: friends with excellent bits of advice, experiences and stories to share, and a stupid, unexpected way of disappearing out of your life. I related to every story, had a lot of mixed feelings, but the endings each time left me absolutely dumbfounded. So, Sartre is really so goddamn good at throwing you lines at the end of his stories that make you want to throw the book away, but then you hold on to it so ti
...more
For me intimacy reflected on the ranging attachment of one central character (Lulu) with the other 3. It was a revelation of intimacy over a number of years becoming vapid, indifferent and even stale. The intimacy that was spiritual or plainly curious. And of course, one that "felt" like it was liberating from the old monotony and had hopes of a fresher start at life. All these were unique and defined by the central character. It was her vs the rest. Her existence expanded into theirs and for he
...more
Prolific. Outstanding work. "Intimacy" without any intimate feelings. Cruel and disastrous confession of the human nature.
He loves me, he
doesn't love my bowels, if they showed him my appendix in a
glass he wouldn't recognize it, he's always feeling me, but if
they put the glass in his hands he wouldn't touch it, he wouldn't
think, "that's hers," you ought to love all of somebody, the
esophagus, the liver, the intestines. Maybe we don't love them
because we aren't used to them, if we saw them the way ...more
He loves me, he
doesn't love my bowels, if they showed him my appendix in a
glass he wouldn't recognize it, he's always feeling me, but if
they put the glass in his hands he wouldn't touch it, he wouldn't
think, "that's hers," you ought to love all of somebody, the
esophagus, the liver, the intestines. Maybe we don't love them
because we aren't used to them, if we saw them the way ...more
MY FAVORITE SARTRE
I don't care much for short stories, so I had to force myself to finish this book, even it's by Sartre.
This edition I purchased in 1966 after reading Age of Reason. It was marketed as "reveal[ing] a forbidden world which is perverse, shocking diabolical--unlike anything you have ever met on the printed page, but a startling reflection of as life as you know it." Wow! The cover featured an illustration of a Jean Paul. Belmono type and a woman resembling Sophia Loren (dressed in a black slip with ...more
This edition I purchased in 1966 after reading Age of Reason. It was marketed as "reveal[ing] a forbidden world which is perverse, shocking diabolical--unlike anything you have ever met on the printed page, but a startling reflection of as life as you know it." Wow! The cover featured an illustration of a Jean Paul. Belmono type and a woman resembling Sophia Loren (dressed in a black slip with ...more
Thought I was reading a novel at first and was really intrigued. The first story was a great character study and evoked a sense of helplessness. Beyond that endings fell to cliche and overstatement. It seems incredible now that men happily strode off to fight for abstract causes (the subject of the second story which seemed to deal with the irony of fate)
Possibly, in its day, it was racy, obtuse, and maybe even *gasp*-worthy, but we've transcended that in this day and age. So, that aside, we take a look at the philosophy behind intimacy and there's just not that much there. This seems like one of those books that Sartre wrote to fulfill a contractual agreement. Parts of it are very dark and soul-searching, but on the whole it lacks engagement. Probably not the best Sartre to begin with, but it was on the top of the stack.
There were 4 short stories in the version of "Intimacy" that I read (maybe they're all that way). I thought the first one, Intimacy, was good; however, the rest were just... OK. Not bad, just OK. This was my first time reading any fiction by Sartre, and I guess I expected more elaborate storytelling such as Ayn Rand's fictional work with very elaborate characters and specific plots. These short stories were good and definitely thought provoking in terms of thinking about our own humanity, but I
...more
A collection of short stories full of psychological insights.
The characters and situations mirror the conflicts, complexities, neuroses and sensualities of the 20th century.
In "Intimacy", an unfaithful wife is still bound to her impotent husband. In "The Wall" (my personal favorite) the astonishing fate of a political prisoner is revealed. In "The Room" a psychotic communicates his hallucinations to a formerly sane spouse. In "Erostratus" we are introduced to a man who is compelled to murder an ...more
The characters and situations mirror the conflicts, complexities, neuroses and sensualities of the 20th century.
In "Intimacy", an unfaithful wife is still bound to her impotent husband. In "The Wall" (my personal favorite) the astonishing fate of a political prisoner is revealed. In "The Room" a psychotic communicates his hallucinations to a formerly sane spouse. In "Erostratus" we are introduced to a man who is compelled to murder an ...more
Really enjoyed Intimacy and The Wall, but the others were unsettling. I enjoyed them because they were interesting and invoked a strong reaction to them, but they made me too uncomfortable to fully enjoy.
Loved the childhood of a leader(?) chapter - how arbitrary our identity can be as it forms in adolescence. Really the arbitrary nature of many of our decisions struck me in this book. The rebel who would rather die than inform on a man he feels very little for, the listless discomfort of the woman in the opening chapter, who seems to be pushed into action only by who accidently intuits her feelings best. Chance and identity seem to me to be themes, making the title ironic because without actual
...more
Снова 3.5.Показалось наиболее мерзко из всего прочитаного у сартра. Однако же слишком много подобного вокруг, чтобы вот так запросто сбросить со счетов.
Jan 29, 2014
John Wilson
added it
Not so brilliant as some, but still conveys the slithery feeling of existential life in mid-twentieth century France. Contains a good depiction of a pointless murder.
Рассказ, в котором женщина выбирает между жалостливой любовью и сексом то, что ей важнее.
در داستان "محرمیت"، لولو تصمیم دارد شوهرش "هنری" را ترک کند و با عاشقش "پی یر" از چنگ کلیشه های قراردادی (زناشویی) بگریزد. او سخت میل دارد از همسر، دوست و شوهر (قراردادهای اجتماعی) عبور می کند و به عشقش برسد (آزادی). لولو فکر می کند گریز با پی یر، در انتها همان قدر اعتماد و اطمینان می آفریند، که اکنون با هنری دارد (محرمیت، عادت، نزدیکی). تصمیم می گیرد با هنری بماند. سنت و عادت، اطمینان و امنیت می آورد، حال آن که آزادی سرشار از اضطراب و ناامنی ست.
در مورد ژان پل سارتر، مطلبی جداگانه نوشته ام؛
htt ...more
در مورد ژان پل سارتر، مطلبی جداگانه نوشته ام؛
htt ...more
Mindblowing
I bought this from a second hand book stall at my university, and the seller mentioned that he really enjoyed all of the short stories bar the first one (Intimacy) I found that I enjoyed all bar the last story, I didn't find it easy to read and it didn't really go anywhere for me. I love the way that JP writes, it really grabs me and I would definitely recommend this collection of short stories. Intimacy would have to be my favourite of the lot :)
Good. I enjoy his work.
“Here is a portrait of life seen from new and revealing angles, in which the human soul is stripped of its civilized veneer, and layers of experience are peeled back with ferocious skill-to reveal the depths of the private oppressions, sensualities and neuroses of our time, and the overwhelming evil to which modern man can descend.”
The Childhood of a Leader
umm, fuck... fuck fuck fuck!!!!
Terrifyingly good. READ IT
umm, fuck... fuck fuck fuck!!!!
Terrifyingly good. READ IT
Beautiful, beautiful book. Scary too, in a weird, personal sort of way.
everything you would expect from a work by Sartre...great.
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Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre, normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre, was a French existentialist philosopher and pioneer, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. He was a leading figure in 20th century French philosophy.
He declined the award of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has ex ...more
More about Jean-Paul Sartre...
He declined the award of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has ex ...more
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