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Sex Surrealism Dali & Me
Review Carlos Lozano's sexy, eyewitness account of life with Dali is described in a colourful, energetic style that touches the sublime and the magnificent. The combination of his story and the breathtaking style of his collaborator, the award winning writer Clifford Thurlow, combine to create a book that is truly memorable. For once, names are named and, the veil of hype and mystique that so often surrounded Dali is blown away for all to see. Once we started, we couldn't put it down! - International Art & Literature Journal, April 2000 -- - International Art & Literature Journal, April 2000 The Surrealist painter deliberately lived his life to complement his deceptive and illusory art. By the end, it was so close to being a confidence trick in itself that historians and biographers have had to struggle to separate fact from the sexual fantasy. Lozano's book is now set to bring the voice of an eye witness to the Salvador Dali myth - and to all the orgiastic gossip about the past. Vanessa Thorpe - The Observer February 20th, 2000. -- Vanessa Thorpe - The Observer February 20th, 2000 From the Author the intimate secrets of Salvador Dali. Salvador Dali was the 20th century's most important artist. Okay. There's Picasso; Marcel Duchamp. But for suspending time in the Persistence of Memory, for appealing to our subconscious fears and frustrations in the Metamorphosis of Narcissus, for pure unadulterated personality, Dali is peerless. He was a circus. The big top was always full. He was always on the clown, the magician, the man on the high wire and up there in the white heat of the spotlight what we see is an image, a shadow, a spectral secret few people were invited to share. Carlos Lozano was one of the select. They connected as young boys connect. Sometimes they were naughty boys. They played. They were always friends and within the bounds of this friendship, Carlos was enriched by insights that reveal the broadest range of emotions, the private terrors and the moments of self-doubt that make up the complex portrait of art's most intriguing practitioner. Dali hated pornography. He loved eroticism. Surrealism, drawing upon the insights of Freud, wanted to unlock human sexuality. Salvador Dali was its greatest exponent. As he said – and more than The only difference between me and the surrealists is that I am a surrealist. It was a privilege for me to be allowed to share Carlos Lozano's unique story and write his memoirs in Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me. It is, I hope, surreal, erotic and lots of fun.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2000
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1093 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
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August 25, 20172/10/13: I am intrigued by Dali. I can't say I like him as a human, but I am very interested in his life and art!
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March 23, 2013PSYCHO PUTA
August 18, 2018
Lives as surreal as Dali’s paintings! I remember the first time I saw a Salvador Dali painting. On a holiday to London years ago, I visited the Tate Gallery and for several minutes remained transfixed before an enticing, but definitely peculiar surrealistic painting by a gregarious mustached man whose paintings were as eccentric as he was. This biography made me understand more clearly the man behind the paintings. Let’s face it, you either love Dali’s paintings or hate them, and the same can be said about the artist who didn’t apologize about his life, but remained defiantly on the fringes of genteel society. This biography takes place in the latter years of his life. Dali is still with his wife/muse Gala (the subject of many of his paintings), but Dali is clearly enthralled by young, effeminate/androgynous youths, but literally keeps them at arm’s length. This biography is about him and one of these youths, the Colombian dancer Carlos Lozano, who seemed as mesmerized by Dali and his flamboyant lifestyle as Dali. Carlos is quickly sucked into the undertow of Dali’s fame and perversions and becomes as great an influence on Dali, as Dali was on him. While neither mans’ lifestyle and desires were ones I would choose, all the drama and hoopla surrounding the man is fascinating indeed. I will never be able to look at a Dali painting the same. For any admirer of Dali or even those curious about the man and the myth—this is a well-written, thought-provoking, must read.
January 1, 2023
I admit to having little true knowledge of Salvador Dali other than his artistic endeavors. Looking at his art does not define the man. The first time I saw a Salvador Dali painting, I was a child in Miami. My first attraction to Dali was his gregarious mustache. Perhaps it was my age, but that mustache was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Over the years, I followed Dali’s work and would attend any occasion presenting his art, but seeing his work and knowing the man are two separate things. The story is a magical journey with “personal” tales and intimate insights that captivated me from the first word to the last.
Clifford Thurlow’s rhythmic writing style was subtle and smooth, like a warm night. Thurlow has brought Dali to life, giving me special and delightful insight to the life of an extraordinary artist. I highly recommend this book.
Clifford Thurlow’s rhythmic writing style was subtle and smooth, like a warm night. Thurlow has brought Dali to life, giving me special and delightful insight to the life of an extraordinary artist. I highly recommend this book.
May 30, 2019
Portrait of the Artist
There is no better way to narrate the life of a great man like Salvador Dali than seeing him through the eyes of an acolyte. Carlos Lozano provides the perfect foil to the maestro and through his observations Clifford Thurlow has written a moving and masterful memoir.
Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me does not follow standard biographic rules, but dances through time and space asking big questions and allowing the reader to piece the answers together like a puzzle.
What is revealed on this sweeping surreal canvas are two intertwining stories: Carlos Lozano’s remarkable journey from the poverty of Barranquilla to the Divine Court of Dali and, running parallel, a behind the scenes glimpse of Dali at work and play, the genius when he took his shoes off at the end of the day and stopped being a genius. As he told Carlos: it’s not always easy playing Dali.
There are many scenes that I could quote. One sticks out in my mind: when the New Yorker Marsha Chase, described by Dali as a ‘beautiful animal,’ was invited to the maestro’s surreal cottage by the sea for pink champagne, she informed Carlos Lozano that she already had another engagement. Having been turned down, Dali, who was used to being courted and pursued, now set about a campaign beginning with four dozen roses to lure Ms Chase into his divine clutches. Funny, droll and always with subtext and mystery.
Dali famously said: I do not paint a portrait to look like the subject, rather does the person grow to look like his portrait. I have a feeling Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me borrows this brilliant formula.
There is no better way to narrate the life of a great man like Salvador Dali than seeing him through the eyes of an acolyte. Carlos Lozano provides the perfect foil to the maestro and through his observations Clifford Thurlow has written a moving and masterful memoir.
Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me does not follow standard biographic rules, but dances through time and space asking big questions and allowing the reader to piece the answers together like a puzzle.
What is revealed on this sweeping surreal canvas are two intertwining stories: Carlos Lozano’s remarkable journey from the poverty of Barranquilla to the Divine Court of Dali and, running parallel, a behind the scenes glimpse of Dali at work and play, the genius when he took his shoes off at the end of the day and stopped being a genius. As he told Carlos: it’s not always easy playing Dali.
There are many scenes that I could quote. One sticks out in my mind: when the New Yorker Marsha Chase, described by Dali as a ‘beautiful animal,’ was invited to the maestro’s surreal cottage by the sea for pink champagne, she informed Carlos Lozano that she already had another engagement. Having been turned down, Dali, who was used to being courted and pursued, now set about a campaign beginning with four dozen roses to lure Ms Chase into his divine clutches. Funny, droll and always with subtext and mystery.
Dali famously said: I do not paint a portrait to look like the subject, rather does the person grow to look like his portrait. I have a feeling Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me borrows this brilliant formula.
January 26, 2019
Review originally published at: https://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookr...
Being an admirer of his art, and also a Spaniard, I was very intrigued about this book. This is Dali seen by the loving eyes of Carlos Lozano, a model, and a dancer, Dali’s friend but also his protegee. Thanks to Lozano and Clifford Thurlow we get some insights about Dali’s life and eccentricities, and how everything seemed to revolve around the artist in a unique and extravagant way.
The book is beautifully written, and despite some powerful images that can’t just be unseen by my mind’s eye, I enjoyed it tremendously. I didn’t aspire to understand Dali by listening to this book, since understanding him would be impossible, like understanding and replicating his art. Someone able to create those paintings had to be a tormented and egocentric soul, which is what Carlos Lozano is showing us here.
It was a very heartfelt biography, and there were some torturous and hard moments that Thurlow expressed like he was Lozano himself, the ever waiting young man for his idol to be near.
Pette Nottage’s narration was the perfect delicious match for such a beautiful text, and not only his interpretation of Lozano was simply sublime. When impersonating Dali, Nottage was just exquisite. The only minor setback is that the few Spanish words in the book were mispronounced, which is a shame, considering that Lozano’s mother tongue was Spanish. Anyway, I guess very few people will notice this.
A very recommendable listen for anyone who appreciates Dali’s art, not to understand him, but to know him a little bit better.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Being an admirer of his art, and also a Spaniard, I was very intrigued about this book. This is Dali seen by the loving eyes of Carlos Lozano, a model, and a dancer, Dali’s friend but also his protegee. Thanks to Lozano and Clifford Thurlow we get some insights about Dali’s life and eccentricities, and how everything seemed to revolve around the artist in a unique and extravagant way.
The book is beautifully written, and despite some powerful images that can’t just be unseen by my mind’s eye, I enjoyed it tremendously. I didn’t aspire to understand Dali by listening to this book, since understanding him would be impossible, like understanding and replicating his art. Someone able to create those paintings had to be a tormented and egocentric soul, which is what Carlos Lozano is showing us here.
It was a very heartfelt biography, and there were some torturous and hard moments that Thurlow expressed like he was Lozano himself, the ever waiting young man for his idol to be near.
Pette Nottage’s narration was the perfect delicious match for such a beautiful text, and not only his interpretation of Lozano was simply sublime. When impersonating Dali, Nottage was just exquisite. The only minor setback is that the few Spanish words in the book were mispronounced, which is a shame, considering that Lozano’s mother tongue was Spanish. Anyway, I guess very few people will notice this.
A very recommendable listen for anyone who appreciates Dali’s art, not to understand him, but to know him a little bit better.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
August 19, 2018
I recently read a work by Clifford Thurlow, and having been so impressed by the style, I decided to read some more. I admit to having little true knowledge of Salvador Dali, save for his striking, bizarre images found in his surrealist work, but was delighted to find this memoir was delivered with exquisite panache, soon drawing me into its world while revealing an insight into the enigmatic mind of Dali, a mind perhaps only seen by the rare few, and by others so often misunderstood. ‘Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me’ is a superb piece of writing and recounted by Carlos Lozano, a loyal confidant of Dali, and describes Dali’s intrigue with young androgynous males, his ostentatious lifestyle, depravity and notoriety. His love of provocation, in the fascination of arousing sexual feeling by means of suggestion, symbolism, or allusion clearly spills from his private life and into his work as an artist. A wonderful glimpse from a different perspective and one I highly recommend. A must read for each and any admirer of Salvador Dali.
August 21, 2018
Sex, Surrealism, Dalí and Me offers a fascinating insight into the mind and world of a singular genius who is talented, eccentric, egocentric, megalomaniacal . . . and, like his artwork, deliberately defies efforts to define. Told through the memories of Carlos Lozano, a model and dancer whose own life was unusual and extraordinary, the book covers Dalí’s later years, during which his health and creativity declined, but not his eccentricities. Dalí and Lozano offer wide-ranging comments that are simultaneously astute, acerbic and absurd. Like Dalí, the book is insightful, outrageous and provocative, or as Dalí himself would have put it: Dalínian.
August 21, 2018
This is a fascinating book, a book that paints with words the same kind of surreal and rich worlds that Dali did with his brush. Many books tell a story, but this work makes you feel that you were there, present in the moment, a 360 degree feast for every sense, reminiscent of Hemingway's Fiesta. The man himself is captured from all angles, his public persona, his personal character, and the wild abandon with which he approached his life and his work, as well as the cast of larger-than-life personalities with which he surrounded himself. This is a book worthy of the subject matter, and I suspect that Dali would have been pleased.
May 4, 2018
WOW... Jeg vet ikke om jeg gir 5'eren til sær sexfiksering, sabla ærlig utbretting av livet, språket eller Dali selv. Djeeezes - denne boka bør oppleves. Dette er en mann høy på seg selv, i stålkontroll og ute av kontroll på en gang. Kan dette virkelig være sant? Bevares, sier nå jeg. Dette var årets definitivt mest surrealistiske bok sålangt. Tviler på at boka noen gang vil overgås i ... ?? Ja, si det...
March 20, 2019
Truly eye opening and inspiring
Having had no prior knowledge of Carlos Lozano, I was both curious and skeptical about this book, but I needn’t have been because like all great stories I was immediately gripped. I had thought that this book was going to be a light read but it offered much more than that, it exceeded my expectations and taught so much about Carlos Lozano ‘s life at Dali’s court. I also learned never to judge a book by it’s cover!
Having had no prior knowledge of Carlos Lozano, I was both curious and skeptical about this book, but I needn’t have been because like all great stories I was immediately gripped. I had thought that this book was going to be a light read but it offered much more than that, it exceeded my expectations and taught so much about Carlos Lozano ‘s life at Dali’s court. I also learned never to judge a book by it’s cover!
August 18, 2018
This is an intimate portrait of Salvador Dali, one of the most important painters of the 20th century, seen through the eyes of his muse, Carlos Lozano, skillfully and elegantly told by Clifford Thurlow in a style that blends surrealism with magical realism. There are many, many biographies of Salvador Dali, but I find it unlikely that you will find one better.
December 12, 2015
I loved this book! What a wild, thoughtful ride! I came to know Carlos & the Divine in a loving, funny, honest(?) light. I wish I'd known about Carlos when I visited Cadaqués & Port Lligat -- I wish I'd known Dalí & Gala better too!
February 9, 2016
Learned a lot about Dali that I would have never even believed to be true. It gave me more insight about those works of art that have always enthralled my mind. I look at his pieces in a whole new light
April 22, 2014
Welp, that was more than I needed to know, but interesting nonetheless.
October 24, 2022
I felt as if Carlos Lozano, the young Colombian dancer from the backstreets of Barranquilla was speaking to me from the pages of this fantastic book. I felt as if I was walking over the footsteps of his past as he reminisced and remembered times shared with his friend, the artist, Salvador Dalí.
His personal stories were intimate insights that intrigued and captivated me from the first word, to the last. I knew of Salvador Dalí the artist, the Surrealist but not Salvador Dalí, the man. Carlos' story changed that.
Wonderfully written and expertly told by Clifford Thurlow, who is, in my opinion, the best ghostwriter in the UK. This is a fascinating, five-star read!
His personal stories were intimate insights that intrigued and captivated me from the first word, to the last. I knew of Salvador Dalí the artist, the Surrealist but not Salvador Dalí, the man. Carlos' story changed that.
Wonderfully written and expertly told by Clifford Thurlow, who is, in my opinion, the best ghostwriter in the UK. This is a fascinating, five-star read!
November 27, 2022
Estas memorias de Carlos Lozano, son bastante impactantes, yo había visto documentales de varios periodistas renombrados, y me imaginaba algo de lo que aquí se revela; pero nunca me había imaginado que el artista tuviera tanto problemas mentales.
Era un loco manso muy parecido a nuestro artista Armando Reveron, pero todo lo que aquí se cuenta me dejo con la boca abierta.
Era un loco manso muy parecido a nuestro artista Armando Reveron, pero todo lo que aquí se cuenta me dejo con la boca abierta.
February 5, 2017
When I started reading this book I was really intrigued. A colorful and less direct route to Dali's life through the eyes of Carlos Lozano in theory sounded amazing. Though after about halfway in I got a little tired of deciphering innuendos and sexual metaphors that it seemed to get a bit repetitive. Interesting, yes, but I didn't really feel like we were getting anywhere. I do think some of the chapters were absolutely beautifully written, so much so that I highlighted them as inspiration. If you're looking for a peek at the eccentricity of Dali, specifically how he outwardly portrayed himself to his devout groupies, you'll be satisfied. If you'd like to see Dali outside the orgies, maybe not the book for you. I would LOVE a good biography of Gala, though. It'd be interesting to see what molded a woman like that.
January 5, 2022
Anyone who has not read Sex, Surrealism, Dali and Me is in for a delicious treat. Clifford Thurlow’s dual biographies of Salvador Dali and his long-term muse, Carlos Lozano, the Colombian dancer, is like a magical journey through a dream landscape lit by the surreal and the sublime.
Like a Zen quest for enlightenment, Dali is the Master, Carlos his acolyte and we, the reader, voyeurs to Dali’s world of art, culture and society. Under Dali’s sculpting hands, Carlos - ‘the barefoot boy from Barranquilla’ – becomes a sophisticate, linguist, art expert, gourmand and gallery owner. Dali advises: ‘Always say yes and try before you say no.’
This unique, bittersweet memoir reads like a novel and is filled with beautiful phrases you want to underline: Belief is a self-fulfilling prophecy; Artists often feel sad without knowing why; The secret of success isn't knowing what you want, it is knowing what you don't want.
So good, I'm going to read it again.
Like a Zen quest for enlightenment, Dali is the Master, Carlos his acolyte and we, the reader, voyeurs to Dali’s world of art, culture and society. Under Dali’s sculpting hands, Carlos - ‘the barefoot boy from Barranquilla’ – becomes a sophisticate, linguist, art expert, gourmand and gallery owner. Dali advises: ‘Always say yes and try before you say no.’
This unique, bittersweet memoir reads like a novel and is filled with beautiful phrases you want to underline: Belief is a self-fulfilling prophecy; Artists often feel sad without knowing why; The secret of success isn't knowing what you want, it is knowing what you don't want.
So good, I'm going to read it again.
August 1, 2012
a trip through the life of Dali,wow!
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September 26, 2018This book is very personal I think revealing indiscreetly very discreet things about my most favorite surrealist genius. But because the author of the experience being shared there was young and not very learned I suppose it is difficult to judge both or more. Most I was surprised to know something more as regards his wife which does not matter as well, because where is true love there is everything.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews