READERS on Writers

Many One Readers must have been fascinated by the syllogistic-titled article of Donald Webster Cory (March, 1963), "Where Art was Love, Where Love was Sex, and Sex was Art" on Hindu, Roman and Greek erotic attitudes. Unfortunately, the volumes reviewed were priced too high for general interest.

We might question the syllogism stating Sex is Art. This type of logic supports most theologies, but rarely science. However, the sacredness of human emotion shines through.

Cory possibly was not aware that the Mulk Raj Anand volume, "Kama Kala: Some Notes on the Philosophical Basis of Hindu Erotic Sculpture" was preceded by a beautiful article by the same author in Evergreen Review, Summer of 1959, available in many second-hand stores. This article was accompanied by some interesting photographs of the erotic sculpture at the Sun Temple of Konarak. Anand is reported as a famous Indian novelist, Editor of Bombay's Marg magazine, which had the original article. Doubtless, the Marg-Evergreen Review article is incorporated in the book quoted by Cory.

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Anand, in the Evergreen Review article, affirms that the Hindi erotic philosophy culminated in the Gita Govinda (Hindu scripture) of Jayadeva, who affirmed "no sexual activity is undesirable in itself, except when it involves harm to the participants or is repugnant to one of them." (Anand's words) While the stress is on heterosexuality, later elaboration encompassed all forms of sexual activity.

As reported by Cory, the three volumes were disappointly short of information concerning homosexuality in these ancient cultures; however, this may be negligence on the reviewer's part, rather than the authors. If this is true, this reader wonders why the article was written at all for ONE magazine!

A less academic volume, perhaps, or at least less expensive, might be recommended: "The Jewel In the Lotus" described as "A Historical Survey of the Sexual Culture of the East." (Allen Edwardes, the Julian Press, 1959. $6.50) The clue to the Oriental tolerance of deviations is given at the head of the chapter on perversions: A Matter of Taste.

-Wilfran Nichols

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