I have no idea where I found this book In South Africa, seeing that there were strict censorship laws at the time. It did go on a bit and seemed to be totally unrealistic

Who would have thought my local public library would stock this book, and what is more, place it in a prominent place amongst the recommended bookshelf for all to see. haha.

When i saw it on the shelf, and read a bit of it, I was wondering who will be the people brave enough to proclaim their sexuality or their willingness to read pornography by borrowing the book.
I, of course, dont care who knows , so i borrowed it and did not bother to hide it either. I think gone are the days when we are ashamed of our sexuality. Certainly, it is true of me.

This is a sex book describing in detail about all the gay and straight sex amongst the low life in a port. Printed in 1973, it would not be possible to write this and find a publisher for it nowadays. There is necrophilia,underage sex (this one will make it unpublishable nowadays), and rape of a woman, and gay sex between black and white men. I daresay in 1973 anyone of these would be taboo, nevermind all of them in a book.

The author is a black man who is still alive and a professor of english in an american university. He can be found in google.

Is it really as nasty or erotic as they say? I must be a jaded gay man, because i found the things done in the book not really shocking. As for erotic, some parts are i suppose but it did not really make me go hard. maybe i m not into those things depicted in the book. necrophilia, underage sex, straight sex, dont really interest me.But perhaps I am not shocked because I have lived a bit and have seen and done a lot of sexual things and so I am not so easily shocked.

I think the main reason i m not aroused is the way he wrote. It is in a staccato style, and sometimes it is not easy to figure out what is being said, or what it is referring to.

My friend has told me of more shocking things going on in a sex club in berlin.

Either the things going on in the real world in 1973 are quite tame by our standards, or are much more shocking than anything in fiction and delany knows it, but has been rather restrained about writing about them, knowing that if he were to really write about the things people get up to, he would never be allowed to publish the book or be accused of making it all up. Or Delany made it all up.

As it is, the book publisher was hounded and the books seized.

How did my local library got this copy? and how come it was not pulped or disposed off as so many other less pornographic books have been?

Just curious. I am glad it is available in my library.

Added 26.11.09. I checked my library account and this book is not entered. So no record that i have borrowed it nor any return date.

Added. I mentioned it to the librarian when i returned the book and he said he knows, it is not entered into the computer.