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Alexander Comfort

アレックス・コンフォート

Alex Comfort

ペンネーム: Obadiah Hornbrooke（Pseudonym used for an open letter/poem）

プロフィール

性別
男性
生誕
1920-02-10 （London (Palmers Green), England）
死没
2000-03-26 （Oxfordshire, England） 80歳
国籍
British
言語
English
居住地歴
Palmers Green, London → Barnet (Hertfordshire / London suburb) → Santa Barbara, California (brief) → Kent (later life)

経歴

職業
Author, Physician, Gerontologist, Poet, Sexologist, Political theorist
活動期間
1940年〜2000年
所属
The London Hospital (staff), London Hospital Medical College (lecturer), Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland (member), Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions (short-term affiliation)
所属団体
Peace Pledge Union (PPU), Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Committee of 100 (anti-nuclear group), Conchological Society
影響を受けた人物
Albert Camus, William Blake (influence on some fiction)
影響を与えた人物
Writers and practitioners in popular sex education and sexology, Researchers who popularised gerontology

学歴

Highgate School
期間: 初等〜中等教育
国: United Kingdom
Secondary education. Developed interest in molluscs.
Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Faculty of Medicine / Medicine
学位: MB BChir
期間: 1939–1944
卒業年: 1944
国: United Kingdom
Studied medicine; qualified MB BChir in 1944.
University of London
Physiology / Gerontology
学位: PhD (1949), DSc (1962)
期間: 1944–1962
卒業年: 1949
国: United Kingdom
PhD in 1949 (molluscan shell pigments); DSc in gerontology in 1962.

受賞・候補エディション

作品

代表作

The Joy of Sex

1972年 Non-fiction (sex manual / popular sexology)

An illustrated popular manual discussing sexual techniques and intimacy; became internationally influential during the sexual revolution of the 1970s.

Sex educationIntimacyPractical guidance

The Biology of Senescence

1956年 Non-fiction (biology / gerontology)

A work on the biological aspects of aging that helped popularise biogerontology.

AgingBiologyLife expectancy research

Authority and Delinquency in the Modern State

1950年 Political theory / essays

Essays on authority and the role of the modern state, written from an anti-authoritarian/anarchist perspective.

AnarchismAnti-authoritarianismPolitical ethics

全著作

  • No Such Liberty (novel, 1941)
  • A Wreath for the Living (poetry, 1942)
  • The Biology of Senescence (1956)
  • The Joy of Sex (1972)
  • More Joy of Sex (1974)
  • The New Joy of Sex (1992)
  • Authority and Delinquency in the Modern State (1950)
  • Peace and Disobedience (pamphlet, 1946)
  • I and That: Notes on the Biology of Religion (1980)
  • Imperial Patient (historical novel, 1987)

作風・主題

文体
Plain, practical explanatory proseCombination of scientific/academic writing with essayistic and poetic expressionUse of humour and irony
頻出モチーフ
Aging and mortalitySexual freedom and intimacyCritique of authority and nonviolent resistance

健康

  • Cerebral haemorrhage
    1991以降
    After a severe cerebral haemorrhage in 1991, his son acted as caretaker and manager; public and professional activities were greatly reduced.

評価・遺産

Alex Comfort gained international fame for The Joy of Sex, but left multifaceted contributions in gerontology, anarchist political writing and poetry. His papers are held at UCL.

関連学会

  • Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland (member)

資料所蔵先

  • Comfort Papers (UCL Special Collections)

大衆文化への影響

  • Became widely known as 'Dr. Sex' following The Joy of Sex.
  • Frequently cited as part of the popular literature of the 1970s sexual revolution.

引用

  • The bombardment of Europe is not the work of soldiers nor of responsible statesmen. It is the work of bloodthirsty fools.
    出典: Letter to the Tribune (2 April 1943) (1943年)

豆知識

  • As a youth he lost his left hand in a gunpowder experiment, leaving only the thumb.
  • Achieved great commercial success with The Joy of Sex and the nickname 'Dr. Sex', which he found frustrating.
  • Deposited his archives (Comfort Papers) at University College London in 1973; supplemented by a later donation from his son.
  • Was known to frequent the Sandstone Retreat, a clothing-optional community in California.