Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (1997) Winner
Alexander Comfort
アレックス・コンフォート
Alex Comfort
Pen Names:
Obadiah Hornbrooke（Pseudonym used for an open letter/poem）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1920-02-10 （London (Palmers Green), England）
- Died
- 2000-03-26 （Oxfordshire, England） age 80
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Palmers Green, London → Barnet (Hertfordshire / London suburb) → Santa Barbara, California (brief) → Kent (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Physician, Gerontologist, Poet, Sexologist, Political theorist
- Active Years
- 1940-2000
- Affiliations
- 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)
- Memberships
- Peace Pledge Union (PPU), Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Committee of 100 (anti-nuclear group), Conchological Society
- Influenced By
- Albert Camus, William Blake (influence on some fiction)
- Influenced
- Writers and practitioners in popular sex education and sexology, Researchers who popularised gerontology
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highgate School | — | — | — | 初等〜中等教育 | United Kingdom |
| Trinity College, University of Cambridge | Faculty of Medicine | Medicine | MB BChir | 1939–1944 | United Kingdom |
| University of London | — | Physiology / Gerontology | PhD (1949), DSc (1962) | 1944–1962 | United Kingdom |
Highgate School
Period:
初等〜中等教育
Country:
United Kingdom
Secondary education. Developed interest in molluscs.
Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Faculty of Medicine
/ Medicine
Degree:
MB BChir
Period:
1939–1944
Year of Graduation:
1944
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied medicine; qualified MB BChir in 1944.
University of London
Physiology / Gerontology
Degree:
PhD (1949), DSc (1962)
Period:
1944–1962
Year of Graduation:
1949
Country:
United Kingdom
PhD in 1949 (molluscan shell pigments); DSc in gerontology in 1962.
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Joy of Sex
1972 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 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 Political theory / essaysEssays on authority and the role of the modern state, written from an anti-authoritarian/anarchist perspective.
AnarchismAnti-authoritarianismPolitical ethics
Bibliography
- 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)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Plain, practical explanatory proseCombination of scientific/academic writing with essayistic and poetic expressionUse of humour and irony
- Recurring Motifs
- Aging and mortalitySexual freedom and intimacyCritique of authority and nonviolent resistance
Health
-
Cerebral haemorrhage1991以降After a severe cerebral haemorrhage in 1991, his son acted as caretaker and manager; public and professional activities were greatly reduced.
Legacy
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.
Academic Societies
- Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland (member)
Archives
- Comfort Papers (UCL Special Collections)
In Popular Culture
- Became widely known as 'Dr. Sex' following The Joy of Sex.
- Frequently cited as part of the popular literature of the 1970s sexual revolution.
Quotes
-
The bombardment of Europe is not the work of soldiers nor of responsible statesmen. It is the work of bloodthirsty fools.
Source: Letter to the Tribune (2 April 1943) (1943)
Trivia
- 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.