Thy Neighbor's Wife (book)

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Thy Neighbor's Wife
Thy Neighbor's Wife.jpg
Author Gay Talese
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
1981, update 2009
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
ISBN 978-0-06-166543-1

Thy Neighbor's Wife is a non-fiction book by Gay Talese, published in 1981 and updated in 2009. [1] [2]

The book is an exploration of sexuality in America from after World War II through the 1970s, with notable discussion of the free love subculture. It provides a snapshot of liberated pre-AIDS sexual morality.

In preparation for writing the book, Talese resided for several months at clothing-optional resort Sandstone Retreat. [3]

In 1979, prior to the book's publication, United Artists purchased the film rights to Thy Neighbor's Wife for $2.5 million, which at the time was the largest amount ever paid for film rights to any book. [4] At the time, UA contemplated making as many as three films based on the book, [4] and in 1980, William Friedkin agreed to write and direct the first film, which he contemplated would receive an X rating. [5] However, as of 2023, no film has been made. [6]

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Thy Neighbor's Wife may refer to:

Parents' Day is a 1951 novel by Paul Goodman. Written as autobiographical fiction based on the author's experiences teaching at the upstate New York progressive boarding school Manumit during the 1943–1944 year, the book's narrator grapples with his homosexuality and explores a series of sexual attractions and relationships that culminates in his being fired by the school. Goodman wrote the novel as part of a Reichian self-analysis begun in 1946 to better understand his own life. He struggled to find a publisher and ultimately self-published through a friend's small press. Reviewers remarked on unease in Goodman's sexual revelations, lack of self-awareness, and lack of coherence in the text. Parents' Day sold poorly and has been largely forgotten, save for some recognition as an early gay American novel.

References

  1. Talese, Gay (January 1, 1980). Thy Neighbor's Wife. Garden City: Doubleday Books. pp.  568. ISBN   978-0385006323. OCLC   6041425.
  2. Talese, Gay (April 14, 2009). Thy Neighbor's Wife. Harper Perennial. p. 608. ISBN   978-0061665431. OCLC   232978247.
  3. Frayser, Suzanne G; Whitby, Thomas J (June 15, 1995). Studies in Human Sexuality: A Selected Guide. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 663–664. ISBN   978-1563081316. OCLC   246859790.
  4. 1 2 Schwartz, Tony (1979-10-09). "U.A. Pays $2.5 Million For Book by Gay Talese". The New York Times . p. C9. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  5. Bach, Steven (1985). Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate. New York: New American Library. p.  379. ISBN   0451400364.
  6. See Walls, Jeannette (1991-11-18). "Talese Gooses His Neighbor's Wife". New York . p. 12. Retrieved 2019-01-22., discussing the fact that the film had not been made as of 1991.