cover image THE LOVER'S COMPANION: Art and Poetry of Desire

THE LOVER'S COMPANION: Art and Poetry of Desire

, . . Abrams, $29.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-8109-3491-7

Two experts in the fields of psychology, art and sex have teamed up to put together this layered, pleasantly gossipy book. Sullivan, a social psychologist who has edited 10 literature and art anthologies, redacts the writings of the famed Dr. Ruth Westheimer, sex therapist. Dividing the book into chapters like "Awareness," "Our Bodies," One-Night Stands" and "Enduring Love," Sullivan pairs a chosen poem with a work of art (mostly paintings of female nudes) and a musing by Dr. Ruth (in a no-nonsense, sans-serif font). A Pierre Bonnard painting called The Toilette and an Alan Dienstag poem called "Sylvia" are used to illustrate the condition of retarded ejaculation. Opposite a Balthus painting of an adolescent girl, Westheimer describes how her height in childhood gave her angst about never marrying. The full-color art encompasses the photography of Man Ray and Cindy Sherman, the paintings of Braque, Dalí and Degas, and even an occasional piece of sculpture. Baudelaire's "Giantess" mirrors Gottfried Helnwein's Lulu, a giantess in garters—other juxtapositions are more of an artistic stretch. As a stimulus to sexual reflection, this book works both subtly and directly; in the "Nobody's Perfect" chapter, Dr. Ruth suggests a visit to an art museum for people too ashamed of their bodies to bare them to their mates. While this is a practical book, some potential buyers may balk at the unlikely ménage à trois of high art, verse and sex advice. (Feb.)