Intimacies

A friend asked me to find this book for her - no problem, item exactly as described. Thanks!

This collaborative effort by Leo Bersani and Adam Phillips extends the theoretical work of the former in important ways. Those familiar with Bersani will know that he is one of the most eloquent voices in queer theory, psychoanalysis, and the history of aesthetics writing today. This pithy volume, running at exactly 125pp., presents three chapters written by Bersani and a fourth by Phillips. Taken together, Bersani's contributions draw from Freud and Lacan to theorize intimacy beyond the self-satisfying pleasures of self-/ego-preservation; Phillips, in turn, assesses Bersani's work in view of what it might mean to forge "impersonal relationalities" in our world.It should be noted that Bersani is building on previous work here: that is, it takes some familiarity with the psychoanalytic literature in order to appreciate fully the force of his critique. Moreover, Bersani's prose is characteristically dense, perhaps even more so in a book so short in length (note that the margins are wide and the 12-point font is easy on the eyes) yet so powerful in theoretical acumen. With those caveats, readers might take up *Intimacies* for advanced study in: aesthetics (Chapter 1, on Henry James's *The Beast in the Jungle* and the French film *Intimate Strangers*); queer theory (Chapter 2, on the culture of barebacking); and social theory (Chapter 3, on the problem of "evil" in our contemporary moment).While Chapters 1 and 3 cover familiar terrain for longstanding readers of Bersani, Chapter 2, I found, opens up new directions for theorizing sexuality. In his account of barebacking, Bersani turns to "pre-modern" expressions of religious piety -- namely the Quietist practice of "pure love" -- to explain how the putative "self-destructiveness" of unprotected gay male sex bespeaks something more radical: the ascetic discipline of ego-indifference, a kind of "pure" impersonality. Without "celebrating" barebacking as such, Bersani wants to acknowledge that there is something valuable in its mode of relating to others precisely through "self-divestiture."Chapter 2 is the most insightful, and original, work in queer theory I've read since the much-debated turn to "gay shame" took place in the field with the publication of Lee Edelman's *No Future*. I find Bersani here to be a more convincing theorist of the limits of relationality than Edelman. I also think his attempt to craft a theory of love (in Chapter 3) through the notion of "impersonal narcissism" is more supple and engaging than Edelman's repetitive missives against heteronormative reproductivity.The one reservation I have about this book is that the self-described "dialogue" between Bersani and Phillips isn't executed to great effect. Phillips is an able respondent to Bersani, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that their exchange was a little uneven. After following Bersani patiently construct his theoretical lattice from Chapters 1 through 3, I found Phillips's response to be a bit of a distraction, if not an "anticlimax." No doubt Bersani would have fun with my feeling of being let down (i.e., "Could it have been any other way?"). Still, I think the book could have been stronger as a monograph, with Bersani composing a longer Conclusion and integrating certain of Phillips's points into the text of his critique.A final note: Bersani bases much of his discussion of barebacking on Tim Dean's research on the topic. Dean has just published his book on barebacking, titled *Unlimited Intimacy*, with the University of Chicago Press. I haven't read this book yet, but I imagine it will prove a useful analogue to *Intimacies*.

Leo Bersani, with some interspersed comment by Adam Phillips, continues his theme of the shattering of the traditional psychoanalytic ego in limit experiences. Bersani has been developing this line of thought for a number of years and presents it with an always interesting combination of erudition (here an analysis of Henry James' "Beast in the Jungle") with contemporary gay issues (here "barebacking").

Filled with errors. Just a waste of money.

A great help in writing an essay on the non-conscious forces that direct our consciousness and actions.If you want to read more, my paper is posted here:[...]