In a recent New York Times article, author John Colapinto was featured and a discussion ensued about the lost art of the "male-centric literary sex novel."  The discussion of the change in how sex is presented in literary novels, particularly by male authors, has taken place several times over the last few years. This type of novel, which at one point was ubiquitous in the publishing world, has fallen out of favor. Mr. Colapinto had a hard time selling his latest, Undone, because publishing houses felt it was too risqué, despite being well written. The landscape of the writing world has changed and while sex isn't  bad for sales (see the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon), when it comes to literary fiction, the story is a bit different.

The word "literary" is used to describe writing that is considered to be more about style and the presentation of certain ideas or the ethos of the writer. This also means that it is not unusual for literary novels to tackle more controversial subject matters (Huffington Post). Often times these types of novels are held to a higher standard. While sex has gone in and out of fashion as a viable subject of interest in such novels, it became a common theme for some of the more popular classic male authors. Yet in recent times it is rare to find writers, especially male, who want to tackle the issue. In her essay on the topic for the New York Times Katie Roiphe discussed why the change may have occurred. "This generation of writers is suspicious of what Michael Chabon, in Wonder Boys, calls "the artificial hopefulness of sex." "They are good guys, sensitive guys, and if their writing is denuded of a certain carnality, if it lacks a sense of possibility, of expansiveness, of the bewildering, transporting effects of physical love, it is because of a certain cultural shutting down, a deep, almost puritanical disapproval of their literary forebears and the shenanigans they lived through." (New York Times)

People read for different reasons, some to escape and some to learn about new things. Whatever the reason a variety of voices deserve to be heard, not because they necessarily make us feel good or safe but instead because they make us think and acknowledge voices outside of our own. There is a great discussion of taboo subjects in literature in an episode of The Librarian is In podcast called We Love Men!

So who are these authors that once upon a time were unafraid to discuss the male sexual psyche? Below is a list of those from the aforementioned articles along with some of their well-known titillating novels.

Classic Authors

• Saul Bellow -  Herzog, Dangling Man
• Philip Roth - Portnoy's Complaint,  The Humbling
• Norman Mailer - An American Dream
• John Updike -  Couples, The Rabbit Series
• John O'Hara -  Appointment in Samarra, Butterfield 8
• Henry Miller -  Sexus, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn
• Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita, Ada

Contemporary Authors

• John Colapinto - Undone
• Jonathan Franzen - Purity
• Nicholson Baker - Vox, House of Holes: A Book of Raunch

Other Resources

Databases

• Literature Criticism Online - Search a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras and genres through a combined or individual search of a set of 10 literary series from Gale.
• Literature Resource Center - Features information on literary figures from all time periods in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism.

Articles

• "John Colapinto Revives the Male-Centric Literary Sex Novel" New York Times
• "The Naked and the Conflicted" New York Times
• "Literary and Mainstream Novels: What's the Difference?" Huffington Post
• "He Told the Truth About His Time" (Article on John O'Hara), The New Yorker
• "A Rosier Crucifixion: The Erotic World of Henry Miller" The Paris Review
• "The Secret of Nabokov's Sexual Style" The Guardian
• "Catching Saul Bellow's Mind in Constant, Roiling Action" The New Yorker

Think anyone is missing from this list? Feel free to comment below with some of your favorites!