Akbar Del Piombo (1921–1991)

Akbar del Piombo was a pseudonym of Norman Rubington, and the works he published in this way have a unique flavour of erotic humour which is at times superb in their debauchery and in the way he sets up his erotic scenarios. ‘Cosimo’s Wife’ is the key work, and others are variations on this theme or, at best, innovative developments on it. This book has essentially two parts, of which the first is easily the best. The whole is set in a country house which is constantly falling down, a fact that barely interests the participants in the continuous orgies that take place for the amusement of a multitude of titled aristocrats. The first part amusingly details some of the many liaisons and encounters that together make up the orgiastic continuum, including the arrival of Henry Pike, a character from the earlier books. The impression given by the second part is one of an attempt, not particularly successful, to provide the orgy with some meaning and texture. As with all of the del Piombo novels, this one is entertaining, but not stunningly so.… (mer)

ב 1965 כשהייתי פעם ראשונה בחיי בפאריז עם הורי, קניתי את הספר הזה (למעשה ביחד עם עוד שני ספרים אחרים של המחבר בכריכה אחת) באחד הדוכנים שעל יד הסינה. היות והוא היה עטוף צלופן לא היה לי מושג מה אני קונה בכספי היקר. כשהתברר לי - נדהמתי. כך התוודעתי לראשונה לפורנוגרפיה אמיתית ועוד באיכות טובה ולהוצאת אולימפיה.… (mer)

This book is a re-titling of del Piombo's 'Skirts', printed from the same plates by the same publisher and (apparently) in the same year. Such irritating practices are all too common in publishing within the erotic literature genre. Akbar del Piombo is believed to be an alias for Norman Rubington, perhaps best known for his 'Cosimo's Wife'. 'Arena of Lust' is in the same vein of erotic literature, being a light-hearted romp written in the sixties, presaging the explosive liberalisation of this genre pioneered in the USA by Grove Press. It tells the story of a young man whose prospects are slim, but concentrated in the size and potency of his male appendage. Once he realises the potential of this instrument he finds himself the centre of insatiable demand from the whole female population, and the envy, even jealousy, of their male consorts. The story told is amusing, involving orgies and an uncomfortable spell in an Eastern harem, involving a set of droll comrades and a number of doting devotees of the arts for which his anatomy makes him ideally suited. Del Piombo's books are worthy classics, firmly embedded in the best literary traditions, if only on the surreal fringes of these traditions.… (mer)