A sexually explicit illustrated Book of Genesis by controversial artist Robert Crumb, which features Bible characters having intercourse, has been condemned by religious groups.
Aside from the explicit sex scenes, The Book of Genesis by Robert Crumb
Crumb is famous for his “Fritz the Cat” cartoons.
Religious leaders have stated that since the bible is part of people’s religion, it has to be treated differently than other themes and that Crumb is wrong to make this version of Genesis. Mike Judge, of the Christian Institute:
“It is turning the Bible into titillation. It seems wholly inappropriate for what is essentially God’s rescue plan for mankind. If you are going to publish your own version of the Bible it must be done with a great deal of sensitivity. The Bible is a very important text to many many people and should be treated with the respect it deserves. Representing it in your own way is all very well and good but it must be remembered that it is a matter of people’s faith, their religion. Faith is such an important part of people’s lives that one must remember to tread very carefully.”
Clearly, Crumb is going to hell.
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I just glanced at this in our local B/N store. It has the typical crumb “underground comic” style to it, but it’s pretty good.
I must say that I remember my mother getting me a set of “bible books” from somewhere when I was quite young – an illustrated series of books going through the old testament. there weren’t any “humping” drawings, but there were scores of naked people getting tormented in hell, and enduring terrible deaths in the famous cities. crumb’s take isn’t new, it’s the fact (I think this is true) that his book is meant to be a “shot” at genesis rather than edumacation for the religious that has them tied up in knots.
I’m totally ordering a copy next time I’m at Amazon. But from what I’ve seen, it isn’t a shot at Genesis, just a faithful illustration of it. The only way in which it’s a shot is that it clearly presents what they’d rather obfuscate.
One more comment – when I use the link Greg gives for this, I get to an Amazon site where the price is given as $400 ? That is actually for a limited run high quality edition made from his new yorker cartoons. the book I saw at B/N was about $25.
Clearly the price of sinning varies widely with print quality.
Now it points to the regular non $400.00 edition.
Unfortunately there is “No Image Available” on Amazon.
Received my copy today (I’m in Africa)and read it through. A stroke of genius to use Alter’s text in large parts. It is entirely accurate (well, the snake bit reminded me a bit of that oddballIcke). The text explicitly states when some of the Biblical ancestors had intercourse, so what’s wrong with picturing something the text will have you imagine anyway? Of course the fundamental question is why fundamentalism is bothered by a fundamental and accurate portrayal of the text. If the text is accurate in every detail of its its telling, why is an accurate picture of an accurate text upsetting? What it does, of course, and kudos to Crumb, is face fundamentalists with what the text actually looks like, and they find that untenable. Long may Crumb work to complete the Pentateuch.
It was clear, a long, long time ago, that Crumb was going to hell. 😉
It was clear, a long, long time ago, that Crumb had already gone to hell — and demonstrated through his rockin’ comics that it was a place that inspired genius (naturally…)8^)
Somebody really needs to introduce these tight-asses to a collection of early Medieval psalters… (Although I guess they’d just write them off as Papist.)
I remember back when the movie ‘Ghandi’ was being filmed. There were many Indians at the time protesting that he should not be portrayed by an actor, but by a point of light. But we know what Ghandi ate; we know what he wore; we know what disciples he diddled. We know the same sort of things about Adam. Why not simply present the ‘facts’. I recall once arriving very early at a Gustav Leonhardt harpsichord recital, and my date and I were conversing when he came out to tune the instrument. A lady a row behind us took offense and shushed us loudly, saying, ‘That is the Artist!’ Some people just like to put things on pedestals. I do, too, which is why I always am misplacing my coffee mug.
i read this last week. it’s completely faithful to the Biblical text – isn’t a parody in any way. nevertheless, i enjoyed it. Crumb’s illustrations really make the stories flow in a way that the text could never do. even the “begats” are tolerable, because you get to look at dozens of clever little portraits of ancient proto-Jews.
Golly! The way the believers are behaving you’d think their book was the Koran or something.
chinese lady have twisted vjjs