Midas Dekkers

We spreken onbekommerd van tarwerassen, tulpenrassen, aardappelrassen, honden, tijger- en kippenrassen maar waar men over menselijke rassen spreekt, stuit men op een probleem. Omdat het ene ras zich beter waant dan het andere. Maar racistisch denken is een sociaal-cultureel, historisch gegeven. Met bestaande biologische verschillen heeft dat volgens Dekkers niks te maken.0Hij verkent het begrip ras zuiver biologisch: net als andere dieren kan de menselijke soort in rassen worden onderverdeeld. In 'Wat loopt daar?' (de titel is ontleend aan de beroemde eerste vogelgids 'Wat vliegt daar?') beschrijft en analyseert Midas Dekkers de mensen in al hun gedaanten zoals alleen hij dat kan: met verwondering, openheid, eenvoudig, gedetailleerd en vooral met liefde. Met de hem eigen humor en flair deelt hij zijn fenomenale kennis van de biologie. In tien wervelende hoofdstukken gaat hij in op de evolutie, natuurlijke selectie, de menselijke neiging tot categoriseren, op Darwin en de door hem bewonderde eerste grote taxonomen Linnaeus en Blumenbach.0Dekkers viert de variatie, heeft een goed oog voor het absurde en is niet bang voor het ongerijmde. Evenals in zijn andere boeken zijn de vele schitterende illustraties integraal onderdeel van het betoog.

een biologische kijk op rassen

Wat loopt daar?

A Celebration of Decay

The Way of All Flesh

De larf

een kleine biologie der letteren

Piep

De kleine verlossing of de lust van ontlasten

This text explores poeple's sexual attraction to animals as it is represented in art and popular culture. The book anaylses the last taboo of bestiality around the world in all its aspects.

On Bestiality

Dearest Pet

'People love animals—a stroke here, a pat there, a quick nuzzle in that gorgeous fur ... the amount of cuddling they get can make you jealous. In Holland, dogs are caressed more than people. Not as thoroughly, though: that one spot, somewhere down below, generally remains untouched ... ' Generally, but certainly not always. Kinsey's research showed that 8 per cent of men and 3.5 per cent of women had had sex with an animal, and that in rural areas the figure for men was closer to 50 per cent. Yet bestiality is almost universally condemned. While our love for animals is extolled as noble and 'natural', all erotic elements in the relationship between humans and other species are vilified and proscribed, thus consigning them to the realm of exotic pornography or crude innuendo. Even so, something remains of physical love for animals. In different forms, sublimated or occasionally celebrated, its traces can be found throughout art and popular culture: in Leda and the Swan, Beauty and the Beast or the Lorelei; in a lubricious menagerie of satyrs and centaurs, wolfmen and vampires, all the way through to King Kong and Fritz the Cat, pony clubs and amorous dolphins, or even advertisements for luxury catfoods. Dearest Pet uncovers and explores those traces, illuminating the ambivalence of human attitudes to cross-species sexuality. Its author, the biologist and broadcaster Midas Dekkers, has analysed bestiality in all its aspects—physical, psychological and legal—and examined its representations in religion and mythology, art and literature, pornography and advertising. Beautifully—and sometimes bizarrely—illustrated, his book is neither drily academic nor pruriently trivial, but erudite, witty and challenging: the first history of the last taboo. A book for animal lovers, and for those who are just their good friends.

A masterful writing style that is not only unique in biology but without equal in the whole of Dutch literature. The Story of Shit shows Dekkers once again to be in possession of a golden pen.’ New Scientist We are very discreet. We disappear into a small room, perform the task, flush, wash and reappear as if nothing happened. Of course, hygiene is necessary—some faecal bacteria, if re-ingested, can cause very serious problems—and unpleasant aromas are best kept at bay. But in all this hygienic discretion have we lost touch with an integral part of ourselves—something as much a part of living as breathing, eating and sleeping? Something enriching, creative and even enjoyable. In The Story of Shit, Dutch biologist Midas Dekkers presents a personal, cultural, scientific, historical and environmental account of shit, from the digestive process and the fascinating workings of the gut, to the act of defecation and toilet etiquette. With irreverent humour and a compelling narrative style, Dekkers brings a refreshing, entertaining and illuminating perspective to a once-taboo subject. Midas Dekkers is a bestselling Dutch writer and biologist. His books include Physical Exercise, The Way of All Flesh, Dearest Pet and The Larva. Nancy Forest-Flier is a Dutch-to-English translator. She was educated in the USA and now lives in the Netherlands. ‘Dekkers is a reservoir of knowledge (and shit). Fans of his humorous, distinctly European and meandering style of prose will enjoy The Story of Shit, which includes a collection of delightful black-and-white illustrations.’ Australian ‘For those who aren’t aware: we are not our brain, we are our gut. There is always that unmistakable Midas touch: his brilliant, sharp style makes it hard to suppress a laugh or a smile.’ Medisch Contact ‘Dekkers doesn’t hold back in his brimming history...You learn a lot...So, do I recommend a book that tells how the CIA tried using transmitters disguised as tiger turds to eavesdrop on the Viet Cong? Oh...faeces, yes.’ New Zealand Listener ‘It is such a wondrous thing when a scientist can explain facts in a humorous, straightforward and thrilling fashion.’ Toowoomba Chronicle ‘[A] remarkable foray into every aspect of diet, digestion and defecation...This is a fascinating, milestone work that should run out of bookshops like shit off a hot shovel.’ GPSpeak ‘A funny but earnest investigation—part social history, biology lesson and cultural study—that takes Chaucerian delight in the subject.’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘The Story of Shit is entertaining, amusing, educational and revealing...Sitting on the toilet will never be the same’ ArtsHub ‘A fascinating, very funny look at something common to us all.’ Daily Telegraph ‘[An] utterly unique, bizarre and interesting take on this universal-yet-taboo topic...Dekkers is an enthusiastic proponent of crap.’ AU Review ‘Intestinal fortitude required. Prudes beware.’ North & South ‘Packed with humour..The Story of Shit is an enjoyable romp through culture, science, and history.’ Australian Book Review

The Story of Shit

Vergelijkend overzicht van biologische metamorfosen: van de ontpopping van larve tot vlinder tot de overgang van kind naar volwassene.

Cultuurhistorische studie over veroudering en vergankelijkheid van mens en dier, voorwerpen en gebouwen.

De vergankelijkheid

Argues that decline and decay are not merely inevitable, but represent a most important stage in existence, with beauties of its own, and that trying to avoid or conceal it is a sign of shallowness.

Midas Dekkers

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