A Man’s Poetic View on Love: Thoughts on Dirty Pretty Things

Dirty Pretty Things (2014)

By Michael Faudet

Dirty Pretty Things is a poetry and prose book by Michael Faudet. If I could describe this work in one sentence, I would say, “It’s a book you should only read while in bed for reasons that one can guess are dirty and pretty at the same time.”

And what I mean by dirty and pretty is that he talks a lot about sex. More than half of his poems deal with this topic in some way as well as other topics relating to love. Now, it would be wrong to say that he is a pervert and only thinks about sex as opposed to true love & serious relationships. Instead, we should read this book as a love letter to one specific girl he has in mind.  He uses the act of sex as a way for him to express his desire and love for the girl.

He describes sex in a very explicit and poetic manner. It’s explicit in the content but poetic with his choice of words. Through his language, he conveys sex through a variety of euphemisms and emotions one has for a lover: desire, obsession, longing, and humor. Now, sex is a taboo topic not only in a verbal discussion but also in literature. I think it’s one of the most difficult scenes to write in a book and in a screenplay due to the fact that this action is usually kept private rather than being openly express to the public. However, Faudet doesn’t convey sex as a private matter. He openly expresses his emotions and physical desires to his readers in a way that doesn’t make one feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. In fact, usually sex is seen as a serious and intimate moment between partners, but in some of Faudet’s poetry, he downplays this aspect and brings humor to his readers as a way for them to feel comfortable in talking about such a taboo matter. I praise Faudet’s style of writing and being able to take on such a challenging topic. (You can consider me a fan of him.)

This book is meant for a mature audience: adults only (18+ and over). He has a lot of erotic writing and is a pretty humorous and “clever” guy.  So if you feel uncomfortable reading poetry about sex or can’t handle such “perverted” humor, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you. However, if you are emotionally mature and like reading love poetry, then I say pick this book up and read it. However, it is important to say that Faudet doesn’t represent all men’s thoughts on love and sex, but rather, this is his own individual perspective on it.

5/5

Disclosure Policy