Chinese “face” and Chinese “apathy” reconsidered in dynamic relationship.
The many faces of Chinese “face”
Isham Cook
American essayist and novelist based in China since 1994. Writing philosophy: downmarket, big concept, provocative, discriminating, outrageous. Ballard, Beckett, Borges, Dick, Kafka, Hesse, Melville, Mishima, Sade are influences.
The breast etiquette project
A civilized approach to men’s obsession with the breasts.
Honesty, diligence, obedience: Why I support China’s Great Firewall
An openminded appreciation of the Great Firewall of China.
Massage and the Writer: Essays on Asian Massage
What if the antagonistic aspects of the massage practice—the therapeutic and the erotic—were seen as inseparable?
A massage school
There is no such thing as strictly nonsexual massage: massage is always already erotic.
The curious benefits of neurosis
Crucially, she has the “touch.” Love in her hands.
Coffee and massage in Burma
Burma’s burgeoning massage and café industries considered in tandem.
My lovely little oriental doll: On yellow fever
On the triteness of the “yellow fever” and “Asian fetish” clichés.
When poets speak of death: 100 aphorisms and epigrams on massage
“When poets speak of death, they call it the place without breasts.”
Men massaging men: Three countries
I am drawn to the seedy establishments, poorly lit portals to the underworld, busy inside with silent activity, chess games of intimate squalor.
In search of Malaysian massage
As obsessed with massage as Malays are, they delegate the business to the Chinese.
Japanese voyeur massage: Theories
The Japanese have come up with a means of catering to women who wish to act out exhibitionist massage fantasies.
Icon, index, symbol, semen
The guilty customer, I displayed the sardonic coat of arms on my clothing for all to see.
Massaging the masseuse in Beijing and Bangkok
“Money is just money. But sexual companionship is priceless.”
The Exact Unknown and Other Tales of Modern China
This pioneering collection of delightfully disturbing tales by one unruly foreigner dredges up comedy blacker than a black hole.
ISHAM COOK 