Micropenis Excites NY Publishing House

aruna · Jul 14, 2007

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2765565.ece

Author's nude drawings too hot for US publisher

By Tony Paterson in Berlin

Published: 13 July 2007

One of Germany's best-selling children's authors is embroiled in an extraordinary transatlantic row about nudity after a US publisher refused to accept one of her books because it contained naive sketches of an art gallery with works depicting naked bodies.
Rotraut Susanne Berner's illustrated "Wimmel" books about the everyday lives of adults and children have won international acclaim and are best-sellers in 13 countries from Japan to the Faroe Islands.
But the 59-year-old author said her American publisher had refused to accept her latest book for US distribution because it contained elements deemed potentially offensive, including drawings of people naked or smoking. Berner said her US publisher, Boyds Mills Press, had objected in particular to one of her illustrations which showed adults and children in an art gallery where the portrait of a naked woman was on show together with a seven millimetre high sculpture of a naked man exhibiting a barely discernible penis.

A picture of the offending penis is here.

Devil Ledbetter · Jul 15, 2007

Wow. That's less graphic than Sendak's The Night Kitchen, which got published (and is a household favorite).

Pagey's_Girl · Jul 15, 2007

[eyeroll] Peeps, get real. They're body parts. It's not gonna hurt anyone to see them.[/eyeroll]

(The picture in question is cute, I think. I don't think it's offensive at all.)

And that might go nicely with the fresh-cut ones at the nursery.

Edit - the peeps in question are the publisher, BTW. Not anyone here...

robeiae · Jul 15, 2007

It doesn't have a condom on.

dpaterso · Jul 15, 2007

If the exhibit plaque had been positioned on the woman's side then the artist could argue that she was reading the plaque, but she is plainly fixated on the penis, and her wistful smile says she finds it very attractive indeed. I find that personally demeaning since no one has ever showed that amount of interest in my penis, and it's much bigger than the size of that entire figure!

-Derek

rhymegirl · Jul 15, 2007

dpaterso said:
If the exhibit plaque had been positioned on the woman's side then the artist could argue that she was reading the plaque, but she is plainly fixated on the penis, and her wistful smile says she finds it very attractive indeed. I find that personally demeaning since no one has ever showed that amount of interest in my penis, and it's much bigger than the size of that entire figure!

-Derek

And HER nose is bigger than his penis.

aruna · Jul 15, 2007

rhymegirl said:
And HER nose is bigger than his penis.

So is his.
There must be a Freudian message in this somewhere.

Devil Ledbetter · Jul 15, 2007

rhymegirl said:
And HER nose is bigger than his penis.

So is his!

robeiae · Jul 15, 2007

OBVIOUSLY, it's a statue of Cyrano de Bergerac. Sheesz...

aadams73 · Jul 15, 2007

I think I dated him...

rhymegirl · Jul 15, 2007

robeiae said:
OBVIOUSLY, it's a statue of Cyrano de Bergerac. Sheesz...

Jean Marie · Jul 15, 2007

aadams73 said:
I think I dated him...

He wasn't any good for you, aadams...that's my brother.

maestrowork · Jul 15, 2007

That gives the brand Microsoft a whole different meaning.

Christine N. · Jul 15, 2007

I was gonna say something about IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN, but someone beat me to it.

That pee-pee is much more prominent and is practically on every single page!

People need to get over themselves. (Yes, I said pee-pee; my son(4) calls his a winkie or a wee-wee. He'd laugh himself silly if he saw that book, because little kids think all that stuff is hysterical.He rolls on the floor laughing if I say 'fart'.)

veinglory · Jul 15, 2007

People do look at the nekkidness in art, I think that's kind of the point. Wow. Does this mean actual classical art is not allowed for kids there hmm?

tourdeforce · Jul 15, 2007

I had assumed that this thread was going to be about a deal for Karl Rove's memoirs.

Writeagain · Jul 15, 2007

So what if it's micro now, it's when he makes it macro that's important!

JoniBGoode · Jul 15, 2007

dpaterso said:
... she is plainly fixated on the penis, and her wistful smile says she finds it very attractive indeed. I find that personally demeaning since no one has ever showed that amount of interest in my penis, and it's much bigger than the size of that entire figure!

-Derek

Derek- I'm not reading that smile as wistful attraction. I'm reading it as bemused, as in, "How on earth could they possibly think that little thing is so important?"

Kevin Yarbrough · Jul 15, 2007

Tom Thumb eat your heart out. Lock up Thumbelina and grab the ammunition.

dpaterso · Jul 16, 2007

JoniBGoode said:
Derek- I'm not reading that smile as wistful attraction. I'm reading it as bemused, as in, "How on earth could they possibly think that little thing is so important?"

But look at her rosy cheeks, she's having a hot flush just standing there, clearly it's a molten lava moment -- and good heavens, is it my imagination or has her blouse just popped open? Thank goodness for censorship! Gentler souls must be protected from such blatant displays of oozing female sexuality.

-Derek

Stijn Hommes · Jul 16, 2007

Oh, the horror! </sarcasm>
If a drawing like that is considered offensive enough to not print it, I fear for the cultural education of US kids. They probably wouldn't see half the art on display in galleries if those little-minded publishers got their way...

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 16, 2007

Wow. That's just...sad.

Now children will never know the joy of micropenis man. I mean, art.

Seriously, do these people allow their kids to got to art galleries? This hatred for the human form saddens me.

Micropenis Excites NY Publishing House

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