The Manipulated Man

by Esther Vilar

Book Overview

Esther Vilar's classic polemic about the relationship between the sexes caused a sensation on its first publication. In her introduction to this revised edition, Vilar maintains that very little has changed. A man is a human being who works, while a woman chooses to let a man provide for her and her children in return for carefully dispensed praise and sex.
Vilar's perceptive, thought-provoking and often very funny look at the battle between the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1905177178
• ISBN13: 9781905177172
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Pinter & Martin Ltd
• Length: 155 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

A brilliant eye-opener

This is one of the most enlightening books I've ever read. Esther Vilar is one of the few women who dare to criticize their own sex and the way feminism is going. But she makes clear that she *does* want women to be emancipated - as long as they are willing to accept responsibilities the way men do. Vilar is able to explain why discrimination against women in the professional world is women's own fault: the pay cheque of a man who is prepared to support his wife for years is more valuable and necessary than the pay cheque of a woman who won't support a man and who insists on a money-earning husband.Quote: "The 'woman with a family' - the woman who supports a healthy man and his children all her life - is practically unknown in the professional world. Who should be held responsible for this situation: employer or woman?" (to be found in the last but one chapter, the one about Women's Lib)It may seem impolite when I say it, but it's a plain fact that most women only marry men who want to earn money and that women - at the same time - have the nerve to say that no man wants to stay at home anyway...It's also a plain fact that Esther Vilar has been the victim of censorship (however "unofficial" censorship it may be): in the most important Western country, the U.S., The Manipulated Man has been removed from many libraries, most of her other work is not even sold in English. TV stations, magazines and papers in most Western countries constantly ignore everything Esther Vilar writes and says. Coincidence? Besides, there are many people on the Internet who claim that they've read her books, but deliberately tell lies about her books: e.g. they say that Vilar is old-fashioned and that she wants women to stay at home - a simple lie. Some anonymous people even insult Vilar's fans, using offensive words - the main characteristic of those haters is their unability to discuss the real *contents* of Vilar's books and to give reasons for their opinions......and so I really wonder how much time will pass until everyone finally realizes that *both* men and women can benefit from this book. I like the text on the back of the cover which says: "[...] But Vilar's intention is not misogynous. She maintains that only if men and women look at their place in society with honesty, will there be any hope for change."

Exposes the Truly Matri-focal Nature of Human Society

One of the best books of social criticism of the late twentieth century. This tome is perhaps one of the most insightful and clever exposes of the myth that human society is "dominated" by males. Esther Vilar (b. 1935), a physician and playright now living in Spain, reveals the incredibly manipulative and Machiavellian practices of her own gender. The bottom line? Women do not have to be clever, educated, or intelligent: So long as men are willing to compromise their own careers, finances, and physical selves to gain sexual access to females, women do not need to exert themselves. Instead, women allow men to live as worker-drones. The bizarre irony is that men are actually allowed (and encouraged) to believe that males are "in charge." Through cold calculation and an acute, business-like detachment, human females deliberately allow themselves to be thought "helpless" and "deficient." Why? Because pitying males satisfy there own silly egos by actually believing they are "rescuing" the ladies. This clever ruse only allows women the ability to attain their own ultimate goal of staying home, having children, and imbibing in trite social activities. A superb book that not only exposes the absurdity and hypocrisy of "feminism," but will convince any well-read and worldly male to avoid marriage (Is it any wonder this book is not printed in the US?). This book cannot be recommended enough. Vilar's easy-going yet razor-sharp writing style--when combined with her pithy observations about female power--will prove unsettling to any male with the guts or the brains to actually read her book. Outstanding!

A counterweight to ubiquitous feminist claptrap

Vilar's polemic slashes at the fabric of society. She states clearly and simply what many men and women suspect but dare not say: that men are women's slaves, not the reverse. Anyone interested in the gender wars must read this book. Anyone in Women's Studies, who trulyIs Vilar's version of things correct? Is this the truth? For me, it is as much the "truth" as anything MacKinnon, Dworkin, Steinem or Faludi might write. The difference is that radical feminist writers receive national exposure and speaking engagements for their radical views, while Vilar, equally radical, receives death threats and near-anonymity. If men are really the oppressors then why can MacKinnon and Steinem publish and speak openly, while Vilar is thoroughly suppressed? ....... Vilar's work, far from reinforcing traditional stereotypes, blows them wide open. She characterizes men as industrious and intelligent, but dupes. She writes that women are vapid and lazy, but also in command. It's enough to set Dworkin groupies AND conservative senators foaming at the mouth. Far from bolstering "traditional" viewpoints, it offends dogmatists on both sides of the fence.The only unfortunate aspect of the reprint is that the material is dated. Although it is possible for a sympathetic reader to find present-day examples and view contemporary phenomena through her lens, it's annoying that the examples in the book seem to apply better to the 1950's than the year 2000. There is a new foreword by the author in which she states that nothing has changed in thirty years, but I would have preferred that she had updated the book to clearly demonstrate that argument, rather than leaving it to the reader. Vilar claims that the changes brought about by Women's Liberation are superficial, and she has a chapter on the topic, but the rest of the book hasn't caught up. As such, her work is less convincing than it could be.

The bible

The truth contained in this book is the most difficult thing for a man raised in the US to accept. Every cell in your body will recoil at first reading. You will think of every excuse and exception imaginable to not accept the simple truth presented in the pages. You will never get much support from either your male or female friends; However, if you dare to accept what is plainly in front of your eyes, you will be rewarded with a life free from bondage and filled with self esteem. I recommend this book very highly.. Read it at least once a week for a year. Slowly but surely, you will see the truth everywhere around you. You will wake up to many unpleasant facts about society but also realize the many wonderful choices available. My life has gotten better ever since I read this book 5 years ago. Best of luck!