Now, writers love to kiss and tell. A stack of "one-night stand" books have scaled the bestsellers' list at local bookstores since hitting the shelves in May, engaging much attention and fuelling calls for a rating system similar to the one used for cinema.
Break-up after Dawn -- documenting 19 women's one-night-stand experiences in search of lust and lust -- has sold nearly 180,000 copies locally since it was published five months ago.
It climbed to second position, behind Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, on the bestsellers' list of two major bookstores in the city: Shanghai Book City and Scholar Bookstore.
With "sex" selling, publishing houses are scrambling to bring out arousing titles such as Happiness that Lasts Half-day Long and V-I want to lay you on a bed of roses.
These books appeal to readers with their erotic titles and relate their characters' sexual escapades with candor -- explicit and lengthy.
"White-collar professionals are the main readers of these books," said Chen Jun, editor of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Publishing Houses, which compiled a book of "one-night-stand" stories from actresses, TV anchors, models and writers.
"They were born into traditional families, believing in love and marriage. But when they grew up, they met more choices and they fell to temptations," said Chen.
Gu Bing, 26, perusing titles at Scholar Bookstore yesterday, admitted he read Break-up after Dawn for fun. "I saw a copy at my friend's house. He told me there were lots of private juicy stuff in it. I was pretty interested in these women, who dared to bare all.”
However, some parents worry about this so-called "fun-reading," believing it would badly influence their teenaged kids, who can't differentiate between "healthy sex and pornography."
"It's important to rate or at least highlight these books and make them inaccessible to minors at bookstores," said Pan Zhenghao, a father who has read one such book.
His views were echoed by some literary critics, who say such books flaunt permissive attitudes toward sex.
"The books may make money for some publishing houses but as publishers, we should be more discriminating," said Zhu Honghai of Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House.
Xu Naiqing of the Shanghai Press and Publication Administration said it's impossible to give publications a rating system.
"Books, unlike movies, are difficult to rate." Xu said. "There are much more variations and subtleties when it comes to the written word. Many world classics also have sexual description."
These "sex" books obviously skirt on the edge of pornography but avoid being one, he added.
(Shanghai Daily October 14, 2003)
