The Whore of Mensa

Richard Burton (the translator of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights) really had me going today. I was reading a story about three beautiful women who live together and buy fabulous things and don't care to have men around. Briefly, it was so 21st century. Strong women depending on themselves and not tolerating a man they don't really love. I should have known there was no way Richard Burton could tell an entire story about a group of likable, non-conniving woman.

A porter delivers some goods to the women and ends up convincing them it would be nice for him to stick around. They've started drinking and are now engaged in some sort of orgy.

Richard Burton, Why!? I wanted to believe you could be more than a misogynistic, racist, pervert. I can't keep giving you second chances.

I've left the characters in this story to their antics. I quickly grew too fainthearted for that nonsense. I have not read Burton's commentary on this section yet. I'm not ready to know what he thinks of all this.

I generally try to read The Book of One Thousand and One Nights and find some morsel I can parallel with my quest to find a job. I originally was not going to try with this story, but I'm not a quitter. I've actually come up with two parallels. I don't know how strong either is, but I do my best.

Parallel Number One:
On a job board I saw a writing position for a magazine in LA. I thought "Hey, why not." The job came with a home, I should have known, I should have known.
This job did include a small amount of writing for some sort of randy publication, but what really paid the bills was the prostitution part of the job.I hope my life does not spiral down to something like this. And that is all I have to say about the "writing" job in LA.

Parallel Number Two: Woody Guthrie wrote a short story entitled "The Whore of Mensa." In the world of this short story men visit women-of-the-night for intellectual stimulation. If I lived in the world of the Whore of Mensa and prostitution involved discussing art, literature, history, philosophy and politics I think I would be a very wealthy woman. I also might have actually applied for that "writing" job in LA.

Since I don't live in the world of The Whore of Mensa I guess I'll have to keep intelligent conversation as a hobby, not a profession. Slightly disappointing, but better than being duped into prostitution.