Illustrated Genesis brings revelation

A sexually explicit illustrated version of the book of Genesis is published today. The book, by cartoonist Robert Crumb, carries the warning "adult supervision recommended for minors", and is described as "scandalous satire" by its publishers. It includes illustrations of bible characters having sex, and scenes of naked men and women as well as depictions of violence.

Crumb, the book's author, is most famous for his creation Fritz the Cat, a sexually graphic "underground" comic strip; it was turned into a film that became the first animation to receive an X rating.

Crumb has said he does not believe that the bible is the word of God. "I take it all for myth from start to finish, with probably some faint relation to historical reality" he said.

"To take this as a sacred text, or the word of God or something to live by, is kind of crazy," Crumb said from his home in Paris. "So much of it makes no sense. To think of all the fighting and killing that's gone on over this book, it just became to me a colossal absurdity. That's probably the most profound moment I've had — the absurdity of it all."

A spokeswoman for the Bible Society said she hadn't seen the book but that reviews had suggested that Crumb had "really engaged" with Genesis. "It may surprise people but the bible does contain nudity, sex and violence. That's because it contains real stories about real people."

Link: The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R Crumb at Amazon.com
Link: The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R Crumb at Amazon.co.uk