The Greying of Sex: Ageing Men’s Sexualities in Contemporary Spanish Fiction

Abstract

Traditionally, (men’s) sexualities have been dissociated from old age, stereotyped as ‘asexual’ or ‘in decline’. They have even been seen as unpalatable, conforming to the ‘dirty old man’ stereotype. Questioning these (mis)representations, this paper focuses on contemporary Spanish novels that challenge such dichotomous images, redefining ageing men’s sexualities as much more complex than has been acknowledged. It thus follows, that if Rafael Chirbes and Marta Sanz focus on the relationship between ageing men and younger women, other texts by writers like Álvaro Pombo and Luis Antonio de Villena complicate ageing gay men’s sexualities along race, class and gender lines.