Esther Margareta Vilar (born Esther Margareta Katzen, September 16, 1935) is an Argentine-

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

writer. She trained and practised as a medical doctor before establishing herself as an author. She is best known for her 1971 book ''

The Manipulated Man ''The Manipulated Man'' () is a 1971 book by author Esther Vilar, originally written in German and translated to English by Eva Borneman. The main idea behind the book is that women are not oppressed by men but rather control men to their advan ...

'' and its various follow-ups, which argue that, contrary to common

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

rhetoric, women in industrialized cultures are not oppressed, but rather exploit a well-established system of manipulating men.

Biography

Vilar's parents were German emigrants. They separated when she was three years old. She studied medicine at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

, and in 1960 went to

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

on scholarship to continue her studies in psychology and sociology. She worked as a doctor in a Bavarian hospital for a year, and has also worked as a translator, saleswoman, assembly-line worker in a thermometer factory, shoe model, and secretary. Esther married the German author Klaus Wagn in 1961. The marriage ended in divorce but they had a son, Martin, in 1964. Concerning the divorce she stated, "I didn't break up with the man, just with marriage as an institution."Author Esther Vilar Lashes Out At Women

Star-Banner The ''Ocala StarBanner'' is the daily newspaper in Ocala, Florida, United States, and serves Marion County and the surrounding communities. The ''Ocala StarBanner'' has a daily circulation of about 43,000, and is the 19th-largest newspaper in t ...

, June 14, 1972. Retrieved December 20, 2011.

Work

''The Manipulated Man'' (1971)

One of Vilar's most popular books is titled ''The Manipulated Man'', which she called part of a study on "man's delight in nonfreedom". In it, she claims that women are not oppressed by men, but rather control men in a relationship that is to their advantage but which most men are not aware of. Some of the strategies described in her book are: * Luring men with sex, which she referred to as the "periodic use of a woman's vagina", and other seduction strategies * Controlling men by the judicious use of praise, sex, and

emotional blackmail The term emotional blackmail was popularized by psychotherapist Susan Forward about controlling people in relationships and the theory that fear, obligation and guilt (FOG) are the transactional dynamics at play between the controller and the pe ...

once they have been lured * Masking her real intentions and motives in the guise of romantic love ''The Manipulated Man'' was quite popular at the time of its release, in part due to the considerable press coverage it received. Vilar appeared on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'' on February 21, 1973, to discuss the book. In 1975 she was invited to a televised debate by

WDR WDR may refer to: * Waddell & Reed (stock ticker: WDR), an American asset management and financial planning company * Walt Disney Records, an American record label of the Disney Music Group * WDR neuron, a type of neuron involved in pain signalli ...

with

Alice Schwarzer Alice Sophie Schwarzer (born 3 December 1942) is a German journalist and prominent feminist. She is founder and publisher of the German feminist journal '' EMMA''. Beginning in France, she became a forerunner of feminist positions against anti-ab ...

, who became known as the representative of the women's movement at that time. The debate was controversial, with Schwarzer claiming Vilar was: ''"Not only sexist, but fascist''", comparing her book with the Nazi newspaper ''

Der Stürmer ''Der Stürmer'' (; literally, "The Stormer / Stormtrooper / Attacker") was a weekly German tabloid-format newspaper published from 1923 to the end of World War II by Julius Streicher, the '' Gauleiter'' of Franconia, with brief suspension ...

.'' According to the author, she received death threats over the book:

''So I hadn't imagined broadly enough the isolation I would find myself in after writing this book. Nor had I envisaged the consequences which it would have for subsequent writing and even for my private life – violent threats have not ceased to this date''.Esther Vilar, ''The Manipulated Man'', revised edition, August 1998

Other books

Her play ''Speer'' (1998) is a work of fictional biography about the German architect

Albert Speer Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as Reich Ministry of Armaments and War Production, Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of W ...

, and has been staged in Berlin and London, directed by and starring

Klaus Maria Brandauer Klaus Maria Brandauer (; born Klaus Georg Steng; 22 June, 1943) is an Austrian actor and director. He is also a professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar. Brandauer is known internationally for his roles in '' Mephisto'' (1981), ''Never Say Never ...

. She has also written many other books and plays, but most have not been translated into English.

Selected works

* * * Book collecting original series of 3: ''Der dressierte Mann'' '' he Manipulated Man Das polygame Geschlecht he polygamous sex'' ''Das Ende der Dressur'' (The End of the Manipulation; third part never translated into English). dtv Verlag 1998. * * * * *

References

External links

*
Pinter & Martin
English publishers
2021 article titled "Women are spoiled - even today", interviewing Esther
(in german) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilar, Esther 1935 births Living people Argentine women writers Jewish Argentine writers Jewish dramatists and playwrights Jewish women writers Argentine people of German-Jewish descent Argentine dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Argentine writers 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century German writers 20th-century German women writers Female critics of feminism Argentine women dramatists and playwrights Masculists Writers from Buenos Aires University of Buenos Aires alumni 20th-century German physicians 20th-century German women physicians