Alex Comfort
A polymathic physician and anarchist who accidentally defined a sexual era with his illustrated manual, 'The Joy of Sex'.
1920–2000 (age 80)·British academic and physician·Birthday: February 10·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Alex Comfort was a man of ferocious and contrary intellect who lived several major lives in one. Trained as a gerontologist, he published serious academic work on the biology of aging while also writing poetry and pacifist anarchist tracts. His public identity, however, was forever reshaped in 1972. Intending to write a sensible, illustrated guide to sexual technique for couples, he produced 'The Joy of Sex.' Its matter-of-fact, celebratory tone and detailed drawings made it a runaway bestseller, a defining artifact of the sexual revolution that sat on millions of coffee tables. Comfort was both amused and frustrated by this fame, which overshadowed his decades of work on radical politics and aging science. He saw no contradiction between studying the body's decline and championing its pleasures, embodying a holistic, humanist vision that connected cellular biology to personal liberation.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Alex was born in 1920, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alex Was Born
The biggest hits of 1920
#1 Movie
Way Down East
Alex's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1920Born
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1925Started school
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1933Became a teenager
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Could drive
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1938Could vote
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Turned 21
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1950Turned 30
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 40
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 50
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 60
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 70
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 80
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
Key Achievements
- Authored the massively influential illustrated sex manual 'The Joy of Sex' (1972), which sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
- Was a respected scientist in the field of gerontology, authoring 'The Biology of Senescence' and academic papers on aging.
- Wrote 'Authority and Delinquency in the Modern State,' a significant work of anarchist and pacifist political theory.
- Published numerous volumes of poetry and several novels throughout his life.
Did You Know?
He was a committed anarcho-pacifist and was a conscientious objector during World War II.
The title 'The Joy of Sex' was a playful nod to Irma Rombauer's cookbook 'The Joy of Cooking.'
He held a medical degree and a doctorate in biochemistry from Cambridge University.
In later life, he moved to California and taught at Stanford University and the University of California.
“The whole point of sexual liberation is that everyone should be able to do what they want, provided they don't interfere with anyone else.”
