Abstract

In the autumn of 2012, Maxim Februari—known until then as writer and philosopher Marjolijn Februari—announced his intention to live as a man. The news was greeted with a diversity of reactions, from curiosity to unease. These responses made it absolutely clear to Februari that most of us don’t know how to think about transsexuality. The Making of a Man explores this lacuna through a deeply personal meditation on a profoundly universal aspect of our identities.

Februari contemplates the many questions that sexual transitions entail: the clinical effects of testosterone, the alteration of sexual organs, and its effects on sexual intimacy; how transsexuality figures in the law; and how it challenges the way we talk about sex and gender, such as the seemingly minor—but crucially important—difference between the terms “transsexual” and “transgender.” He analyzes our impressions of effeminate men and butch women, separating apparent acceptance from actual prejudice, and critically examines the curious requirement in many countries that one must demonstrate a psychological disturbance—a “gender identity disorder”—in order to be granted sex change therapies. From there he explores the seemingly endless minutiae changing genders or sex effect, from the little box with an M or an F on passports to the shockingly sudden way testosterone can adjust physical features.

With his characteristically clear voice combined with intimate—sometimes moving, sometimes funny—ruminations, Februari wakes readers up to all the ways, big and small, our world is structured by sex and gender. 
“In his provocative new book, The Making of a Man, the Dutch novelist and newspaper columnist reveals with humor and insight what a body in transition goes through under the influence of testosterone . . . . While details like these illuminate the journey of the transsexual, Februari has created something far more than a portrait of gender evolution. With celebrities such as Bruce Jenner drawing attention to the issue, Februari has done our culture a service. . . . His intellect and honesty allow us to see gender, in all its manifestations, as simply one component of the complicated human experience. Februari leads us away from a common belief that our perception of ourselves as male or female is determined by our genitals.”  — Washington Post
“The Making of a Man has a little bit of everything in it. . . . useful as a nonthreatening way to introduce a topic that still sets off alarms in many people’s heads.”
— PopMatters
Maxim Februari is a columnist for NRC Handelsblad and the author of several collections of essays and two novels, including, most recently, The Book Club.  He lives in the Netherlands. Andy Brown is a translator specializing in Dutch. His translations include The Encyclopaedia of Liars and Deceivers, also published by Reaktion Books. He lives in The Netherlands.