| Absinthe Books XIII - Pulp Fiction |
Absinthe made repeated appearances in the more risqué American popular fiction of the 1940's and '50's. It seems to
have been available "under the counter" in - at least - Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. US-made absinthe
substitutes of indifferent quality were legally available, but genuine absinthe was likely smuggled in from Cuba, where
absinthe had never been banned, and where both locally made absinthe and Pernod Tarragona were obtainable.
In the pulp fiction of the day, absinthe served as a symbol of decadence and louche living, and was often mentioned
in the same context as marijuana and cocaine. See also Hal Polling's article in Battle Cry magazine.
have been available "under the counter" in - at least - Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. US-made absinthe
substitutes of indifferent quality were legally available, but genuine absinthe was likely smuggled in from Cuba, where
absinthe had never been banned, and where both locally made absinthe and Pernod Tarragona were obtainable.
In the pulp fiction of the day, absinthe served as a symbol of decadence and louche living, and was often mentioned
in the same context as marijuana and cocaine. See also Hal Polling's article in Battle Cry magazine.
Touchable - by Les Scott and Robert W. Tracey. Published in New York, 1951.
Small-town girl Ruth loses herself in The Inferno (the Big City) and lesbianism, prostitution, degradation,
absinthe, marijuana, coke and heroin (here known as The White Fairy) find her. A lurid example of the bestselling
author Les Scott’s over the top pre-softcore era portrayals of sex and drugs in post-WWII America. In late 1952,
another of his sex and drugs sagas would gain the attention of the Gathings Select House Committee
investigating literature it considered a danger to America.
Small-town girl Ruth loses herself in The Inferno (the Big City) and lesbianism, prostitution, degradation,
absinthe, marijuana, coke and heroin (here known as The White Fairy) find her. A lurid example of the bestselling
author Les Scott’s over the top pre-softcore era portrayals of sex and drugs in post-WWII America. In late 1952,
another of his sex and drugs sagas would gain the attention of the Gathings Select House Committee
investigating literature it considered a danger to America.
Click on the Adobe icon to download and view the absinthe-related extracts from
Touchable, by Les Scott and Robert W.Tracey.
Touchable, by Les Scott and Robert W.Tracey.
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Absinthe for Superman
by Robert Edmond Alter.
Published in "Manhunt", June 1959
Robert Edmond Alter’s claim to fame may be
as the writer of two classic crime novels,
Swamp Sister and Carny Kill (both 1966), but
he also made a dent in short fiction as well.
Over 40 stories for the popular pulp digests of
the day - Manhunt was a typical publication -
and dozens more for slicks such as Argosy
and The Saturday Evening Post. Alter’s
scenarios and characters were immensely
varied: intrigue, cuckolded wives and
husbands, spies, hillbillies, ghosts, skin
divers ... in this 1959 story a deranged ship's
captain has a penchant for Nietschean
philosophy - and for absinthe...
Alter was born in 1925 and seems to have
died in 1966 at the age of just 40.
by Robert Edmond Alter.
Published in "Manhunt", June 1959
Robert Edmond Alter’s claim to fame may be
as the writer of two classic crime novels,
Swamp Sister and Carny Kill (both 1966), but
he also made a dent in short fiction as well.
Over 40 stories for the popular pulp digests of
the day - Manhunt was a typical publication -
and dozens more for slicks such as Argosy
and The Saturday Evening Post. Alter’s
scenarios and characters were immensely
varied: intrigue, cuckolded wives and
husbands, spies, hillbillies, ghosts, skin
divers ... in this 1959 story a deranged ship's
captain has a penchant for Nietschean
philosophy - and for absinthe...
Alter was born in 1925 and seems to have
died in 1966 at the age of just 40.
Click on the Adobe icon to
download and view the complete
short story Absinthe for Superman.
download and view the complete
short story Absinthe for Superman.
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