Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle - Hardcover

Adams, Jad

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0299200000 ISBN 13: 9780299200008

Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Pr, 2004

Synopsis

Hideous Absinthe "Hideous Absinthe" boldly combines the art, literature, science, and social history of the nineteenth century to produce the story of a drink that came to symbolize both the high points of art and the depths of degeneration. Jad Adams looks at the myths of absinthe and examines its influence on the artistic movements of the nineteenth century. He considers the work of Degas, Manet, and Picasso, who painted what are now considered masterpieces depicting absinthe drinkers. He examines the mystery of van Gogh's absinthe addiction and asks whether absinthe truly did contribute to the poetic vision of Verlaine, Rimbaud, and other writers. Adams looks back at ab...

About this title

Review:

"Adams offers rich historical context, cultural perspective, anecdotes and pointed observations" "This book is as titillating as it is sobering." - New York Times "Adams, who has previously written a terrific biography of the little known decadent poet Ernest Dowson, is clearly the man for the job. He has a real feel for the period and there is a wealth of detail and insight here... These days I satisfy my interest (in absinthe) by reading about it, and I'm therefore grateful for this essential contribution to the growing literature of the green fairy." -Tom Hodgkinson, The Guardian "In this entertaining history, Jad Adams traces the emerald drink's astonishing popularity in post-Bonaparte France... A diligent social historian, Adams has conducted much excellent research in Pontarlier." -Ian Thomson, The Observer "Jad Adams is himself an extraordinary polymath... His research has been omnivorous and meticulous... Jad Adams has assimilated all this material...historical, medical, social, cultural - and melded it into a most beguiling book... he is the master of a classically lucid style enlivened by dashes of the colloquial and by entertaining detail... he gives marvellously evocative thumbnail sketches... salted with funny anecdotes... a model of how to convey the exhilaration of an exciting subject without getting all melodramatic... In reading it I almost experienced the hallucinations..." -Bevis Hillier, The Spectator "...this is a well-researched, often poignant, and always fascinating biography of a subject whose history, rather like the liqueur itself when added to seven parts water, has often been clouded and opaque." -Stephen Wood, The Lancet "Jad Adams has written a fascinating tale... the green devil, or fairy, has not lost its steely grip." -Illtyd Harrington, Camden Journal 'A splendidly detailed exploration of the subject' Ben Macintyre, The Times A Potpourri of Herb Books, November 1 2004. 'Beautifully illustrated with posters and paintings, this engrossing book is herbal history at its best.' -Connie Krochmal.

About the Author:

Jad Adams is a television producer and author whose last book, Madder Music, Stronger Wine, received resounding critical praise. He has also written biographies of Tony Benn and of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. He lives in London and on the Greek island of Leros.

About this edition

• Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Pr
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0299200000
• ISBN 13: 9780299200008
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304