Hideous Absinthe by Jad Adams
Mysterious, sophisticated, alluring and almost Satanic, absinthe was the drink of choice of Baudelaire, Verlaine and Wilde. It inspired Degas, Manet and Picasso and was thought to have led to the demise of many of Paris' fin-de-siecle inhabitants. Jad Adams recounts the drink's history.
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.
Jad Adams is a television producer whose last book 'Madder Music, Stronger Wine: The Life of Ernest Dowson, Poet and Decadent' (I.B.Tauris), received resounding critical praise in Britain and the US. He has also written biographies of Tony Benn and of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781860649202 |
| ISBN 10 | 1860649203 |
| Title | Hideous Absinthe |
| Author | Jad Adams |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2003-12-31 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |