And now we make a loose connection to another recent topic, and (how is this for convenient?), an argument about censorship we had with our mother (normally the most liberal of souls, but strangely puritanical on the subject of rap lyrics). Salon reviews, no, that’s not right…Salon discusses Nile Southern’s recounting of his father’s experiences with a novel called Candy. Written at a time when American Puritanism resulted in works of art being censored (think Tropic of Cancer), Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg created a story and character who would inspire all manner of legislation if written today. And perhaps that’s the best reason to explore this story. We sincerely hope that at least one reader, after throwing the book against the wall, offered Candy’s author’s the ultimate compliment for satirists: “that insulted my intelligence.”
- “The Candy Men” by Nile Southern
- Lust in the dust jackets: The Olympia Press and the Golden Age of Erotica (this second item is fascinating for both its history and, connections again, commentary on commercialism versus literature)