While not all of the following books are considered pornographic per se, each one on this list launched waves of controversy upon initial release because of its sexual subject matter. But this list isn’t a typical compilation of “banned” or “controversial” books — instead of Henry Miller’s TROPIC OF CANCER, we went for a dirtier, lesser-known novel of his; instead of Marquis de Sade, we opted for the more obscure erotica of French philosopher Georges Bataille. This list has eschewed the popular in favor of the subversive; the literary canon in favor of books that broke social norms. Enjoy the scandal and seduction in the following sexy must-reads.
1. UNDER THE ROOFS OF PARIS by Henry Miller — UNDER THE ROOFS OF PARIS, although similar in subject matter to Miller’s better-known TROPIC OF CANCER, recounts the story of Albert, a Parisian street singer who’s framed for a theft he didn’t commit, and falls for Pola, a Romanian girl who also attracts two other men.
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In ALICE IN WONDERLAND AND PHILOSOPHY: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER, editor Richard Brian Davis examines the compelling issues behind Lewis Carroll’s classic. It’s part of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, and here’s the introduction. Read me:
“You take the blue pill,” Morpheus says to Neo in THE MATRIX, “and the story ends . . . . You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” It’s a tempting offer, isn’t it? For at one time or another in our lives, we’ve all wanted to escape — from a dull and tedious job, an impossible relationship, from a world in which we often have so little control over what happens to us. Perhaps it’s for reasons such as these that our culture has become positively obsessed with the idea of transcending the confines of this world for the cool fresh air of another. Whether it’s by a red pill, a secret wardrobe, a looking glass, or a rabbit-hole, it doesn’t really matter. We’ll take it.
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In ANGELOLOGY, her fiction debut, Danielle Trussoni delivers an epic about an ancient clash reignited in our time, between a hidden society and heaven’s darkest creatures, in a tale of ordinary people engaged in a battle that will determine the fate of the world. Enjoy this excerpt.
St. Rose Convent, Hudson River Valley, Milton, New York
December 23, 1999, 4:45
Evangeline woke before the sun came up, when the fourth floor was silent and dark. Quiet, so as not to wake the sisters who had prayed through the night, she gathered her shoes, stockings, and skirt in her arms and walked barefoot to the communal lavatory. She dressed quickly, half asleep, without looking in the mirror.
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Robin Hobb’s DRAGON KEEPER: VOLUME ONE OF THE RAIN WILDS CHRONICLES involves an arduous journey that holds no promise of return, as a band of humans and dragons must make their way along the toxic and inhospitable Rain Wild River to Kelsingra, their ancient, mythical homeland whose mysterious location is locked deep within the dragons’ uncertain ancestral memories. Here’s the first chapter.
It was supposed to be spring. Damn cold for spring. Damn cold to be sleeping out on the deck instead of inside the deckhouse. Last night,with the rum in him and a belt of distant stars twinkling through an opening in the rain forest canopy, it had seemed like a fine idea.The night hadn’t seemed so chilly, and the insects had been chirring in the treetops and the night birds calling to one an¬other while the bats squeaked and darted out in the open air over the river. It had seemed a fine night to lie back on the deck of his barge and look up at the wide world all around him and savor the river and the Rain Wilds and his proper place in the world.Tarman had rocked him gently and all had been right.
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Founder of PHENOMENA magazine and student of Egyptology, Simon Cox has his most high-profile gig yet as the author of DECODING THE LOST SYMBOL: THE UNAUTHORIZED EXPERT GUIDE TO THE FACTS BEHIND THE FICTION. Here, Cox writes about what drew him to write entire books on Dan Brown’s popular fiction.
I don’t read much nonfiction. I simply don’t have the time, and when I do, its not generally from the “thriller” genre. So how come I have written three guide books to three thrillers? The answer is simple: Dan Brown. What Brown has managed to do brilliantly within the framework of his novels, is weave facts and fiction seamlessly together in a coherent and logical way, the like of which is rarely seen. I’m not saying its all perfect — indeed, as I point out in my guide books, some of his factual research leaves much to be desired — but he does have an uncanny knack of being able to hit the zeitgeist of the moment when it comes to historical themes and ideas.
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