Absinthe

Absinthe, the luminescent, green liquor that was imbued by such artists as Vincent van Gogh and Édouard Manet and writers such as Arthur Rimbaud and which reportedly influenced their artistic output, is the centerpiece of this thin tome by the French writer Christophe Bataille. Unlike say Thomas de Quincey who wrote of the dangers and paranoia involved with drug use in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater or the romanticized drug use in Claude Farrere's Black Opium, Absinthe details the life of a single man who, before absinthe was made illegal in France, was being groomed to be an absinthe distiller by an enormous, gentle man nicknamed Jose, a man with a mysterious past and with connections in Buenos Aires and New York. The Narrator details his family's history at the same time speaking of his love for Jose and his fondness for watching the large man create the liquor that made him famous to the locals who traveled to his cabin in an almost religious like pilgrimage to gain the substance that would open their senses to the furthest reaches of perception. Bataille's writing style is quite sparse, but it has an almost dreamlike quality to it, as if the reader was sifting through the mud of the mind to find stones of distant memories. A quite decent little novella which should appeal to those who enjoy the writings of William S. Burroughs and the like, Absinthe would make a nice addition to the shelves of those who want to peel back the surface of reality to see what is beneath.

Not being an imbiber of absinthe myself, I read this book because I had previously read Christophe Bataille's poetic novel Annam. This novel is written in a similar fashion, the novel in part as a historical memoir, composed in a captivating style that captures atmosphere and feeling. In a round about fashion Bataille tells the story of absinthe from the days when it was the height of French fashion in the late 19th century and prior to the Great War through its prohibition beginning in 1915. Today absinthe is again legal in most countries of the world that do not prohibit alcoholic beverages. But, as I understand it, absinthe is not legal in the US. Absinthe is a green (Bataille has it glowing in the dark), bitter, very strong alcoholic beverage flavored with wormwood, anise, and other herbs that is diluted with water and often served with sugar. When I was a young man in France in the sixties I recall seeing absinthe served in the cafes and bars. There was then and continues to be a certain mystique associated with the drink. Many people believe it has mysterious powers, and Bataille makes much of this in his novel. Two of his characters imbibe just a bit of the drink through a sugar cube and go into a trance-like state or a swoon. The central character of the novel, Jose, a round, charming distiller manages to mesmerizes women (or so it is hinted) with his charm and the absinthe. Absinthe was prohibited because many people believed that it was a dangerous drink that could drive men mad, make women easy, and/or ruin their health. However the current view is that absinthe is no more or no less dangerous than other distilled liquors, the herbal ingredients notwithstanding. When I was in France in that long ago I may have drunk some myself. It has a licorice flavor from the anise or fennel that is added to the alcohol. We called it "Pernod" after the main distributer Pernod et Fils. And then again I may not have actually tried the drink and only imagined its taste. It's hard to remember. There are a number of paintings showing someone in the throes of absinthe intoxication and a similar number of books written on the history of the drink. On the cover is Albert Maignan's painting from 1895, "The Great Muse," which shows a man dreamily intoxicated by a woman (the muse) with her hands about his head. Presumably this could also depict absinthe intoxication. I don't think this very short (71 pages) novel is as good as Bataille's first, mentioned above, but it is interesting in that it recalls the France of the early part of the 20th century, especially some people of the hills and villages of Provence. There is a brief almost extraneous story as an "Overture" about one of them who spent most of his time in "Buenos Ayres." Bataille's narrative style is to wander about and then return seamlessly to the main sequence. It is a technique that I would like to master. Perhaps what Bataille does best is evoke in the reader a deliciou

Not a very long book. (About 70 or so pages.) In those pages the author conveys the simple, yet mystical, pleasures of Absinthe. He also describes the mindset of those who had it banned. (Never trust a government agency to protect your pleasures. They will find some reason to deny them to you for that is one of the ways they keep the population under control.)Recommended for those who are interested in the topic and already have the other books on the subject. (Conrad Bartelby's book is a must.)