Venus bound the erotic voyage of the Olympia Press and its writers De St. Jorre, John 1936- creator text bibliography History. nyu New York Random House [1996] 1996 1st U.S. ed. monographic eng print xxii, 358 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm "When an excerpt from John de St. Jorre's Venus Bound, unmasking the pseudonymous author of Story of O, appeared in The New Yorker - thus solving a forty-year-old literary mystery - it made worldwide news. In its entirety, Venus Bound recounts the astonishing but true story of the flamboyant rogue publisher Maurice Girodias, whose Paris-based Olympia Press gave birth to a curious mixture of raffish pornography and some of the most significant fiction of the twentieth century. Dubbed "the Prince of Porn" and "the Lenin of the Sexual Revolution," Girodias helped breach the barriers of literary censorship in Britain and the United States." "His father was Jack Kahane, an Edwardian dandy who capped his life by publishing Henry Miller, Lawrence Durrell, and Anais Nin. Girodias (he changed his name to elude the Nazis in occupied France) carried the family tradition to new heights - and depths. In shabby postwar Paris, he recruited a lively crew of starving but talented American and British writers to pump out the porn that financed, among other things, Olympia's literary list. Deftly navigating between the French vice squad and financial disaster, Girodias and his writers set off on a memorable voyage through seedy back-street offices, glittering parties, international law courts, and one another's beds." "The result was such mortal works as White Thighs, The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe, and There's a Whip in My Valise. But Girodias also published some bestselling - and enduring - novels, notably The Ginger Man, Candy, Lolita, Naked Lunch, and Story of O, as well as books by Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, and Henry Miller."--Jacket. Booklegger Jack and the Obelisk Press -- Lesbian love and male fantasy -- Henry, Anais, Larry & Co. -- Enter Maurice Giordias -- Great books, dirty books: Olympia gathers steam -- The wild ginger man -- Light of my life, fire of my loins: the Lolita saga -- Good grief, it's Candy! -- Good grief, it's still Candy! -- Une lettre d'amour: the true story of Story of O -- What William Burroughs saw on the end of his fork -- Glorious nights, weary days -- Olympia USA -- The loneliness of the long-forgotten publisher. John de St. Jorre. Revised edition of: The good ship Venus. 1994. Includes bibliographical references (pages 335-337) and index. e-fr--- e-uk--- n-us--- Olympia Press (Paris, France) History Girodias, Maurice Erotic stories Publishing France History 20th century Literature publishing France History 20th century Erotic stories Publishing Great Britain History 20th century Literature publishing Great Britain History 20th century Erotic stories Publishing United States History 20th century Literature publishing United States History 20th century Histoires érotiques Édition France Histoire 20e siècle Littérature Édition France Histoire 20e siècle Histoires érotiques Édition Grande-Bretagne Histoire 20e siècle Littérature Édition Grande-Bretagne Histoire 20e siècle Histoires érotiques Édition États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle Littérature Édition États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle Girodias, Maurice Olympia Press (Paris, France) Literature publishing France Great Britain United States 1900-1999 fast Z305.O59 D47 1996 070.5/0944/36 Good ship Venus De St. Jorre, John, 1936- Venus bound De St. Jorre, John, 1936- New York : Random House, [1996] 1st U.S. ed. (OCoLC)682534160 0679443363 9780679443360 95037778 http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/description/random0412/95037778.html http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/description/random0412/95037778.html DLC 950801 20221116173508.2 in00004600122 eng