SubscribeObelisk: A History of Jack Kahane and the Obelisk Press
The story of Jack Kahane, founder of The Obelisk Press, which published Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, and Tropic of Capricorn, as well as ground-breaking works by D.H. Lawrence, James Joyce and others has never been told in full. It is a treat then to discover that a new and thorough work on the subject has been published by the Liverpool University Press. Obelisk: A History of Jack Kahane and the Obelisk Press was originally released in Britain in the fall of 2007, but has only become available in an American edition as of February 15.
The book presents a narrative bibliography, tracing the arc of Kahane’s career as publisher of last resort for English language authors whose works were too risqué to be printed in their native country. Kahane published both works of serious literary intent as well as any pornographic tripe he thought might turn a quick buck. Author Neil Pearson, a British actor famed for his roles in the television series “Drop the Dead Donkey” and the Bridget Jones movies, read the entire output of the Obelisk Press in the course of his research. One of his objectives in the book is to reveal the biographies of many now obscure writers who inhabited the expatriate literary scene in Paris between the wars.
Kahane’s first publishing success came with the printing of his own book, Daffodil in 1931, penned under the pseudonym Cecil Barr. His association with Henry Miller began in 1932, when the literary agent William Bradley approached Kahane about the possibility of publishing a book called Tropic of Cancer, the author of which was listed as simply “Anonymous.” It turned out to be just the sort of unprintable book of literary merit that Kahane was looking for, though Miller’s first novel would not see publication until September 1934. Kahane continued to published Miller’s Paris writing until he died suddenly on the day Britain and France declared war on Germany in 1939.
To whet your appetite, here are two fascinating reviews of the book, which include interviews with the author:
A very British pornographer (Belfast Telegraph)
Sauce and genius, published in Paris (Times Literary Supplement)
For further reading, check out the First Published in Paris web site which offers a reissue of Jack Kahane’s autobiography, Memoirs of a Booklegger as well as the limited edition Of Obelisks and Daffodils, a book about Jack Kahane and the Obelisk Press by James Armstrong and Gary Miers.
The Paris Olympia Press
Liverpool University Press is following up their book on Jack Kahane and the Obelisk Press with an equally intriguing title, The Paris Olympia Press, by Patrick Kearney. This is another narrative bibliography covering the life of The Obelisk Press’ successor, The Olympia Press, which was headed by Kahane’s son, Maurice Girodias. Girodias continued the publication of Miller’s Obelisk titles after his father’s death and also brought out Miller’s later books such as The Rosy Crucifixion and Quiet Days in Clichy. Other feathers in the Olympia press hat include Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita and Naked Lunch by William Burroughs. The Paris Olympia Press was released in Britain in November 2007. An American edition, distributed by The University of Chicago Press is due in March.
