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The title Opium and Absinthe came to my mind fairly fast. The problem was--I didn't know exactly how absinthe played into the story. I was very much affected by Francis Ford Coppola's cinematic version of Dracula in the 1990s, and there was a scene between Mina and the Count drinking absinthe in a salon. It's not in the original text by Bram Stoker. But I was sort of obsessed with this spirit. First, there was the entire ritual of drinking absinthe, which seemed lovely. Then, its history among the literati and artists of the time. Also, its purported hallucinogenic qualities (it's not) and it's illegal status for some time. I just knew I wanted to include it, and so, I made it happen.
As for opium, I...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: Control.
The Page 69 Test: Catalyst.
The Page 69 Test: A Beautiful Poison.
The Page 69 Test: Opium and Absinthe.
Q&A with Lydia Kang.
--Marshal Zeringue
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