Memoirs of Hecate County
Encyclopedia
Memoirs of Hecate County is a work of fiction by Edmund Wilson
, first published in 1946
, but banned in the United States until 1959, when it was reissued with minor revisions by the author.
Although it is sometimes described as a novel, the only link between the six stories is the narrator.
lodged a complaint, and 130 copies were seized from four bookstores owned by Doubleday and from the New York Public Library. The ban was challenged by the publisher, but upheld by 2-1, the dissenter being Nathan D. Perlman.
The case went to the Supreme Court
in 1948, where the decision was upheld 4-4 after the disqualification of Felix Frankfurter
. It was no longer sold in the US, but was published in the United Kingdom
by W. H. Allen in June 1951, going through six impressions in just two years.
Throughout the 1950s there was intense public debate about the censorship of literary works, and in 1958 the publication of Lolita
(by Wilson's friend, Nabokov
) demonstrated the extent to which public attitudes had relaxed. In June 1959, Memoirs of Hecate County was republished in New York by Octagon and L. C. Page, and the revised edition appeared in the UK in March 1960, published by Panther.
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
, first published in 1946
1946 in literature
The year 1946 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 7 - Walker Percy marries Mary Bernice Townsend.*Launch in the United Kingdom of Penguin Classics under the editorship of E. V...
, but banned in the United States until 1959, when it was reissued with minor revisions by the author.
Although it is sometimes described as a novel, the only link between the six stories is the narrator.
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. - The Princess with the Golden Hair. Novella.
- The Milhollands and their Damned Soul.
- Mr and Mrs Blackburn at Home.
Censorship
The book was published by Doubleday in March 1946, and about 60,000 copies were sold. In July, the New York Society for the Suppression of ViceNew York Society for the Suppression of Vice
The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice was an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public, founded in 1873. Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and district attorneys in bringing offenders to justice. It and its...
lodged a complaint, and 130 copies were seized from four bookstores owned by Doubleday and from the New York Public Library. The ban was challenged by the publisher, but upheld by 2-1, the dissenter being Nathan D. Perlman.
The case went to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in 1948, where the decision was upheld 4-4 after the disqualification of Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.-Early life:Frankfurter was born into a Jewish family on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Europe. He was the third of six children of Leopold and Emma Frankfurter...
. It was no longer sold in the US, but was published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by W. H. Allen in June 1951, going through six impressions in just two years.
Throughout the 1950s there was intense public debate about the censorship of literary works, and in 1958 the publication of Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
(by Wilson's friend, Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
) demonstrated the extent to which public attitudes had relaxed. In June 1959, Memoirs of Hecate County was republished in New York by Octagon and L. C. Page, and the revised edition appeared in the UK in March 1960, published by Panther.