The Return of the Repressed: Sick Humor from Both Sides of the Atlantic: Guest Post by A.J. Mell
Following is a guest post by Morbid Anatomy Museum A.J. Mel l docent on the mid-20th century phenomenon of "sick humor," as inspired by The Penguin Book of Sick Verse , a book which he suggested for (and which now resides in) the Morbid Anatomy Library . Hope you enjoy! The Return of the Repressed: Sick Humor from Both Sides of the Atlantic By A.J. Mell Among the obscure jewels to be found in the Morbid Anatomy Library is The Penguin Book of Sick Verse , a British poetry anthology which never came out in America and hasn’t been reissued since its publication in 1963. I first learned about it through a passing reference in Rob Young’s history of the British folk-rock movement, Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music (Faber and Faber, 2011). Apparently the collection was a favorite of Fairport Convention founder Richard Thompson, whose own mordant lyrics might fit nicely into an updated edition. (He also set music to one of the book’s offerings, George Painter...