#pulp writer

Vous serez nue Mercredi soir...

[You’ll be naked Wednesday evening...] Reading the book,its title is more a threat than a promise ... Issued 1956, one of Max-André Dazergues' latest novels, and - it must be admitted - compared to other publications of L'Arabesque in the collection “Légère” - almost of another age...what can eventually be seen as a plus. 

Max-André Dazergues [André Compère, 1903-1963] is quasi a legend among french pulpwriters - he published at almost any french pulp publishing house, all kind of genres, maintaining a constant degree of interest and quality all along his road...Dazergues was also published in paperbacks but not that much (considering his many hundreds of published pulps], though he won some literary prices, here and there, for paperback issues.

Publisher’s quote about “Vous serez nue Mercredi Soir”:”The author succeeded in the miracle of decorating a basket of crabs with flowers of many colours. It is impossible to forget this book, and perhaps not to read it again ...”

cover art: Aslan

publisher:Editions de L’Arabesque, Paris

Fleurs infernales

A rather weird tale written by french pulp writer Maurice Limat.

Maurice Limat started in 1936 at Editions Ferenczi and published till the end of the 20th Century. He followed popular edition from pulps to paperback supports and was part of almost any editorial adventure in the publishing of popular fiction (small, short-lived, big and lasting). 

His private-eye, Teddy Verano - appeared for the first time in 1937 - followed Limat during his whole career. Followed him or haunted him. Not only in detective novels, but also in exotic adventures, in romances... and above all, in weird tales.  We can consider that Teddy Verano was a detective of the occult that had to investigate on more ordinary cases to win his daily bread. Like his creator did in writing. You could find Teddy Verano anywhere.

Here, in Fleurs Infernales, published in “Escales” (an adventures & romance series) at SEG, Teddy Verano investigates on the edge of the genres: romance, crime, terror.

publisher: Société d’Editions Générales, Paris

D for...Darcy, D for...Drama

Here is a sampling of popular novels that Paul Darcy published at Editions Rouff. All these stories are dramatic novels, real dramas, dramatic romances or comedies with dramatic accents. Love and loss. Passions, pride, cravings, greed - money, robberies, scams, blackmail, kidnapping, rape... lead the dance. But all good that ends good ? Not ever. “Romans pour midinettes”? A voir.

Paul Darcy (real name:Paul Salmon) signed also Robert Navailles, Paul Dancray, Philippe Jardys and had many other pen-names. Those pulps for Rouff issued between 1925 and 1935, in the series ”Mon Roman Complet illustré”, “Les  Romans Vécus” and “Le Livre Illustré”. A testimony of that era, as well as the cover art (always in tune with the contents).

Publisher: Editions F.Rouff, 8 Boulevard de Vaugirard, Paris XVè

cover art: G.Niezab, R. Courtois, Gil Baer, Armengol,...

Le Petit Roman Policier

French crime pulps series. 112 issues [July 1938 - March 1942].  Format 32 pages - circa 105 x 160. The author’s name was only indicated inside. Published by Editions Ferenczi [#001 to #100], then - France defeated and occupied: June 1941, Applying their policy of aryanization, the Germans had put Ferenczi under sequestration and entrusted the publishing house to Jean de la Hire - the label becoming Editions du Livre Moderne.

Really a very nice series and interesting stories (most of them will be reissued in the series “Mon Roman Policier” after the war)

Reproduced:

# 12 L’effraction de la rue des Saints Pères - Pierre d’Aurimont

# 15 L’homme qui s’escamote - Claude Ascain

# 45 N°9 voiture verte - Jean Daye

# 55 Un scandale mondain - Claude Ascain

# 81 Le voleur du Radjah - Claude Ascain

# 85 Le fantôme noir - Claude Ascain

# 88 L’énigme du pavillon de chasse - A. Clouet

# 107 La Belle Affaire - A. Clouet

# 109 Mort au téléphone - Claude Ascain

# 111 L’énigme des poignards - René Virard

[Claude Ascain & Jean Daye are pen-names of Henri Musnik, who wrote circa 1/3 of the series. When Musnik signed Jean Daye, the story was almost always a sport crime tale]

cover art: Géo Sogny [001-100], Calvo [101-112]

J.Ferenczi & Fils, Editeurs < Editions du Livre Moderne, 9 rue Antoine Chantin, Paris 14e

Collection “Haut les Mains !”

Aka “Les aventures de l’Inspecteur Lautrec”. Pulp series that had 6 issues in 1946 (2nd quarter). Written by polygraphe Paul Darcy (real name: Paul Salmon). Format 155 x 233 - 18 pages/2columns.

I suspect Paul Darcy (like I do with Henri Musnik and Marcel Idiers) for having sometimes adapted and transposed pre-existing stories from english language. If I have all necessary proofs about Musnik, I have only suspicions concerning Idiers and Darcy.

cover art: unknown

publisher: Edilect, 12 rue des Cascades, Paris

“Le Simenon Lyonnais”....

....so the nickname of Max-André Dazergues (1903-1963), legendary pulp writer of all genres. He wrote hundreds of stories between 1925 and the early 60′s, for almost all pulp publishers in France.

Max-André Dazergues himself became a novel character. He appears in “Passez-moi la Joconde” of his friend San Antonio (Frederic Dard): “The 446 F 69 is a motor vehicle belonging to Mr. André Compère, 12, rue Philippe Gonard, Lyon-Croix Rousse” (p 101, Special Police n ° 48, Fleuve Noir, 1954) His real name and informations of perfect accuracy but in the role of a ... forger!

Here, five more novels by Dazergues in his hometown collection “Le Glaive”: Le manoir aux crapauds (#16) - Du sang sous la porte (#30) - Passage du Vieux Lavoir (#32) - L’énigme du vivier (#43) - Le mort au parapluie (#63).

cover art: Roger Roux, Uzo (#30 & 32)

publisher:Editions du Puits Pelu, Lyon

Maurice Lannes

Maurice Lannes started writing pulp fiction at the end of WW2. In the 50′s, using mainly the pen-name Morris Lane, he was one of the collaborators of publisher Roger Dermée and as Edmond Nouveau left his book-keeper job at Dermée’s Editions to found his own publishing house, Maurice Lannes followed him.

Here three paperbacks for Edmond Nouveau’s Editions de l’Arabesque. Exotic adventure, hardboiled, dark romance, social criticism - the whole tinged with erotism and moist atmospheres...

 Yana, femme pirate (Collection “Charme et Exotisme” #1, 1955)

Les gueux de l’amour (Nouvelle collection éclectique #9, 1955)

Le bar des épaves (Collection Colorama # 5, 1959)

Publisher:Editions de l’Arabesque

Publishing director:Edmond Nouveau