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Henry Miller
About the author: American writer and painter. His explicit use of crass and sexual language revolutionized the term “free writing.” His innovative style discussing sexual subject matters certainly broke the constraints of conservatism.
Famous work: Tropic of Cancer (published in 1934)
It is an autobiographical account of Miller’s moments as a struggling artist in 1920s France. Considered to be his masterpiece, Tropic of Cancert contains numerous erotic encounters that will leave readers with a bad case of... blue balls. It is a poignant dissection of the human condition and the hungers we crave in times of need. The needs being: money, sex, and above all, pleasure.
Quote machine: “Sex is one of the nine reasons for reincarnation. . .The other eight are unimportant.”
Charles Bukowski
About the author: American poet who painted a picturesque landscape of poverty, alcoholism, undesirable sex, and the monotony of work in Los Angeles. Most of his famous novels were semi-autobiographical using his alter ego, Henry Chinaski, as his vehicle.
Famous work: Factotum (published 1975)
A factotum—allow us to give you your word for the day— is someone who needs to handle numerous responsibilities. In this acclaimed novel, Henry Chinaski is rejected from the WWII draft, forcing him to drudge from one menial job to the next, never content, all while juggling illicit sexual affairs, a growing drinking problem, and his passion for writing.
Quote machine: “My ambition is handicapped by laziness.”
Hunter S. Thompson
About the author: A pioneer of Gonzo Journalism, a style of writing wherein the journalist immerses himself into the reporting that he himself becomes the main attraction of the story. Thompson was very candid about his pharmaceutical experimentations. Note a line in his most famous work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, for instance: "The trunk of the car looked like a mobile police narcotics lab. We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Ballantine ale, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug-collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can." Rakenrol enough yet for you, sir?
Famous work: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream (published in Rolling Stone in 1971 and as a book in 1972)
Assigned to do a piece on a Mexican-American television personality, Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (not his real name) descend into the pits of extreme and utter intoxication as they ripped and tripped through the city of sin. What was supposed to be a journalistic expose evolved into hedonistic experimentation. Duke brings out his inner-beast by testing his limits. He hallucinates raptors drinking at a bar, sees his companion turn into a demon on a hit of adrenaline, and even visits a carnival under the influence of ether. Time to book us a trip to Vegas!
Quote machine: “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.”
Jack Kerouac
About the author: The original hippie before the flower power movement even began. Together with William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) and Allan Ginsberg (Howl), Kerouac led the Beatnik generation of the 1950’s and early sixties. His themes centered on promiscuity, getting by when times are tough, alternative religion, drug use, travel, and beatnik poetry.
Famous work: Dharma Bums (published 1958)
Chronicles the journeys through Western America of Kerouac’s alter-ego, Ray Smith, and his poet-buddy Japhy Ryder as they discover Buddhism, the magic of the great outdoors, snazzy jazz clubs, and our personal favorite, Tantric sex. His writing lacks punctuations and it doesn't follow the basic rules of capitalization but oh boy can he tell a story! What a trip!
Quote machine: “My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.”
Bret Easton Ellis
About the author: He makes that show Gossip Girl look like cotton candy–which it is, btw. Considered to be part of the literary Brat Pack back in the 80’s, his fiction focused on the decadent and destructive lifestyle of the youth. At the tender age of 21, he was regarded as a satirist for his portrayal of sex-crazed, drug-abusing high school brats in his novel Less Than Zer0. He also penned cult-classic American Psycho, which was a controversial look at a modern day (psychotic) yuppie and his strive for perfection.
Famous work: Less Than Zer0 (published 1985)
He captured the mood of the 80s: power, excess, and indulgence. Gloss in a Beverly Hills high school setting no less. The notorious novel stirred America’s notion of materialistic teenagers and what the fuck they were really up to when their jet setting parents were on vacation. An entertaining and disturbing trip through cocaine abuse, prostituting for meth money, and a whole lot of barely legal romps.
Quote machine: “I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has over-flown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.”
Aldous Huxley
About the author: Aside from writing the famous dystopian novel, Brave New World, he was editor and writer for the Oxford Poetry. A member of a wealthy and notorious family, he dabbled in psychedelics and had a fascination with parapsychology and mysticism.
Famous work: The Doors of Perception (published in 1954)
LA psychedelic rock band The Doors actually founded the band’s name because of this piece of work. His scientific and philosophical firsthand account with the psychedelic mescaline in The Doors of Perception was groundbreaking. It wasn’t met well by all critics; some called it irresponsible and detached, while others saw it as enlightening. But Huxley found that the drug changed his perception of the external world and allowed him to contemplate the fact that each individual yearns to experience transcendence.
Quote machine: “Chastity is the most unnatural of all the sexual perversions.”
Nick Joaquin
About the author: Also known as Quijano de Manila, this famous Filipino writer was known for liking his San Miguel. A National Artist of the Philippines for Literature, his short stories and reportages are some of the best our country has ever seen…or read.
Famous work: Summer Solstice
"Summer Solstice" is his most famous short story about the Tatarin or Tadtarin, the pagan ritual where women prance around a BAlete tree, naked, invoking fertility gods. He juxtaposed this storyline with a couple in the throes of a sexual power struggle amidst the scorching summer heat; very powerful stuff, we tell you. Read it.
Quote machine: “The identity of the Filipino today is of a person asking what is his identity.”
Norman Wilwayco
About the author: Multi-Palanca Award winner and FHM favorite is a journalist, writer, musician, web designer, and all around irreverent badass.
Famous work: Mondomanila (won the Palanca in 2002)
His Palanca winning novel that isn’t really an easy read if you’re squeamish or easily grossed out…by poverty, excessive drug use, and gang rape. It will be your personal high-octane trek into the slums of our very own urban jungle. Feels like a little bit of Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) laced with a lethal dose of Elmore Leonard (Rum Punch); a not-so-healthy cocktail of despair and retribution.
Quote machine: “Tanga lang umibig. Gago lang ang hindi.”
Lourd De Veyra
About the author: He sort of redefines the meaning of “renaissance man.” You see, he’s the front man of rock band Radioactive Sago Project, Spot.ph’s This is a Crazy Planets blogger, TV personality, music journalist, and keen observer of all things absurd.
Famous work: Super Panalo Sounds (published 2011)
A fictional account about four band mates and their unlikely misadventures in the music scene. Most notable about this piece is its detailed and vivid description of the character’s experiences on Shabu (methamphetamine). The descriptive and poetic prose of Lourd De Veyra seamlessly buries you into the wired mind of the abusers that you just might feel like you’ve just chased the dragon yourself. Super palo, este, panalo, indeed!
Quote machine: “Sometimes memory can be real bitch.”
