«Damned», the good taste of the bad genre

If there's one field where the bon chic bon genre reigns supreme, it's literature. And yet, Les Nouvelles Editions Humus has taken the complete opposite approach with its Damned collection, which crowns the bad genre.

Launched in January 2023, the Damned collection has been kicking off its second season of pulp fiction since the start of the year. Very popular in the 1930s in the United States, pulp fiction took the form of magazines or small books with garish, colorful covers and poor-quality paper—sometimes patched together—sold for a few cents. A precursor to the airport novel, pulp (derived from “woodpulp,” meaning paper pulp) doesn’t bother with grand literary ambitions and seeks only to provide a distraction for its readership, drawn from the American working class. It is this golden age of the 20th century that Patrick Morier-Genoud and Stéphane Bovon, the founders of Nouvelles Editions Humus, are committed to reviving. Bovon sums it up as follows:

«We really want to spark readers» imaginations on a budget, and we want to entertain them with stories about sex, science fiction, post-apocalyptic scenarios, and zombies."

A season of *Damned* features twelve titles, all written by unknown authors… or almost unknown. Because if the names Pierre Ronpipal, Donnie Hawkins, or Marquis Akira Von Thulé don’t ring a bell, it’s because they’re actually pseudonyms used by local writers who’ve playfully joined in on the fun. And as if this zany mystery weren’t enough, “Tengu Teach,” track number 13 (the first of Season 2), is translated from German by S.A., former professor of medieval literature at the University of Geneva and current caretaker of the Martin Bodmer Foundation!

Twelve titles per season, then—each a standalone story that gives pride of place to zombies, gore, Westerns, science fiction, and sex. You won’t find anything mainstream within these pages, only an unapologetic love for B-movie genres. Discerning aesthetes, please look elsewhere!

The Joy of Anachronism

In addition to marking a return to the roots of popular literature, Damned also challenges the sanctification of the book as an object by promoting quick, seemingly cheap publications—all to focus all attention on the text. And while the genre itself is very 20th-century, this extends even to the way these little booklets are consumed: all you have to do is subscribe, and every month a new pulp novel lands in your mailbox, nestled between a couple of bills and a few political flyers. Well, it’s also possible to order just the issue you want, but that’s definitely less charming.

Read it on a train ride, then leave it on the seat once you're done, for the next reader.

Write to the author: quentin.perissinotto@leregardlibre.com

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Damned
Humus New Editions
2023 (Season 1)
2024 (Season 2)