Absinthe: The Forbidden Spirit: An Intoxicating History of the Green Fairy

A journalist and photographer set out to the "absinthe valley" in search of the history, the botany and the illicit mysteries of the "Green Fairy"

Invented
in a small valley in Switzerland, absinthe was the drink of choice for
19th century Bohemians. Van Gogh, Picasso and Oscar Wilde swore by its
creative powers. But by the early 20th century, the drink was prohibited
around the world.

This "other prohibition" lasted nearly 100
years. Only in 2005 was it legal to make absinthe again in Switzerland. This is the story of the invention and reinvention of the much-feared drink, and of the
craftsmen who kept the traditions alive, despite the risks.

Swiss
journalist Tania Brasseur travels through the few remote valley of
Switzerland and France where absinthe is made today, and meets the people
who have brought about absinthe's renaissance. Along the way she discovers the turbulent story of "the green fairy's" heyday in Paris, and delves
into how it is made, how its very success led to its prohibition, and
why it has now become a darling of barkeepers everywhere. With more than
100-photos from Tamara Berger, and illustrations by Ajsa Vera Dorothy Zdravkovic, this is an intimate look at a stunning
region of Europe never seen this way before.

Tania Brasseur is an award-winning Swiss author with a passion for the traditional crafts of Europe. Absinthe: The Forbidden Spirit is her first book in English.

Tamara Berger is from the Val-de-Travers. Before discovering her passion for photography, she practiced trail running as a top sport. She specializes in images for reportage and from everyday life, focusing on natural light. One of her favorite parts of her craft is meeting people.

Michelle Bailat-Jones is a translator and novelist living in Switzerland. She has translated several short stories as well as two novels by C. F. Ramuz, Beauty on Earth and What if the Sun...? Her other translations include work by Clarisse Francillon, Claude Cahun, Julia Allard Daudet, Laure Mi-Hyun Croset, and Céline Cerny.