"I wanted a mission. And for my sins they gave me one."
"Your mission is to proceed up the Nung River by Navy patrol boat, pick up Colonel Kurtz's path at Nu Mung Ba, infiltrate his team by whatever means available... and terminate the Colonel's command."
People who feel they have no voice can have a powerful creative spark, sometimes born of suffering or solitude. Mostly it's hidden, but in the 20th century it began to be admired, celebrated, and even perhaps exploited.
Let's look at the story of 'Outsider Art'...
Outsider Art, Art Brut, Visionary Art, Naïve Art: nobody has really settled on a name for artworks made by untrained artists which express a raw, energetic experience of the world. It's art from a different perspective, demanding to be heard.
Outsider Art began to be recognised in 1911 by Der Blaue Reiter group of artists in Munich. The group was short-lived but influential: fundamental to Expressionism and admiring of artworks created by people struggling with their mental health.
Today in pulp... I look back at '70s Argentinian superspy Namur, a lady who lives her life by the motto "Peligro Supremo!"
Namur is something of a mystery. She's an FBI agent who uses her unique martial arts skills to fight crime. However she always wears a mask to protect her identity.
Namur's boss at the FBI is the equally mysterious 'Taurus' who hides his identity behind a fan. It's such a secretive world fighting crime...
Today in pulp I take a look at back at the humble office copier!
It's a godsend to the busy office worker working on their debut novel...
The Victorian office of the future had a mimeograph machine. You turned the handle and it sharpened your pencils so you could hand copy better.
At least I think that's how it worked...
The Belle Époque French copied their documents with the Cyclostyle machine. Here a typical administrator explains its function to his enthused colleagues.