The 'Club des Hashischins' (sometimes also spelt Club des Hashishins or Club des Hachichin), was a Parisian society dedicated to the exploration of drug-induced experience, notably with hashish. It was active from about 1844 to 1849 and counted the literary and intellectual elite of Paris among its members. These included Dr. Jacques-Joseph Moreau, Theophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire, Gérard de Nerval, Eugene Delacroix, and Alexandre Dumas.

In the 1840s, (the island) Ile St-Louis, in the heart of Paris, became a popular Bohemian hang-out. In 1842 Hotel de Lauzun, 17, quai d'Anjou got rented out to the Hashish Club. Tenants Baudelaire and Gaultier held hashish soirées in which Baudelaire did research for his Les Paradis artificiels and Gaultier for his Le Club hes hachichins.
In fact, members of the Club des Hachichins met there every month, and got high. Beaudelaire even lived in the attic for a while, and wrote 'les Fleurs du Mal' there.

As said, Gautier wrote about the club in the article entitled "Le Club des Hachichin" which was published in the Revue des Deux Mondes in February of 1846, recounting his visit in December, presumably of 1845. While he is often cited as the founder of the club, in his article his says he was attending their monthly "séances" for the first time this evening and it is clear that the others are sharing a familiar experience with him.

donderdag, 13 januari 2000 | 1162 Hit(s) | (0 vote) | Read more...