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Roald Dahl and perfume

post #1 of 12
5/6/08 at 1:53pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone familiar with Roald Dahl's collection of short stories called Switch Bitch (1975)? The fourth story is about a man who meets a perfumer with a dream: to make THE ultimate perfume (the one that will make him rule the world, of course).

There's very little to be found about this story on the net, so I decided to create a little excerpt:

http://www.scentedpages.com/excerpts/dahl.html

If the layout annoys you, I made a PDF version that is a little easier on the eye. (Click on 'PDF' in the upper left corner of that page.)
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post #2 of 12
5/6/08 at 1:59pm
This is a GREAT and very funny story with an cinematic climax too hilarious (and frightening) to contemplate! Have you read it Marcello Mio?
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post #3 of 12
5/6/08 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, I found the book in an antique book market a couple of weeks ago (for as little as 3 euro) and I love this last story to bits!
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post #4 of 12
5/6/08 at 4:14pm
I remember laughing out loud and getting caught up in the laughing so I couldn't stop. Brilliant (if weird) writer - Willie Wonka gives me the creeps. Guess you know he was married to equally brilliant Patricia Neal??
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post #5 of 12
5/6/08 at 4:26pm
hee! This story makes me think of "Pinky and The Brain." Or, perhaps in this case, "Stinky and The Brain."

Aiona
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post #6 of 12
5/6/08 at 8:40pm
Thank you so much for the link! A wonderful read...
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post #7 of 12
5/6/08 at 11:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taolady View Post

Guess you know he was married to equally brilliant Patricia Neal??

I didn't know that...
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post #8 of 12
5/6/08 at 11:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lookingglass View Post

Thank you so much for the link! A wonderful read...

my pleasure!

(hey, where's the Automerge double post thing?)
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post #9 of 12
5/9/08 at 2:32am
This seems like a great story, I must try to find it somewhere! But excuse me for being stupid, the lady with the strange muscle...? What's that all about?
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post #10 of 12
5/9/08 at 3:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnaSa View Post

But excuse me for being stupid, the lady with the strange muscle...? What's that all about?

it's a naughty/sexual thing. This story was actually first published in Playboy magazine, I think in 1974.
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post #11 of 12
5/9/08 at 3:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcello View Post

it's a naughty/sexual thing. This story was actually first published in Playboy magazine, I think in 1974.

Ok...Thanks for your answer. That explains a lot about other lines in the text as well.
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post #12 of 12
5/10/08 at 10:50am
Thank you. Now I want to find the whole thing.
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