''Puss'', stylized as ''PUSS'', (Swedish: ''Kiss'') was a leftist underground satirical and arts magazine which was published in the period between 1968 and 1974 in Stockholm, Sweden.

History and profile

''Puss'' was launched by a group of Swedish artists led by

Lars Hillersberg Lars Hillersberg (1937–2004) was a political Swedish artist, cartoonist, caricaturist and comics artist who often caused controversy. Hillersberg was born in Flen. He studied at the Stockholm Art Academy in 1961–1966. In 1968, he founded t ...

in Stockholm in January 1968. The magazine adopted a critical approach towards politicians and opinion leaders and condemned the US interventions in Vietnam and the

Swedish police The Swedish Police Authority ( sv, Polismyndigheten) is the national police force (''Polisen'') of the Kingdom of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under lo ...

. It also involved in the emerging

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

discussions in Sweden. Major contributors were Lars Norén,

Marie-Louise Ekman Marie-Louise Ester Maude Ekman, ''née'' Fuchs, and known during her first marriage under the surname De Geer, and during and after her second as De Geer Bergenstråhle (born 5 November 1944) is a Swedish painter and film director. She is a profes ...

Carl Johan De Geer Baron Carl Johan Louis De Geer af Finspång (born 13 July 1938) is a Swedish artist, writer, musician and ''friherre'' (baron) of the De Geer noble family. De Geer was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in a castle in Skåne, in southe ...

Lars Forssell Lars Hans Carl Abraham Forssell (14 January 192826 July 2007) was a Swedish writer and member of the Swedish Academy. Forssell was a versatile writer who worked within many genres, including poetry, drama and songwriting. He was married from 1951 ...

, and

Öyvind Fahlström Öyvind Axel Christian Fahlström (December 28, 1928 – November 9, 1976) was a Swedish multimedia artist. Biography Fahlström was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as the only child to Frithjof Fahlström and Karin Fahlström. In July 1939 he was s ...

. The issues 1 through 21 were published in

A4 format A4 most often refers to: *A4 paper, a paper size defined by the ISO 216 standard, measuring 210 × 297 mm A4 and variants may also refer to: Science and mathematics * British NVC community A4 (''Hydrocharis morsus-ranae - Stratiotes aloide ...

. The remaining issues came out in

tabloid format A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format. Etymology The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wel ...

. The frequency of ''Puss'' was regular in the early years, but became irregular later. The magazine had 24 pages throughout its lifetime. The editor of the magazine frequently changed and included the following: Lars Hillersberg, Åke Holmqvist, Karin Frostensson, Carl Johan De Geer, Leif Katz, Karl Erik Liljeros, Ulf Rahmberg,

Lena Svedberg Aina-Lena (Lena) Bernice Svedberg (26 April 1946 – 2 July 1972) was a Swedish artist. She was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. She grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where her father worked as an economical advisor for the government. She went to ...

and Christer Themptander. The magazine sold nearly 10,000 copies. The magazine frequently employed the

political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where Political discourse analysis, political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing ...

containing a covert and aesthetic critique. In the third issue ''Puss'' published a photo collage made by Lars Hillersberg featuring a naked man wearing a mask of the People's Party leader

Sven Wedén Sven Wedén (23 July 1913 – 31 March 1976) was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish People's Party from 1967 to 1969. Wedén survived severe tuberculosis and became a businessman in the family company, a metal manufacturi ...

. Following its publication the issue was confiscated by the Swedish authorities, and it became a subject of criticisms by mainstream publications such as ''

Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...

'' and ''

Svenska Dagbladet ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...

''. Right-wing leader

Gösta Bohman Bo Gösta Bohman (15 January 1911 – 12 August 1997) was a Swedish politician and the leader of the Swedish liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1970 to 1981, during a period in which the party strengthened its position in Swedish politi ...

also attacked the magazine describing it as a "disgusting" publication. ''Puss'' folded in Autumn 1974 after producing a total of 24 issues.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puss 1968 establishments in Sweden 1974 disestablishments in Sweden Censorship in Sweden Defunct magazines published in Sweden Defunct political magazines Irregularly published magazines Magazines established in 1968 Magazines disestablished in 1974 Magazines published in Stockholm Political magazines published in Sweden Satirical magazines published in Sweden Swedish-language magazines Swedish political satire