Love Me Sailor
{{Infobox book|
| name = Love Me Sailor
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = Love Me Sailor.jpg
| border =
| caption = First edition
| author = Robert Close
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Australia
| language = English
| series =
| genre =
| publisher = Melbourne: Georgian House{{cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/7032159 |title=Love me sailor (Book, 1945) |publisher=WorldCat |oclc=7032159 |accessdate=9 December 2016}}
| release_date = 1945
| english_release_date =
| media_type =
| pages =
| isbn = 9780856170096
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
Love Me Sailor is a 1945 novel from Australian author Robert Close.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-robert-close-1596451.html Obituary of Robert Close] at The Independent{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22236189 |title=A Siren Goes to Sea |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=31,064 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=23 March 1946 |accessdate=17 May 2016 |page=10 (The Argus Week-end Magazine) |via=National Library of Australia}}
Plot
A woman travels on a ship from Chile to the US.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-16/australias-hidden-library-collections-restricted-giftschrank/7415768 Dangerous books behind lock and key: Exploring Australia's hidden library collections] By Story Hunters Ashlynne McGhee and Loretta Florance ABC News 17 May 2016
Background
Close finished writing the book in 1943.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1100119 |title=Books in Review |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=30,725 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=17 February 1945 |accessdate=18 May 2016 |page=10 (The Argus Week-end Magazine) |via=National Library of Australia}}
Adaptations
The book was to have been adapted into a radio play in 1946 but the production was cancelled at the last minute.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145124734 |title="THE JITTERS" AT RADIO STATIONS |newspaper=Daily Advertiser |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 July 1946 |accessdate=18 May 2016 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} It was also to be adapted into a feature film in 1977 (with Robert Bruning producing, and with a screenplay by Bruce Wishart) before that project was also abandoned.Wayne Levy, The Book of the Film and the Film of the Book, Academia Press, 1995, p.31.
Obscenity Trial
In 1946 Close and "Georgian House Pty Ltd", the publisher of the novel were prosecuted in the Supreme Court of Victoria for "obscene libel".{{cite AustLII|VicLawRp|79|1948|litigants=R v Close |parallelcite=[1948] VLR 445 |date=29 June 1948 |courtname=Supreme Court (Full Court) (Vic)}}.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collections/special/exhibitions/bannedbooks/exhibition/close.html|title=Banned Books: Robert Close|publisher=University of Melbourne Library|accessdate=21 July 2010}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168774398 |title="LOVE ME. SAILOR" CALLED INDECENT, FILTH |newspaper=Truth |issue=2947 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=14 July 1946 |accessdate=18 May 2016 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}}
During the first trial, the entire 90,000-word book was read to the jury by counsel for the prosecution twice: the first jury was discharged when the court was notified that the foreman of the jury had discussed the case with one of Close's friends.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gpNjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T3oNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4511,1758038&dq=robert-close+obscene&hl=en|title=Author, Publisher Guilty of Libel|work=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix|accessdate=26 February 2011}} Close was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a fine of £100.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9KQUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s7EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4635,1005583&dq=robert-close+obscene&hl=en|title=Robert Close Finds Fun in Puncturing the Pompous and Prudish|work=The Age|accessdate=26 February 2011}} This was later overturned on appeal; he served 10 days in prison and was fined £150.