Sunday, November 30, 2014

A Distillate of Heresy

I'm ecstatic to relate that a book of four stories which I've written, titled 'A Distillate of Heresy', has been released by Zagava/Ex Occidente Press. Dan Ghetu and Jonas Plöger have created an absolutely stunning package for my esoteric narratives, I'm quite humbled by the degree of care and artistry which has been put into the design and am honored to be published on their press.




I'm especially excited to have my contribution appear in the Les Éditions de L’Oubli series, so named after a publishing house which was briefly maintained by the Romanian Surrealist group in the tumultuous years of the second world war. Every one of the books in the series is outstanding, both in terms of design and content. They're like talismanic objects evoking the spirits of lost volumes. I've been an enthusiast since the inception of the series.
A Distillate of Heresy can be ordered from Zagava Books. Shipping is set to begin (from Germany) in mid-December. 

"A document is missing from a chamber hidden deep within the heart of the embassy. We cannot hope to find it, but must seek it all the same. In our search for the unattainable, we come across a book containing 4 stories, keys for which there are no locks, unfathomable oracles beneath the icy stars.
The stories reveal images as perplexing as they are illuminating. A woman gains illicit access to a penthouse in the depth of winter and finds within its hidden recesses the keys to unspeakable mysteries. A ceremonial initiation is brutally interrupted, plunging the initiate into uncharted waters. The subtle alteration of a map affects a shift of boundaries, revealing forbidden permutations in the architecture of the invisible. A relic which resides in an impossible place finds expression in the dreams and memories of an enthusiast.
Our investigations will take us beneath the royal star in the heart of the scorpion, deep into occupied territory, and into the inexplicable topology of an old hotel. The narratives, like drops of poison, will threaten to corrupt the soul. But in corruption is found new life. In putrefaction, we hope to germinate a seed: the concentrated distillate of heresy."

The book is limited to 85 numbered exemplars only, lithographically printed, hand-sewn binding, illustrated dustjacket, silk bookmark, illustrated endpapers, frontispiece. 60.00 Euro (including international, recorded shipping, which will start in mid of December)

Friday, November 21, 2014

Dreams of Ourselves: An Appreciation of Pessoa


I am quite excited to announce that a piece of mine will be included in the upcoming Zagava/Ex Occidente homage volume Dreams of Ourselves: An Appreciation of Pessoa. The book contains 11 stories, each one attributed to one of the heteronyms of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, as chosen by the author. The true attribution of author to story remains veiled, though the keys will be provided in a sealed envelope included with the book.

The authors are as follows: Quentin S. Crisp, Jonathan Wood, Mark Valentine, Adam S. Cantwell, Colin Insole, John Howard, Avalon Brantley, Rhys Hughes, Andrew Condous, D.P. Watt, and myself.

The stories (along with their heteronyms):
That Nothing Human Scorn by Raphael Baldaya
Petseta by Sebastian Knight
We Are All Words by Burton Donald-Wickham Hallam
The Apostatical Ascetic by Alexander Search
A Body of Nostalgia with a Soul of Foam by Unknown
Le Panopticon de le Chevalier de Pas by Chevalier de Pas
Mr. S and Doctor S. by Horace James Faber
The Man We All Imagined I Might Have Been by Emmanuel Golding
A Sea Sorrow in Triptych by A.A. Crosse
The Sublime Voyage of Ariana Aragão by Efbeedee Pasha
Under Different Stars by Navas

The pieces with which my work share space in this book are among the finest which I've read all year. It is quite an honor to be included in such a fantastic project.

The book may be ordered from the Zagava website. Shipping begins toward the end of November.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Infra Noir

I am very fortunate to have a short novella of mine included in Infra Noir, a multi-author compendium released this month by Ex Occidente / Zagava Books.



The contents are as follows:
SMOKE by Mark Valentine
FLAMMABLE MATERIALS by Thomas Stromsholt
THE UNFOLDING MAP by John Howard
SOOT by Dan Watt, illustrated by Andrzej Welminski
THE SALAMANDER ANGEL by myself
THE SLAVES OF PARADISE by Colin Insole

Having read the pieces (besides my own) in the proof, I'm quite excited about this book to say the least. The new work by Valentine, Stromsholt, Howard, Watt, and Insole is fantastic, easily among their best. Each section is wholly unique, yet tied together by subtle threads of influence like pearls on a string of aether. 

Infra Noir can be pre-ordered (shipping begins in mid-July) from Zagava Books in Germany:

Saturday, March 1, 2014

There is a place where philosophy, psychology, mysticism, and materialism converge. The most fabulous churches and cathedrals harbor small and impossibly obscure doors within their depths that lead into this place. These doors, if you can find them, are securely locked, but there is a key.