Richard Gavin interview at The Plutonian

[luciferfell]

There is a fasicnating new interview with Richard Gavin over at The Plutonian...The Plutonian: Interview: Richard Gavin

[Siderealpress]

Hi all,

yes a great interview and an interesting reading list. Rampo and Heym are perhaps the lesser known but superb writers. I think many on the list might like Heym especially for his incredible imagination and bleakness.
There is a cheap p/b (still in print) that collects all his known tales; it's one of my favourite books of all time.
I reviewed it here:

http://siderealpressxtras.blogspot.c...d-with-my.html

J

[Gnosticangel]

Thanks for posting a link to the Gavin interview, Luciferfell!

A fascinating interview in which the author speaks very openly about his worldview and how it informs his fiction. I also appreciated this particular comment in light of the ongoing Cthulhuism craze.

"As far as the weaving of genres goes, I tend to favour writers who channel an obsessive personal vision, something that is uniquely their interpretation of the universe, rather than skillful raconteurs who skim across categorical fiction."

For those interested in the intersection of pandaemonic occultism and weird fiction, his nonfiction is also worth checking out:

The Benighted Path: Primeval Gnosis and the Monstrous Soul (Theion Publishing)

[Mr. Veech]

Quote Originally Posted by Siderealpress

Hi all, yes a great interview and an interesting reading list. Rampo and Heym are perhaps the lesser known but superb writers. I think many on the list might like Heym especially for his incredible imagination and bleakness. There is a cheap p/b (still in print) that collects all his known tales; it's one of my favourite books of all time. I reviewed it here: http://siderealpressxtras.blogspot.c...d-with-my.html J

It's actually depressing to know that there are a number of excellent writers out there who easily go unnoticed. Writing in general requires great sacrifice. I'd even go so far as to say that the cost is one's own personal happiness.

[Ibrahim]

Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Veech

It's actually depressing to know that there are a number of excellent writers out there who easily go unnoticed. Writing in general requires great sacrifice. I'd even go so far as to say that the cost is one's own personal happiness.

The idea of the artist sacrificing him/herself for his art has been mostly used to perpetuate the appalling economic undervaluation of writers and artists, so society's responsibility to pay for its art is instead burdened by its artists.
It's quite an impressive trick, very sly; but the fact remains that it is society which generally makes one suffer for the choice of being an artist.

[T.E. Grau]

Richard Gavin is a treasure, whose work will be read and appreciated and ruminated upon for generations to come.

[Mr. Veech]

Quote Originally Posted by Ibrahim

Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Veech It's actually depressing to know that there are a number of excellent writers out there who easily go unnoticed. Writing in general requires great sacrifice. I'd even go so far as to say that the cost is one's own personal happiness. The idea of the artist sacrificing him/herself for his art has been mostly used to perpetuate the appalling economic undervaluation of writers and artists, so society's responsibility to pay for its art is instead burdened by its artists. It's quite an impressive trick, very sly; but the fact remains that it is society which generally makes one suffer for the choice of being an artist.

I'm very much open to the possibility that my "romantic" understanding of the starving artist is merely a product of modern industry, internalized. If so, it is very much an "impressive trick."

[Ibrahim]

Ah, well, perhaps my suggestion is no less romantic- to think that, instead of 'suffering for my art' i ( or, the hypothetical artist) am suffering for 'their' art, while actually the truth is probably that no one is waiting for that art and yes, it is a uniquely personal and supremely useless obsession.
But i don't really believe that either.
The way some people feel about art, i.e. it serves no function, i feel about the acquisition of wealth and status. I can't look at a car and see much Civilization there, some will look at a Cézanne and see no culture there.
"When the sun rises do you not see a round disc of fire somewhat like a guinea? /Oh, no! No! I see an innumerable company of the heavenly host crying Holy Holy Is the Lord G-d Almighty." -Wm. Blake

[Mr. Veech]

I've always thought of the best art as perfectly useless - which is a great compliment. I like to think that it transcends human concerns, though I know that's not exactly a healthy notion to believe in.

[Druidic]

The best art--if you are sensitive to it--just makes life a little less burdensome. Those who say you can learn from great art without experiencing the pain of actual experience are living a fantasy.

It's hard enough to learn from our own experiences, let alone fictional ones.