The Dark Domain

[yellowish haze]

I am very pleased to announce the reprint of The Dark Domain collection by a Polish master of horror/weird fiction - Stefan Grabinski. This forgotten writer, whose works often remind one of E. A Poe, has been frequently praised by China Mieville and mentioned by Ligotti.

Here you will find more info:
The Dark Domain: The Stefan Grabinski Site

Amazon.com: The Dark Domain (Dedalus European Classics): Stefan Grabinski, Madeleine Johnson, Miroslaw Lipinski: Books

 

Amazon.com: The Dark Domain (Dedalus European Classics): Stefan Grabinski, Madeleine Johnson, Miroslaw Lipinski: Books

Rereadings: Stefan Grabinski | By genre | guardian.co.uk Books

[G. S. Carnivals]

Slawek,
As always, you're amazing. The name rang a bell. I have at least five Grabinski stories in anthologies or small press mags. I'll not ignore him henceforth.

Robert M. Price, in "Editorial Shards" from Crypt of Cthulhu # 66:
"A very different piece of fiction is the disturbing 'The Frenzied Farmhouse' by Polish master of nightmare Stefan Grabinski, translated by Miroslaw Lipinski, the zealous apostle of Grabinski's neglected work in the English-speaking world. This was Grabinski's first published tale (1908) and appeared in three different collections in its original language. This is its first English appearance."

Thank you, Slawek!
Phil

P.S. When will you find time for Ligotti?

[bendk]

Slawek,

I have read THE DARK DOMAIN. I remember liking the stories, but it has been so long since I read them that I can't remember specifics. (whoever said beer is good for your memory is full of it....maybe it was me). I will have to give them a reread one of these days. I see from your link to Amazon.com that they are publishing it with new cover art. The first edition had the suitably evil painting Sensuality by Franz von Stuck. (Hitler's favorite artist, for those of you who like trivia.)

I remember TL mentioning Grabinski in one of his interviews. I thought it was in regards to Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, but I looked for him in these books and couldn't find him. I could have missed him though. Also, in a copy of Nyctalops that I was reading recently, HOM or Christine Morris (related?) mentioned that TL had recommended the GRABINSKI READER to them. This was a small press publication that Miroslaw Lipinski published when he translated a new story. I e-mailed Mr. Lipinski a long time ago via the Grabinski website to see if he had any old copies of this mag for sale. He stated that he thought he did, but that he would have to look for them and get back to me. He never did, and I don't like to make a pest of myself, so ...

As G.S. Carnivals points out, there is a Grabinski story in Crypt of Cthulhu 66. A few others I know of are: Ultima Thule in Nocturne, Secundus and in another one in Tekeli-li #4. (I can't remember where I put my copy or I would list the title. Ah, beer).

[yellowish haze]

Actually, TL doesn't mention Grabinski in many of the interviews, but I know that he's read all of his stories from other sources.

BTW, the new cover of the book is awesome!

[yellowish haze]

And here comes Grabinski's bibliography:

* The Area, (ss) The Grabinski Reader #1, Sum 1986
Tales by Moonlight II, ed. Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Tor 1989; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Before the Long Journey [1921], (ss) The Grabinski Reader #2 1987; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Black Hamlet, (ss) The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy, ed. Wiesiek Powaga, Dedalus 1996; tr. by Wiesiek Powaga

* The Frenzied Farmhouse, (ss) Crypt of Cthulhu #66 1989
100 Tiny Tales of Terror, ed. Robert Weinberg, Stefan R. Dziemianowicz & Martin H. Greenberg, Barnes & Noble 1996; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Fumes, (ss) Fantasy Macabre #14 1992; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Glance [1921], (ss) The Grabinski Reader #3 1988; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Grey Room, (ss) 100 Ghastly Little Ghost Stories, ed. Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg & Martin H. Greenberg, Barnes & Noble 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dedalus Book of Polish Fantasy, ed. Wiesiek Powaga, Dedalus 1996; tr. by Wiesiek Powaga

* In the Compartment, (ss) The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Motion Demon [1919], (ss) The Grabinski Reader #5 1990; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* On a Tangent, (ss) Lore #9 1998; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Saturnin Sektor [1920], (ss) The Grabinski Reader #2 1987; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Siding, (ss) The Grabinski Reader #5 1990; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Sloven, (ss) Tekeli-li! #4 1992; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Strabismus, (ss) The Grabinski Reader #1 1986; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Szamota’s Mistress [1919], (ss) The Grabinski Reader #3 1988; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* A Tale of the Gravedigger, (ss) The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Ultima Thule, (ss) 1919
Nocturne #2 1989; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* Vengeance of the Elementals, (ss) The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The Wandering Train, (ss) Fantasy Macabre #11 1988
The Dark Domain, Dedalus 1993; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski

* The White Wyrak, (ss) 100 Creepy Little Creature Stories, ed. Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg & Martin H. Greenberg, Barnes & Noble 1994; tr. by Miroslaw Lipinski
_____, [ref.]

* English Translation Grabinski Bibliography, (bi) Tekeli-li! #4 1992

* “The Psychofantasy of Stefan Grabinski” by Miroslaw Lipinski, (ar) Tekeli-li! #4 1992

* “Stefan Grabinski and the Reification of Nightmare” by Paul R. Kesler, (ar) The Grabinski Reader #4 1989

[yellowish haze]

Oh, One more thing Bendk,
You can buy the first two issues of The Grabinski Reader from Jessica Amanda Salmonson at her Violet Books webside:

http://www.violetbooks.com/CATALOGS/G.html

From the description of the second issue:
"There are also two articles by Lipinski, & the second issue has a letter column wherein one sees the first responses to this amazing author from such commentators as Thomas Ligotti, Robert Bloch, Karl Edward Wagner & Jessica Amanda Salmonson."

YEAHHHH!

[G. S. Carnivals]

Slawek,
I got my two Tales by Moonlight books, my two Heroic Visions books, and my issues of Fantasy Macabre from Jessica. They're still in the shipping box postmarked July 19, 1999. They're immaculate! BEWARE: Jessica has a tendency to just up and sign her books and magazines! 8) Jessica is the real deal when it comes to small press and forgotten writers. She's a fine writer herself, too....
Learning to Appreciate My Investments,
Phil

[yellowish haze]

I guess I was a little bit wrong stating that The Dark Domain is a reprint.
This is from Chris Roden at Ash-Tree Press:

Quote

The Grabinski volume is an Ash-Tree title, and it's with our printer right now. No, it's not a reprint of THE DARK DOMAIN, although I think two, or perhaps three, of the stories were included in that volume. The title of the collection is THE MOTION DEMON, nine stories first published in Polish in 1919, and now appearing in English, translated by Miroslaw Lipinski, for the first time. This is the first in a projected series of Grabinski's work: but, as you will realise, translation takes time. Miroslaw has been working on this particular volume for a number of years.

Hmm, sounds yummy!

[yellowish haze]

Hey, GSC, coming back to Jessica Amanda Salmonson, I've just discovered that one of her stories appeared in a Polish anthology. I've heard about her some time ago (thanks to her website), but didn't know she was a writer. Apparently, her score in stories translated to Polish equals Ligotti's (= 1). I'll check her out today! 8)

[eldritch00]

I think a couple of Salmonson's stories are available online, though I can't be certain. Which of her stories have been translated to Polish? And which one of Ligotti's, for that matter?

Back to Salmonson: I did read "Madame Enchantia and the Maze of Dream" from an excellent anthology called Walls of Fear, and though I can't quite recall the details of that particular story, I do remember it being quite a wonderfully dizzying read. It's not as bleak as Ligotti, but in terms of the way a dreamlike reality is conjured up by a striking use of language, I think it may appeal to some of us here. She's supposed to have revised and/or extended this story, but I don't know how that changes it.

I wish I had a copy of the earlier Cramer anthology that dealt similarly with "architectural horror." Aside from containing two of my favorite writers (Aickman and Campbell), The Architecture of Fear also contains a Salmonson story intriguingly called "The House That Knew No Hate." And an afterword from the editor to match those absolutely fascinating ideas she has on the horror genre and the role of architecture...yeah, I wish I could find myself a copy of that!

(And all this talk of architecture is reminding me of that "Ligotti and doors" thread that was going on a while back...)