10-30-14:Brian J. Showers Opens 'the Green Book: Issue 4'
200 Years of LeFanu
Celebrating the bicentennial of J. S. LeFanu in style, 'The Green Book' Issue four is another wonderful exploration of a weird little corner of literature, and a great example of how careful editing can make even the most obscure subject fascinating and entertaining beyond all expectations.
Showers stated goal is right there in the title; and even if you think, well, that's a little specialized for me, you might find yourself very pleasantly surprised. LeFanu is the focus here, in three new articles, and three recollections of past work on the author. One article here collects contemporary reviews of LeFanu's foundational novel 'Uncle Silas'; Showers also offers both M. R James' and Christine Langford's introductions to the novel.
Roger Dobson gets down to the details of LeFanu's vampire novel 'Carmilla,' in "The Scarlet and the Black, A curiosity in 'Carmilla.'" Film historian David Skal looks at stage productions of the novel in a wildly entertaining piece, "The Lady Who Munched: How Carmilla Stormed the Stage."
Elsewhere in the issue, Albert Power continues his study in genre "Towards An Irish Gothic." One hopes to see these collected in a single volume down the line. And Megan Kuster asks "Who's Afraid of 'The Demon Lover'? Ireland and the Supernatural in Elizabeth Bowen's Short Fiction." Her answer is engaging and has the desired effect of adding yet another writer to one's ever-growing queue. At least she's pointing to short stories!
Showers clearly has an eclectic bent, but he brings to it a focus on enjoyable reading about weird and obscure writing. The audience for this little journal may seem academic, but open The Green Book and you'll find yourself among those academics whether or not you thought it to be possible.
10-27-14:Jim Rockhill and Brian J. Showers Recall 'Dreams of Shadow and Smoke: Stories for J. S. Le Fanu'
New Stories for an Antiquary
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu managed to be what very few writers even aspire to, much less achieve. He was an inventor, an innovator in a time when there was more room for innovation, to be sure, but nonetheless a trailblazer whose name is no longer so familiar as that which he created. It is arguable that both the vampire novel and the ghost story, as we know them today begin with Le Fanu. And his original work is still worthy of not just exploration on its own merits, but as a direct inspiration to new stories.
Jim Rockhill (Ashtree Press) and Brian J. Showers (The Swan River Press) have gone to no small trouble to bring readers a collection of stories written in tribute to and inspired by J. S. Le Fanu, and the results are predictably outstanding. 'Dreams of Shadow and Smoke' offers readers ten top-notch supernatural stories by names that are familiar, obscure and both at once. If you're familiar with Le Fanu's work, this is a must-buy collection. If you're not, and simply want a superb assembly of supernatural fiction, it's also essential, and a grand pathway to the actual work of J. S. Le Fanu.
The stories here are the stars, but it's worth noting that Showers and Rockhill provide a pitch perfect introduction to the volume; whether or not you know Le Fanu, they give you enough to get started and feel informed as well as entertained. Afterwards, the writers provide story notes, and there are accompanying writer biographies as well. These are helpful, as two of the writers (Emma Darwin and Sarah LeFanu) are descendents of J. S. Le Fanu. They'll also lead you to a wealth of other reading.
The stories are strong, weird and varied. There's the dark, edgy seaside desolation of Mark Valentine's "Seaweed Tea" (a riff on LeFanu's most famous short story, "Green Tea") and the quiet documentary feel of editor Brian Showers' wonderful "Some Houses—A Rumination." Derek John's "Three Tales from a Townland" plays well with suburban legends, while Angela Slatter takes a vacation from Lodellan in her powerful story "Let the Words Take You." It's a fine summary for what you'll find throughout the volume; well-written stories of supernatural imagination with a nice referent to a generally unheralded master and innovator of the genre.
Le Fanu's descendents have both inherited the writing gene; Sarah LeFanu offers "Alicia Harker's Story," a finely updated tale, while Emma Darwin's contribution, "A Cold Vehicle for the Marvelous" might provide yet another effective summary of the volume as a hole. Martin Hayes explores a life in "Echoes," the sort of story that casts a pall over a reader. "The Corner Lot" by Lynda Rucker is a nicely disquieting take on the "bad place" story. "Rite of Possession" by Gavin Selerie is more upfront than some of the other stories you'll find here, a nice contrast. The collection concludes with "Princess of the Highway" by Peter Bell; he's a master of this genre and earns his keep in spades as the finishing touch.
One is well advised not to forget that the publisher, The Swan River Press, offers readers beautiful books to hold. As assembled, the stories and the extras that accompany them are nicely paced and long enough to feel full, but never so long as to overstay their welcome. The feeling that lingers after reading the stories here is one of anticipation; both of reading for the first time or re-reading Le Fanu himself, and of seeing what else the writers and editors have to offer in a future that looks to be the author of more unpleasantness than the past which brought us this fine work.
New to the Agony Column
09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."
09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
