Now available:

The Hashish-Eater and other poems - six fantastic poems by Clark Ashton Smith performed by Donald Sidney-Fryer.

Contents:

- The Hashish-Eater (1920) 48:40
- Soliloquy in an Ebon Tower (1950) 8:29
- O Golden-Tongued Romance (1950) 3:16
- Song of the Necromancer (1937) 2:37
- Cycles (1961) 1:37
- The Sorcerer Departs (1944) 1:05

Total running time approx. 66 mn.
US$14.
More info at [donaldsidneyfryer.free.fr]
This audio cd may be purchased online at [www.gavinicussbooks.com]

Philippe Gindre

This is a truly superb selection of poetry, in only six poems DSF has managed to include four of my five favorite CAS poems. I can also vouch for the quality of the packaging; (I was fortunate enough to obtain one of the very first copies) including a great picture of the young CAS on the cover and also a very well written and interesting introduction by Philippe.
Good luck with this venture, I think it's a bargain at $14.00!
-Ron

received my copy - also dear Chipougne - I replied to you when DSF wrote while in France, but he evidently didn't get it -
I have been requested (by Don and others) to record some of my
favorite CSF as well as some of his favorite other poets - will try to get off my collective duff and do so soon - currently winding down a production of "Damn Yankees".
Dr. Farmer
Also Don sent a copy of Gaspard de la Nuit - eager to read!

Hej!

Dr. Farmer! Since you can fit 80 minutes or so onto a single CD, you may have a lot of reading to do. Maybe you could go for a double CD set, one CAS, one influences...:)

Perhaps you could consider reading the original of his translations just before his own translation as well -- that would excite me even more.

In fact, I'm so excited anyway, I need a bit of a lie down!

Phillip

I just noticed something curious regarding the CD.

It seems that the CD version of "The Hashish-Eater" is the older version; when I compared it to the text in THE LAST OBLIVION and SELECTED POEMS there were several significant differences (most notable on track 5). I must admit it was very interesting to see (or hear, rather) the changes CAS had made between the first and the final published version of the poem! I hope that the Collected Poetry will include notes on alternate readings as well.

I also noticed that there seems to be two misprints in "Soliloquy in a Ebon Tower", as printed in THE LAST OBLIVION. On p. 172, it says

"Or creak or Charon's oak-locks as he plies"

Sidney-Fryer reads -- correctly, I believe, as the line makes more sense to me that way --:

"Or creak of Charon's oar-locks as he plies"

Yrs
Martin

The recording is from the first version, printed in "Ebony and Crystal."

You are of course correct about "creak of"

Are you counting the second typo as the title itself? This should be "Soliloquy in an Ebon Tower."

-Ron

Don Fryer has used the Ebony and Crystal text for his reading of "The Hashish-Eater" for about as long as he has been performing it in public. In fact, he used that text for his edition of the poem (privately printed and distributed at some performances). There is some discussion about reissuing that edition as a set with the CD, and including some essays on the poem, making it a sort of "Casebook on The Hashish-Eater."
Best,
Scott

casofile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Are you counting the second typo as the title
> itself? This should be "Soliloquy in an Ebon
> Tower."

Actually, I thought that must, for some eldritch reason, be correct, since it occurs three times in the book. But it sure did look weird.

No, I was thinking of "oak-locks" which should be "oar-locks".

Martin

Scott Connors Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is some discussion about
> reissuing that edition as a set with the CD, and
> including some essays on the poem, making it a
> sort of "Casebook on The Hashish-Eater."

That would be awesome!

Yrs
Martin