Hello,
did anyone notice this?
[
freepages.pavilion.net]
There is a book on their site called "A Damask of the Dead" by John Gale;
This writer is here compared to C.A.Smith, i wonder if anyone in this forum ever read something by him and can give us any glimpse about his art- the comment on Tartarus'site is very interesting in my opinion and made me so curious about this man..
I'm posting what is said about this book:
John Gale’s prose poems are finely-polished decadent gems, each an exquisitely-cut tragedy pared to its archetypal essentials. The perfumes of the East suffuse these tales of poets, lovers and kings who, despite the luxury and beauty of their surroundings, desire something beyond. Although the fate of the protagonist is often melancholia or death, these are in no way moral fables. They contain, in their impossible fancies, glimpses of eternal truths, but not the comfort of traditional fairy stories. These are quests for the unattainable, and such quests can never bring happiness. . . .
Lord Kandra stalks these pages: cursed with immortality . . . Kuusian, distraught at his lover’s death, knows that he will never be reunited with his loved one if he dies by his own hand . . . Salim ibn Asad is a poet whose heart’s desire may be attained only in death . . . Sensually poetic and melancholic, there is a profound darkness beneath the surface glamour of John Gale’s tales. A Damask of the Dead is a collection to be relished by those who admire sophisticated prose and the Gothic Romanticism of the Decadents.
A Damask of the Dead is a sewn hardback book of 100 pages. Limited to 250 signed copies. Price £25/$45 inc. p&p.
Reviews:
"... the great virtue of dealing with the eternal themes of love, beauty, and mortality is that, if you can carry it off, you will have created something of lasting value. I think Gale has done so, and is to be congratulated." - David Longhorn, All Hallows.
"His short pieces are chill, polished gems of real beauty . . . something of Clark Ashton Smith’s lush style there— languid messages from the land of Averoigne, and yet also more than a little of the nineteenth-century French decadents’ stylishly despairing prose . . . enjoy his precious messages from a time lost and yet to be."—John Whitbourn
"Gorgeous . . . lovely."—Rosemary Pardoe
"As Machen has observed, literature consists in the art of telling a wonderful story in a wonderful manner. Few writers today acknowledge the need for either element. John Gale is one who has mastered both. By what-ever means you may, therefore, seek out his work: you will be glad you have done so."—Mark Valentine