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Transactions of the Flesh: A Homage to Joris-Karl Huysmans
254 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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72 people want to read
About the author
D.P. Watt
67 books75 followersD.P. Watt is a writer living between Scotland and England in an otherworldly, misty borderland. His collection of stories, An Emporium of Automata was reprinted by Eibonvale Press in 2013, and his second collection, The Phantasmagorical Imperative and Other Fabrications, is now available in paperback. A third collection, Almost Insentient, Almost Divine, appeared with Undertow Publications in 2016 and was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. He won the Ghost Story Award 2015 for his story ‘Shallabalah’ published in The Ghosts and Scholars Newsletter, no 26.You can find him at The Interlude House: www.theinterludehouse.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 19, 2018
This is an exquisitely produced volume, well made, beautiful to hold and look at, it exudes quality. In terms of the contents, lush prose and decadent subject matter are the order of the day. Everything in here was good, but I enjoyed some more than others. 'In Our Deep Vaulted Cell' by Derek John was rather fine, and Angel Head by Harold Billings was also excellent, as well as being extremely weird and creepy. The always reliable Colin Insole provided my favourite tale - Salammbo and the Zaimph of Tanit. Another highlight was A Hive of Pain by D.P.Watt, which was poetic, moving and chilling.
July 30, 2015
I have finally tracked down a copy of this exquisite book - what a joy it is. Beautifully produced and filled with strange and haunting tales, it really gets to the heart of Huysmans's curious visions. It was good to see writers such as D.P. Watt attending to the poetic aspects of Huysmans's early work (e.g. 'A Dish of Spices'), and I also loved the elusive Peter Holman's homage to the naturalistic sleaze of books such as 'Marthe' and 'The Vatard Sisters'. A body like camembert in a warm room. Yuck! As for the design of the book...Ex Occidente have surpassed even their own outrageously high standards. I hear that the special edition of the book even has an inlaid crucifix...surely not!
Brilliant, and a complete change from the dismal ordinariness of most commercial, mass-market fiction. Well done to all concerned.
Brilliant, and a complete change from the dismal ordinariness of most commercial, mass-market fiction. Well done to all concerned.
July 21, 2014
I found this anthology to be nothing less than astounding. The prose herein are of such quality and exquisiteness that they would not suffer if they were printed a cheap toilet paper. Fortunately, Ex Occidente has done quite the opposite.
The book itself is stunning. The size, the materials used and the presentation all amplify the underlying intent. A lush sense of deviance and the forbidden uncovered seem to somehow seep out of the book’s pages when closed.
Naturally, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but all have such an extraordinary quality that it would be hard to separate my favorites from the remaining gems.
This is a fantastic work worthy of the above praise . Moreover, it is sure to fuel your passion for the written word.
All Praise The God Of Flux!
The book itself is stunning. The size, the materials used and the presentation all amplify the underlying intent. A lush sense of deviance and the forbidden uncovered seem to somehow seep out of the book’s pages when closed.
Naturally, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but all have such an extraordinary quality that it would be hard to separate my favorites from the remaining gems.
This is a fantastic work worthy of the above praise . Moreover, it is sure to fuel your passion for the written word.
All Praise The God Of Flux!
Want to read
August 11, 2019I purchased the late Avalon Brantley’s copy from the estate book sale, which makes this book so special for me.
January 12, 2021
Angel Head by Harold Billings
“Grow old along with me.”
A fascinating and creepy tale of a graveyard – tombs now beset with floods – then another of this book’s ‘rock structured’ walls of a church, wherein our protagonist — while investigating, MR James-like, the history of the sculptress of the Angel Head on one of the tombs outside — is trapped by a seemingly mad curator. But that gives you no clue or premonition of what happens and how it happens. There is, for example, a spy-hole like that in the front of this book through which a pole is poked towards a Real Presence upon the mad curator in a mode not dissimilar from Derek John’s earlier religio-sexual moments… I give up! Read it. It’s brilliant. And, oh yes, as you can tell from my quote above, there is another budding future ‘lady wife’ for our hero…possibly.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
“Grow old along with me.”
A fascinating and creepy tale of a graveyard – tombs now beset with floods – then another of this book’s ‘rock structured’ walls of a church, wherein our protagonist — while investigating, MR James-like, the history of the sculptress of the Angel Head on one of the tombs outside — is trapped by a seemingly mad curator. But that gives you no clue or premonition of what happens and how it happens. There is, for example, a spy-hole like that in the front of this book through which a pole is poked towards a Real Presence upon the mad curator in a mode not dissimilar from Derek John’s earlier religio-sexual moments… I give up! Read it. It’s brilliant. And, oh yes, as you can tell from my quote above, there is another budding future ‘lady wife’ for our hero…possibly.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews