Seeking Faust

by Dale Pendell

Seeking Faust is a play by the poet Dale Pendell, author of the acclaimed Pharmako trilogy on psychoactive plants, a comedy of 13 scenes in prose, following a verse prologue. The dramatic form is apposite, invoking its origins in the archaic rites of Dionysus, the god of vegetal life, intoxication and revolution.
 With Seeking Faust, Pendell revisits the legend of Dr Faustus, giving his own slant to the story made famous by Marlowe and Goethe. Our protagonist is Wagner, Faust’s former student and apprentice, who has chosen the royal path of alchemy over his master’s necromantic conjurations. His goal, to seek his master whom rumour would have is ‘far from dead.’ By art Wagner makes his antagonist, the Serpent, appear. As Mephistopheles is Faust’s shamanic ally, so is the Serpent to Pendell’s Wagner. Born of the homunculus, the hermaphroditic Serpent leads our hero on a visionary journey through various illusory scenarios, including the evocation of Augustine, a psychedelic trip, an encounter with Freud, and eventually ending in jail, defended by Daniel Webster.
 Pendell, known for his own adventures on the poison path (‘so completely articulated’ in Goethe’s Faust), here uses humour as a pharmakon to counter our postmodern malaise.

Genres: Magic

72 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Dale Pendell is the author of the award-winning Pharmako trilogy, a literary history of psychoactive plants.
He reads and distills the literature of pharmacology and neuroscience, of ethnobotany and anthropology, of mythology and political economics as they intersect with the direct experience of human psychoactive use.

He and his wife Laura currently reside in California.

Reviews

[Emerson Steady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pendell's take on the Faust myth is at first interesting but quickly becomes tedious and ultimately has very little to say when compared to the text it is based on. With little logic, Wagner bounces around many locations and interacts with real and fictional characters as well as personified concepts. Pendell's reputation makes me think that he is attempting to illustrate some esoteric points with these particular scenarios, but I could hardly begin to guess what they are. Instead, Seeking Faust comes across as a strange attempt at humor, mostly targeting the low-hanging fruit of capitalism. Everything happens, but no one changes, and nothing is learned. As with Goethe's version, this book seems to be a play that is not meant to be staged. Unfortunately, it doesn't read like a play at all, but, rather, like the scattered ramblings of a 1960s revolutionary. However, I'll give two stars for being based and having a few good jokes.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a play written by Dale Pendell, a noted author in esoteric circles. What we have here is a satirical look at modern society through the eyes of a Alchemist, via conversations with a serpent (the devil). I say satirical, but so much of the humour hits home in regard to the world we find ourselves living in today. I think that it is a difficult play to transfer to the stage due to the number of locations, but I would love to see someone attempt it. I am sure that I will re-read this a number of times in the coming months - thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Rodrigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

surreal play with lots of black humor and occult symbolism, it deals mostly, with spiritual freedom