What do you think?
Rate this book
The Egg: Stories by Michael Gira
“These stories were written over the course of the past year. They are the burnished, gathered and organized residues of a mind eating itself. The book is a work of fiction. It bears no resemblance, intentional or otherwise, to anything other than itself.” – M. Gira
40 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2018
11 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Michael Gira
10 books228 followersMichael Rolfe Gira is an American musician, author, and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronts Angels of Light. He is also the founder of Young God Records.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 13, 2021
Loved this, it had such an unusual turn of phrase and there's almost a kind of revelry or jollification in it's themes of infection, isolation, violence, cruelty etc... basically what I'm trying to say is that even though he's talking about really unpleasant things he's being very vivid about how much he likes picking at his scabs.. almost like he's preaching some strange and kinky gospel. Maybe this is due to me listening to the audio version.
July 8, 2022
Micheal Egg Gira
Read
February 10, 2023Michael Gira is a one of music's great and most literary artists, his noise-rock band Swans being one of my favourites due to its uncompromising ethos of constant evolution and a painterly approach to soundscapes/lyrics, and this collection reflects his knowledge of the English language and literature generally. Delueze and Guattaru, Bataille, Barker, Barthes (Joissance and Plaisir are basically outlined verbatim), McCarthy, Heraclitus, and Buddhist writings are all clear influences on this nihilistic, idealist (in the philosophical sense), if not solipsistic, and transgressive work (as well as a number of other artists/thinkers that likely eluded me when reading this).
As other reviewers have touched on, these are quite unique stories in that they reject the stasis created by most horror texts and instead embrace the potentiality inherent to the genre; they offer shocking images or trace disturbed psyches, but certainly not as paragons of existence or virtue to strive towards, but to instead elicit reflection on the nature or existence and the world in readers, almost serving as limit experiences (to cite Bataille and a great video essay on his philosophy in relation to Hellraiser that I watched). I actually like how elliptical most of these stories are in terms of their fluid construction and enigmatic narrators, a detail that perfectly fits the collection's thematic through line of reality's subjectivity and the fluidity of identity.
I would say that my only criticisms would be that perhaps once or twice the tone can slip briefly into self-seriousness and that the themes become slightly repetitive towards the end, although this could also be put down to the incantatory or mantra-like goals of many of these otherworldly narrators/psychological fragments. I also felt that for someone with such a masterful and inventive command of imagery, there were points that overly relied on telling rather than showing (as the experiential nature of many others, feeling as though we are being hypnotised by some mythic force, is so powerful). Moreover, some of the philosophical arguments either being directly or indirectly forwarded, whose conclusions I don't actually all disagree with (although I am more of an idealist than solipsist), sometimes rely on a bit of sophistry in my view.
Still, I am not easily spooked by literature (due to the disconnected nature of the images), so Mr Gira certainly deserves props for simply accomplishing that even before being praised for the philosophical insights he extrapolates from and the uncommon perspectives he immerses us in these unsettling stories.
Almost impossible to rate due to my trouble discerning how much of Gira is in each of these narrators and whether in fact this work is not actually a story within a story (considering that one of the works references another story in it). Probably around a 4/5 (or just on the cusp of a 4.5).
As other reviewers have touched on, these are quite unique stories in that they reject the stasis created by most horror texts and instead embrace the potentiality inherent to the genre; they offer shocking images or trace disturbed psyches, but certainly not as paragons of existence or virtue to strive towards, but to instead elicit reflection on the nature or existence and the world in readers, almost serving as limit experiences (to cite Bataille and a great video essay on his philosophy in relation to Hellraiser that I watched). I actually like how elliptical most of these stories are in terms of their fluid construction and enigmatic narrators, a detail that perfectly fits the collection's thematic through line of reality's subjectivity and the fluidity of identity.
I would say that my only criticisms would be that perhaps once or twice the tone can slip briefly into self-seriousness and that the themes become slightly repetitive towards the end, although this could also be put down to the incantatory or mantra-like goals of many of these otherworldly narrators/psychological fragments. I also felt that for someone with such a masterful and inventive command of imagery, there were points that overly relied on telling rather than showing (as the experiential nature of many others, feeling as though we are being hypnotised by some mythic force, is so powerful). Moreover, some of the philosophical arguments either being directly or indirectly forwarded, whose conclusions I don't actually all disagree with (although I am more of an idealist than solipsist), sometimes rely on a bit of sophistry in my view.
Still, I am not easily spooked by literature (due to the disconnected nature of the images), so Mr Gira certainly deserves props for simply accomplishing that even before being praised for the philosophical insights he extrapolates from and the uncommon perspectives he immerses us in these unsettling stories.
Almost impossible to rate due to my trouble discerning how much of Gira is in each of these narrators and whether in fact this work is not actually a story within a story (considering that one of the works references another story in it). Probably around a 4/5 (or just on the cusp of a 4.5).
December 18, 2021
An intriguing if ephemeral collection of brief vignettes and stream-of-consciousness prose poetry from Michael Gira. Thematically this hits on the same concepts Gira seems fascinated in musically (and even shares a few motifs with Swans lyrics) - physical decay, dissociation from the body, metamorphosis into a non-physical state of existence, and the unreliability of the human mind to ever truly confirm a concrete state of reality. Most of these vignettes are plotless, or plotted to the bare minimum, any possible characters and story threads functioning more as abstract concepts to give some sense of backbone to the philosophical yarn. This is most likely best read in one sitting considering how short it is and how every vignette remains relatively indistinguished. That being said, a standout here for me was "The Choice", a work of imagistically evocative weird fiction that's only made more stimulating by how quickly it comes and goes. Inessential, but definitely worth a read for Swans fans.
"We're loved by him. We're nesting in his dreams. Soon, his words on this page will infect others, and through them he'll reach into whole cities, nations, the entire world. His love is the universe expanding as he saturates new frontiers of emptiness with his mind."
"We're loved by him. We're nesting in his dreams. Soon, his words on this page will infect others, and through them he'll reach into whole cities, nations, the entire world. His love is the universe expanding as he saturates new frontiers of emptiness with his mind."
February 24, 2018
There are thoughtful ruminations inside this slim volume.
The biggest strength and weakness, insofar as my experience with Gira’s writing goes, is his mannered tone in writing, his refusal to submit to throes of horror except when conjoined with absolute erotic exposure. Otherwise, his writing is thoroughly dry, and the stories inside more sketches and self-tuned variations on the same kind of “hatching” / oblivion that makes his live shows enthralling to watch.
Included with this volume is a CD.
I haven’t yet listened to it.
The biggest strength and weakness, insofar as my experience with Gira’s writing goes, is his mannered tone in writing, his refusal to submit to throes of horror except when conjoined with absolute erotic exposure. Otherwise, his writing is thoroughly dry, and the stories inside more sketches and self-tuned variations on the same kind of “hatching” / oblivion that makes his live shows enthralling to watch.
Included with this volume is a CD.
I haven’t yet listened to it.
October 1, 2020
masterpiece. everyone shut the fuck up
July 6, 2023
Where are you?
I'm the wind that rushes through your skull. I move the particles of your mind and rearrange your thoughts. I'm secret to you, but I infest you. You think that you are experiencing an awareness of yourself and your memories and actions, but it is me that animates you. How can you be so unaware? I give you signals and signs that appear in plain sight, and you persistently look past them and ignore them, pushing them back into hidden corners of your consciousness, where they fester and turn malignant. When the effects of this poison manifest in the form of memories, they metastasize, congeal, and they become tumors that you presume to be your identity. Your self is laid out before you like hacked flecks of bloody spittle on a white page, forming shapes you misinterpreted as your being. You're like a monkey looking into a mirror for the first time. You're shocked and enthralled with your image. You pull at your distended lips and twist your face in a caricature.
You hiss and bark like and idiot, then weep with grief. But I am the mirror. If you look closely you'll note the mirror is empty. Nothing is here in this place, least of all you.
I'm the wind that rushes through your skull. I move the particles of your mind and rearrange your thoughts. I'm secret to you, but I infest you. You think that you are experiencing an awareness of yourself and your memories and actions, but it is me that animates you. How can you be so unaware? I give you signals and signs that appear in plain sight, and you persistently look past them and ignore them, pushing them back into hidden corners of your consciousness, where they fester and turn malignant. When the effects of this poison manifest in the form of memories, they metastasize, congeal, and they become tumors that you presume to be your identity. Your self is laid out before you like hacked flecks of bloody spittle on a white page, forming shapes you misinterpreted as your being. You're like a monkey looking into a mirror for the first time. You're shocked and enthralled with your image. You pull at your distended lips and twist your face in a caricature.
You hiss and bark like and idiot, then weep with grief. But I am the mirror. If you look closely you'll note the mirror is empty. Nothing is here in this place, least of all you.
March 15, 2021
🥚 🥚 🥚
July 28, 2022
Every time I show my brother swans and explain to him why I like them he says “I get that but I just can’t get over the fact that it doesn’t sound good”
June 15, 2020
It has been a very long time since I have reviewed anything, and a little over a year since I read Michael Gira's other book, "The Consumer." This one was just a bit harder to track down than "The Consumer" so I won't lie when I say I had to download this from some backwater website.
Michael Gira has a style that is very dense, cynical, and nihilistic. In something like a contemporary romance, his style would be jarring and unbearable, but for the twisted, pained work he usually writes, it fits. There's a lack of expression in each story that leaves everything with a desolate and cold feeling. His in-depth descriptions are often pretentious and help to bring this feeling even further, one that makes each narrator feel indifferent to their surroundings. This sometimes makes the collection feel like a one-trick pony, making it best to read in multiple settings; however, it doesn't quite overstay its welcome like "The Consumer" did. It never spends pages upon pages describing the rape of children or anything like that. It's still disturbing. The titular story has hints of cosmic horror, harkening over to something like H.P. Lovecraft. It's a disturbing yet wonderful intro to the collection. "Brothers'' is only slightly more detailed, but just as powerful. "Married" is hypnotic, surreal, and dream-like. "The Choice" is vaguely reminiscent of survival horror games like "Resident Evil" or "The Evil Within." Despite this, the bleakness is less bleak than “The Consumer,” instead opting for a slightly more spiritual feeling that feels shed from any of Michael Gira’s work with Swans after 2010. It is only 44 pages, so it is most certainly worth the 30 minutes or so it takes to read, even if Gira’s descriptions can sometimes be just a bit overbearing.
Side note, "I Am Her" has one of my favorite descriptions I have ever read: "the finely calibrated screams of assorted BMWs, Mercedes and Audis randomly hurtled toward us from behind and to the left, then fucked the air violently at our side as they passed."
Michael Gira has a style that is very dense, cynical, and nihilistic. In something like a contemporary romance, his style would be jarring and unbearable, but for the twisted, pained work he usually writes, it fits. There's a lack of expression in each story that leaves everything with a desolate and cold feeling. His in-depth descriptions are often pretentious and help to bring this feeling even further, one that makes each narrator feel indifferent to their surroundings. This sometimes makes the collection feel like a one-trick pony, making it best to read in multiple settings; however, it doesn't quite overstay its welcome like "The Consumer" did. It never spends pages upon pages describing the rape of children or anything like that. It's still disturbing. The titular story has hints of cosmic horror, harkening over to something like H.P. Lovecraft. It's a disturbing yet wonderful intro to the collection. "Brothers'' is only slightly more detailed, but just as powerful. "Married" is hypnotic, surreal, and dream-like. "The Choice" is vaguely reminiscent of survival horror games like "Resident Evil" or "The Evil Within." Despite this, the bleakness is less bleak than “The Consumer,” instead opting for a slightly more spiritual feeling that feels shed from any of Michael Gira’s work with Swans after 2010. It is only 44 pages, so it is most certainly worth the 30 minutes or so it takes to read, even if Gira’s descriptions can sometimes be just a bit overbearing.
Side note, "I Am Her" has one of my favorite descriptions I have ever read: "the finely calibrated screams of assorted BMWs, Mercedes and Audis randomly hurtled toward us from behind and to the left, then fucked the air violently at our side as they passed."
January 18, 2023
While this collection starts off with stories that feel pointless, or like they've lost focus at the end, it ends up delivering some very thought provoking situations and philosophical questions, though not always presented by the most mentally stable people.
(Which in some ways remind me of another collection I read, Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson. Some of the feelings and thoughts of the characters in these works can hit home (be it serious or occasionally somewhat silly in Johnson's case) and make you think about yourself in a new context, which is always at least interesting. An example from Gira being from the story The Performance Artist, which got me to question the boundaries of art, if there are any, and to examine whether such a thing is even definable. Like, that's not even what the story was about and it launched me into an entire philosophical rabbit hole! I guess that's just the nature of how these stories are presented.)
These works are very surreally presented; in a stream of concious fashion by nameless characters in narrow and often unexplained environments, which works wonders for atmosphere and feeling your way around the themes explored. Reading this often felt like wandering through space, occasionally coming across a display of a mentally messed up soul and his worldview. I absolutely adore this style of writing, even though it doesn't work for a wide range of stories.
I haven't listened to the CD that came with the book yet (I have a physical copy! Be jealous, please... please...) so I might end up updating this review if I have anything to add afterwards.
(Which in some ways remind me of another collection I read, Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson. Some of the feelings and thoughts of the characters in these works can hit home (be it serious or occasionally somewhat silly in Johnson's case) and make you think about yourself in a new context, which is always at least interesting. An example from Gira being from the story The Performance Artist, which got me to question the boundaries of art, if there are any, and to examine whether such a thing is even definable. Like, that's not even what the story was about and it launched me into an entire philosophical rabbit hole! I guess that's just the nature of how these stories are presented.)
These works are very surreally presented; in a stream of concious fashion by nameless characters in narrow and often unexplained environments, which works wonders for atmosphere and feeling your way around the themes explored. Reading this often felt like wandering through space, occasionally coming across a display of a mentally messed up soul and his worldview. I absolutely adore this style of writing, even though it doesn't work for a wide range of stories.
I haven't listened to the CD that came with the book yet (I have a physical copy! Be jealous, please... please...) so I might end up updating this review if I have anything to add afterwards.
October 10, 2020
A nice compilation of short stories (although some of them read more like a stream of consciousness). They all have a coherent theme and seem to deal with Gira's innermost darkest thoughts about existence, but bits and pieces on spirituality, sexuality, violence and other "out there" themes can also be found scattered throughout the numbered chapters. Overall a very enjoyable read, and as a huge fan of Swans I felt like this fits very well into the same realm that their music comes from.
September 9, 2023
What can I say? This man is one multi-faceted genius. The stories collected in The Egg are a lot softer than the ones in the brilliant The Consumer, but they are as gorgeously written, as ruminative, and perhaps more potent, since they are shorter. The drawings are some of the best I've ever seen. Gira's style of writing and the content of his stories totally match the tone of his music. It's gritty, bleak, nightmarish, and mesmerizing all at once. I wish he wrote more.
December 19, 2023
“Death doesn't frighten us inordinately, since we hold a special comfort in the spiritual union we share, and the role that one or both of us will assume in ushering the other into the unknown. Our souls are intertwined forever... Why then, for no reason at all, do I feel myself suddenly and helplessly compelled to strangle her?”
January 18, 2025
Genuinely such an insane read.
There's a very thin line between fiction and reality, and Gira tiptoes it the entire time.
Heavily philosophical, huge on solipsism but also not really, Michael Gira's characters are everything to ever exist and seem almost god-like, but are also pathetic and too small to be considered real people even by themselves.
Very interesting read for fans of his music. I suppose the "The Seer" probably came from his story of the same name, or maybe the other way around. Besides that, it's undeniable that this is Swans. Michael Gira is Swans. Swans is Michael Gira. This is a glimpse into his genius.
Extremely uncomfortable read, most of the time. Will have you questioning what makes Gira think the things he does, but I suppose it's best not to. Accept it. Let it infect you. Let him be you.
My favorite story was "The Condemned Man", which is a reflection of humanity and how inhumane it actually is; especially today. We are living the horrors Michael describes. Now. And there is nothing we can do about it. At least that's what I gather from all this.
Very weird read, but I'd recommend it. If you like Swans, you should read this. If you don't like Swans, you must read it. Maybe you'll understand it a bit better then.
There's a very thin line between fiction and reality, and Gira tiptoes it the entire time.
Heavily philosophical, huge on solipsism but also not really, Michael Gira's characters are everything to ever exist and seem almost god-like, but are also pathetic and too small to be considered real people even by themselves.
Very interesting read for fans of his music. I suppose the "The Seer" probably came from his story of the same name, or maybe the other way around. Besides that, it's undeniable that this is Swans. Michael Gira is Swans. Swans is Michael Gira. This is a glimpse into his genius.
Extremely uncomfortable read, most of the time. Will have you questioning what makes Gira think the things he does, but I suppose it's best not to. Accept it. Let it infect you. Let him be you.
My favorite story was "The Condemned Man", which is a reflection of humanity and how inhumane it actually is; especially today. We are living the horrors Michael describes. Now. And there is nothing we can do about it. At least that's what I gather from all this.
Very weird read, but I'd recommend it. If you like Swans, you should read this. If you don't like Swans, you must read it. Maybe you'll understand it a bit better then.
Read
December 5, 2022Every word is pulsing and screaming.
April 16, 2024
It doesn't have the Soloflex line from the other book, but it was still very, very, very, very, very, very, very good! Mr. Gira, i want you to do horrible things to me!
January 2, 2025
Weird semi-incoherent ramblings that I still thoroughly enjoyed
December 23, 2025
some really beautiful moments, though a lot was redondant in its themes and contorsions of language. sometimes very kitsch too
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews