What do you think?
Rate this book
Medea’s Charms: Selected Short Writing of Ithell Colquhoun
Along with the likes of Leonora Carrington and Dorothea Tanning, the British writer and painter Ithell Colquhoun (1906–1988) is one of a small number of previously overlooked Surrealist women artists, whose stock today is on the rise.
Colquhoun’s paintings have recently featured in touring exhibitions around the UK, command ever-increasing prices at auction, and her occult travelogues of Ireland (The Crying of the Wind) and Cornwall (The Living Stones), first published in the ’50s and reissued with introductions by Stewart Lee in 2016, have quickly sold through four print runs.
In Medea’s Charms Colquhoun’s shorter writings are anthologised for the first time, and reveal the scope and sophistication of her interest in both the occult and surrealism. Poetry and short stories are complimented by her essays, the subjects of which range from hermetic texts for both the novice and the advanced practitioner, to writings on art and folklore. Colquhoun scholar Richard Shillitoe unlocks the secrets of her work, guiding the reader through the extraordinary imagination that lies at the heart of Colquhoun’s genius.
The book also demonstrates the extent to which Colquhoun used painting to illuminate her writing. The interplay between word and image is brought home by the inclusion of a striking selection of her paintings, some of which are reproduced here for the first time.
Colquhoun’s paintings have recently featured in touring exhibitions around the UK, command ever-increasing prices at auction, and her occult travelogues of Ireland (The Crying of the Wind) and Cornwall (The Living Stones), first published in the ’50s and reissued with introductions by Stewart Lee in 2016, have quickly sold through four print runs.
In Medea’s Charms Colquhoun’s shorter writings are anthologised for the first time, and reveal the scope and sophistication of her interest in both the occult and surrealism. Poetry and short stories are complimented by her essays, the subjects of which range from hermetic texts for both the novice and the advanced practitioner, to writings on art and folklore. Colquhoun scholar Richard Shillitoe unlocks the secrets of her work, guiding the reader through the extraordinary imagination that lies at the heart of Colquhoun’s genius.
The book also demonstrates the extent to which Colquhoun used painting to illuminate her writing. The interplay between word and image is brought home by the inclusion of a striking selection of her paintings, some of which are reproduced here for the first time.
- GenresPoetryShort Stories
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2019
6 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Ithell Colquhoun
18 books45 followersBritish surrealist painter and occult author, and the only significant biographer of S.L. MacGregor Mathers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 4, 2020
42 SHORT STORIES IN 42 DAYS*
DAY 26: The Goat Without Horns
Only a page and a half long, this is full of (literally) visceral imagery, with a wonderfully dark and mysterious undercurrent.
*The rules:
– Read one short story a day, every day for six weeks
– Read no more than one story by the same author within any 14-day period
– Deliberately include authors I wouldn't usually read
– Review each story in one sentence or less
Any fresh reading suggestions/recommendations will be gratefully received 📚
DAY 26: The Goat Without Horns
Only a page and a half long, this is full of (literally) visceral imagery, with a wonderfully dark and mysterious undercurrent.
*The rules:
– Read one short story a day, every day for six weeks
– Read no more than one story by the same author within any 14-day period
– Deliberately include authors I wouldn't usually read
– Review each story in one sentence or less
Any fresh reading suggestions/recommendations will be gratefully received 📚
Displaying 1 of 1 review