Friday, November 25, 2011

A Schizophrenic on Artaud

My new book has been released! It is a poetic exploration of the life and work of the French writer Antonin Artaud. Artaud suffered from schizophrenia, but was still able to produce a number of seminal books, including The Theatre and its Double. His work is now considered to have entered the cannon of French letters. His life was one of the highest degrees of suffering. His condition led him to situations that are almost unknown today. My book, A Schizophrenic on Artaud, is written by a fellow sufferer who wanted to bring a self reflexive insight to create a work that would be in the spirit of Artaud's writing. My publisher, Chipmunkapublishing, has released the book initially as an ebook, with the paperback to follow. My ebook is available here for purchase!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Reflections on Artaud

Artaud has always fascinated me. Writing in the first half of the twentieth century, Artaud was to captivate the literary milieu of his time. His schizophrenia was at its worst during the German occupation of France, when he was institutionalised. The appalling suffering of this time was alleviated to an extent when a doctor running a clinic in the free zone heard of Artaud's plight and had him transferred. Artaud's best known text, The Theatre and its Double, was a poetic and indeed great exploration of theatre practices, and has come to be seminal in the performance of theatre around the world. My book on Artaud, entitled A Schizophrenic on Artaud, interweaves aspects of his life and work in a poetic rendering that does justice to the spirit Artaud wrote in. My publisher, Chipmunkapublishing, has just released the ebook. Stayed tuned to this blog for further details.