Thomas Ligotti

Thomas Ligotti er en af weird-litteraturens mest originale og roste forfattere i moderne horror siden H. P. Lovecraft. Dette værk markerer forfatterens første udgivelse på dansk. Teatro Grottesco indeholder 13 ildevarslende noveller, der på hver sin vis introducerer læseren for Ligottis tågesvøbte mareridtsverden. Her regerer kun den gruopvækkende absurditet, der strækker sine lange fingre gennem tomme gader, livsforladte karnevaller og endeløse kontorbygninger – og altid, lige under overfladen, lurer truslen om en afgrundsdyb indsigt, som måske bedst lades uforløst (hvis læseren ønsker at bevare sin sindsligevægt). Thomas Ligotti er kendt for sin nihilistiske og excentriske prosa, hvis atmosfære vækker mindelser om andre mestre af det besynderlige, lige fra Lovecraft til Franz Kafka, David Lynch og Kobo Abe for blot at nævne nogle få. Novellesamlingen akkompagneres af 13 smukke illustrationer, tegnet af John Kenn Mortensen, der selv nærer en stor forkærlighed for forfatteren.

In Thomas Ligottis first nonfiction outing, an examination of the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life through an insightful, unsparing argument that proves the greatest horrors are not the products of our imagination but instead are found in reality. There is a signature motif discernible in both works of philosophical pessimism and supernatural horror. It may be stated thus: Behind the scenes of life lurks something pernicious that makes a nightmare of our world. His fiction is known to be some of the most terrifying in the genre of supernatural horror, but Thomas Ligottis first nonfiction book may be even scarier. Drawing on philosophy, literature, neuroscience, and other fields of study, Ligotti takes the penetrating lens of his imagination and turns it on his audience, causing them to grapple with the brutal reality that they are living a meaningless nightmare, and anyone who feels otherwise is simply acting out an optimistic fallacy. At once a guidebook to pessimistic thought and a relentless critique of humanitys employment of self-deception to cope with the pervasive suffering of their existence, The Conspiracy against the Human Race may just convince readers that there is more than a measure of truth in the despairing yet unexpectedly liberating negativity that is widely considered a hallmark of Ligottis work.

Thomas Ligotti's debut collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, and his second, Grimscribe, permanently inscribed a new name in the pantheon of horror fiction. Influenced by the strange terrors of Lovecraft and Poe and by the brutal absurdity of Kafka, Ligotti crafted his own brand of existential horror, which shocks at the deepest levels. In decaying cities and lurid dreamscapes tormented by the lunatic pageantry of masks, puppets, and obscure ritual, Ligotti's works lay bare the sickening madness of the human condition. From his dark imagination emerge stories like "The Frolic" and "The Last Feast of Harlequin," waking nightmares that splinter the schemes validating our existence. In these collections, Ligotti bends reality until it cracks, opening fissures through which he invites us to gaze on the unsettling darkness below-an ordeal from which one may perhaps return, but never to be the same

Med denna utgåva presenteras Thomas Ligotti för första gången på svenska. Thomas Ligottis karaktärer rör sig i ett mörker som förefaller besjälat av ett eget medvetande; en värld där svart snö faller och stjärnorna vänder sig ut och in. Även om innehållet i hans noveller påvisar ett visst inflytande från föregångare som Edgar Allan Poe och H. P. Lovecraft, är han en unik röst inom skräcklitteraturen och hans prosastil olik alla andras. Han har tilldelats det prestigefyllda Bram Stoker Award inte mindre än tre gånger och även vunnit International Horror Guild Award. Det fylliga urvalet i Skuggan på världens botten och andra berättelser är hämtat från samtliga av Ligottis novellsamlingar: Songs of a Dead Dreamer (1986), Grimscribe (1991), Noctuary (1994) och Teatro Grottesco (2007). Thomas Ligotti (1953) har under ett trettio år långt författarskap etablerat sig som en av de mest inflytelserika skräckförfattarna i samma generation som Ramsey Campbell, T. E. D. Klein och Peter Straub. Med sina säreget nihilistiska och mörka noveller om ett universum i ständig förvandling och om livet betraktat som mardröm har han uppnått kultstatus.

When junior manager Frank Dominio is suddenly demoted and then sacked it seems there was more than a grain of truth to his persecution fantasies. But as he prepares to even the score with those responsible for his demise, he unwittingly finds an ally in a dark and malevolent force that grants him supernatural powers. Frank takes his revenge in the most ghastly ways imaginable - but there will be a terrible price to pay once his work is done. Destined to be a cult classic, this tale of corporate horror and demonic retribution will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been disgruntled at work.

Thomas Ligotti is often cited as the most curious and remarkable figure in horror literature since H. P. Lovecraft. His work is noted by critics for its display of an exceptionally grotesque imagination and accomplished prose style. In his stories, Ligotti has followed a literary tradition that began with Edgar Allan Poe, portraying characters that are outside of anything that might be called normal life, depicting strange locales far off the beaten track, and rendering a grim vision of human existence as a perpetual nightmare. The horror stories collected in Teatro Grottesco feature tormented individuals who play out their doom in various odd little towns, as well as in dark sectors frequented by sinister and often blackly comical eccentrics. The cycle of narratives introduce readers to a freakish community of artists who encounter demonic perils that ultimately engulf their lives.

The first 4 issues of Weird Tales published by DNA Publications heralds the return of the classic name. Includes contributions from all the Weird Tales regulars: Tanith Lee, Ian Watson, Thomas Ligotti, Ramsey Campbell, and many more.

The four "lost" issues of Weird Tales, as it changed titles to Worlds of Fantasy and Horror -- only to revert to Weird Tales again with issue #312. Includes contributions from Thomas Ligotti, Joyce Carol Oates, Ramsey Campbell, Morgan Llywelyn, William F. Nolan, Joe Lansdale, Keith Roberts, Tanith Lee, Chet Williamson, and many, many more. A stunning 4-issue set.

Weird Tales #297 showcases Nancy Springer as the Featured Author and Frank Kelly Freas (who did all the artwork) as the Featured Artist. Other contributors include Thomas Ligotti and John Brunner.