Comments on: The Mad King Laughing in the Cellar: Eric Basso and Decompositions

By: “Genre Predispositions and The Weird” by John H. Stevens — A Dribble of Ink

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 21:55:25 +0000

[…] recently wrote that “certitude hides more than it exposes…weirdness, in the literary and literal sense, […]

By: John Stevens (@eruditeogre)

John Stevens (@eruditeogre) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:00:36 +0000

Thanks to all of you for your comments. It's very encouraging to read of others' appreciation for Basso and what he does with his writing. Kirpal, I read your interview with Basso and found it very illuminating. It showed me glimpses of what anchor's Basso's writing. And I think, as Dusty noted, it is Basso's unflinching look into the abyss that makes his work so powerful to read. I learned a lot from DECOMPOSITIONS and from writing his essay, and I am already planning to read more of his work and write about it.

By: Eric Basso: The Week in Review | Ann and Jeff VanderMeer | Weird Fiction Review

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:51:35 +0000

[…] John H. Stevens on “The Mad King Laughing in the Cellar: Basso writes of dream-travelers, of seekers beyond the world that encompassed and tried to smother them. They are historical personages and characters on the page: they are novelists, painters, dramatists, beggars, deviants, prophets. Some are decadent, others insane, many of them sad and battered by life. Their artistic creations make, unmake, and remake them. Their creations are messages to their fellow humans and to eternity. This sounds rather grandiose, and sometimes it was, but Basso aptly shows the reader that art is sometimes about “immortality,” but more often about dealing with mortality, with the coming of Death and the hard, wearing road we all travel to it. […]

By: Kirpal Gordon

Kirpal Gordon — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:16:04 +0000

John H. Stevens’ essay really sees into Basso’s unique procedures in “Decompositions,” certainly a one-of-a-kind read from page one! I’ve been in admiration of Basso’s work since the 80s in zines like Asylum Arts, Bakunin, Central Park & Heaven Bone. I’ve tried to reveal Basso in an interview (http://www.unlikelystories.org/11/gordon0211.shtml), but I feel Stevens has come closer to renting the veil in this remarkable essay—to say nothing of the rich & varied responses at Weird Fiction which I admire & love. Bravo!

By: Dusty Pendleton

Dusty Pendleton — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:59:03 +0000

as an artist, i've long wished for someone with eric basso's emotional experience as well as intellect, who would turn his vision on the world of visual arts and artists. here, there is none of the self-serving prattle dished up by cocksure mfa graduates, looking for art press credentials. eric has been to that emotional abyss that gives back the ability to see into the works of other artists and to feel their angst. he, in turn, can open our eyes to what he has seen, if we'll devote the time to listen.

By: John Wilkins

John Wilkins — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:42:07 +0000

What a wonderful way of looking at these essays. I found the work of Eric Basso several years ago because of a comment I found online and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m glad someone is taking the time to do this appreciation.