Yaddith Times

Emperors of Dreams: Some Notes on Weird Poetry by S.T. Joshi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


[Disclaimer: I have a small mention in this book. I won’t be discussing it in this review.]

This slim collection of essays on six major weird poets – George Sterling, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, Samuel Loveman, Donald Wandrei, & Frank Belknap Long – reprints five of those essays from previous collections edited by Joshi. In addition, there is a very useful introduction (a brief summary of weird poetry & poets leading up to the modern era), and a final chapter entitled “Some Contemporaries.” Since the book itself came out in 2008, this chapter is slightly dated, though notable for including mention of both American & Australian poets. Special mention is also given to Californian weird poets past & present.

The essays themselves vary widely in scope, although Joshi’s personal approach to literary criticism prevails throughout. Generous samples of each subject’s work are provided, along with endnotes. Those seeking an accessible yet scholarly overview of these six poets won’t be disappointed, though the book may be somewhat difficult to find.




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Devotees of the richly scented verse of Clark Ashton Smith -- or any fan of the well-crafted weird -- will be happy to learn that a new anthology of poetry inspired by CAS & George Sterling is available now from Australia's P'rea Press.

Avatars of Wizardry (ed. by Charles Lovecraft, with foreword by S.T. Joshi ) includes both Sterling's "A Wine of Wizardry" and Smith's "The Hashish-Eater," but also offers contemporary responses to these works by Richard L. Tierney, Leigh Blackmore, Alan Gullette,  Bruce Boston, Earl Livings,  Wade German, Michael Fantina, & Kyla Lee Ward.

I was fortunate enough to read this anthology earlier this year.   This is definitely one for the long winter nights -- filled with  substantial,  deeply strange, often hallucinatory poems which take the time they need to deliver their impact.

Find more information (including extracts from the poems!) here.