Digging Deep into the Premature Graves of Thomas Ligotti - RGBIB Ep. 68
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- Опубліковано 10 січ 2025
- Or: Life's a Bitch and Then You Die: Thomas Ligotti's 'Teatro Grotesco.'
So sometimes "horror" fiction isn't about flying eyeballs or demonic dogs trying to break into your car or even Nazi zombies breaking through your basement windows. Rather it slowly and inevitably establishes the philosophical assumption-in images you can't easily forget-that we are all bound up in bodies that have more control over who we are than we do. Our physical organisms are doomed creatures, shambling, rudderless, and decaying with us in them until we realize there wasn't ever any "us" in here to begin with. Help! Mama! Spending the holidays with Thomas Ligotti! Oh, and seriously. He's funny. (Get used to it.)
Here's a link to my review of the Penguin re-edition of Ligotti's first two collections: www.theguardia...
And if you haven't had enough existential confusion already, try Bob Johnson, who never thinks hard enough about anything long enough to suffer for it. But then that's just like Bob, isn't it? Check him out at: www.facebook.c...
I enjoy your videos.
I believe part of the reason for Ligotti's cult status has to do with the fact that he is a horror writer in the truest sense, and writing of that quality in the genre is very rare.
Especially nowadays.
Despite being a horror author, he is a serious writer.
It's hard to think of anyone else still alive who can claim that title.
Penguin paperbacks even reprinted him.
Ramsey Campbell writes some great short horror fiction.
Other authors in the genre I find myself rereading the most would be Arthur Machen, Robert Aickman, M R James and Shirley Jackson.
Clive Barker's early short fiction from The Books Of Blood are very good.
Walter De la Mare.
Algernon Blackwood. Especially his story The Willows.
T E D Klein.
Poe of course.
Lovecraft.
These are mostly writers who are long dead.
Getting back to Ligotti, his work can stand beside the greats from 100 years ago.
That's unheard of from a modern horror author.
Thanks, James, and welcome to the. bathtub! In one or several of these talks, I've confessed to reaching a very late life enjoyment of these "horror" or "weird" writers, and I've done talks/essays on many by now, especially Machen and Blackwood. Ligotti sort of got me started, and I find him continually "enjoyable", however disturbing! Stay safe Wirth horrors in the bathtub and thanks for writing! s
The Conspiracy against the Human Race is actually a book shinning optimism....after reading it you no longer face any fears because you dont take things seriously anymore.
Some of Ligotti's work can be crippling read. I often need a palette cleanser.
Thanks for this introduction. Just having finished reading Ligotti's epic - Conspiracy Against Human Beings. - it was a smash to say the least - setting whole new contexts or ways of understanding our human condition. Life is a bitch and then you die ... and a lot happened in between and beyond. Doom to Doom.
Yeah Ligotti is lots of fun to read about how unfun everything is. Maybe required reading for "life".
Locked in the same room as Brian Catling. Interested in what you might think of the more subtle - and convincing - Joel Lane …
Don't know Catling or Joel Lane at all... Thx for suggestions... stay out of premature bathtubs! s
Thanks Scott!.. Ligotti's become a new favorite. Although I have to take him in small doses -- or else I start believing him a little TOO much about the emptiness at the heart of things lol
Ben Brennan yeah too much Ligotti is like digging your own grave. Which is probably how he likes it!
Thanks for this review I enjoyed it. I also love Clark Ashton Smith
Great to have you in the bathtub, Miguel. (Or the premature grave.) Yeah, we love Ligotti AND CAS here and plan to bathe with them both more often! Stay safe! s
There are a number of horror fiction writers that emerged in the late 80's and early 90's that fly under the radar, but have true philosophical relevance.
I only recently discovered Clark Ashton Smith and what a find!
I agree, and am just starting to discover many of those writers myself, especially the great GREAT CA Smith, who we did a couple talks about here at the bathtub. Here's a link to my essay about him at LARB:
lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-bard-of-auburn-getting-weird-in-the-long-valley
Stay safe! s
interesting how so much of ligottis stuff is up on youtube
I know he's really cultish. My little talk from a few years back still gets lots of views! s
And it's NOT because of my good looks!
Ligotti’s stories are the only fiction that ever truly scared me. Also despise King, who writes boring, juvenile fiction.
Very nice introduction. But I'm interested to hear what you have to say about philosophy of antinatalism and his last book The Conspiracy against the Human Race.
Thanks, Marko. I'm not really the person to discuss Ligotti's philosophy but I'm sure there are some good talks on UA-cam. I'm more interested in how he tells good stories that absorb me in the bathtub! But "Conspiracy" seems to me like an interesting effort to turn philosophy into a horror story (or vice versa) and I may take that into the bathtub some day. Keep reading. S
@@Scottmbradfield Have you ever tried R Scott Bakker's fantasy series? It's easily the best work in modern fantasy, with some Ligotti like horror and philosophy elements to it. It's also got great prose, and world building that isn't just for the sake of itself, but metaphysically ties into the plot, themes and character development in concrete ways.
@@earlpipe9713 Interesting, no, I've seen the name but knew nothing about Bakker except he spelled his name wrong. Will check him out thanks. s
Have you fired your production crew?
Yeah, they were all idiots, especially their boss.
Hard to take your reviews seriously if you can't understand the basic precepts of horror fiction.
The money you have lavished on books, could have been spent wining, dining beautiful women.
But it can be useful to romance bookish, homely women ;)
pleb
The Conspiracy against the Human Race is actually a book shinning optimism....after reading it you no longer face any fears because you dont take things seriously anymore.
Bel Diman the pessimist who carries on may be the ultimate optimist... or something like that! S