Profound Profane
Is there anything more insipid-sounding than a holiday gift guide? But when it's books... mundane concerns fall away, magical worlds open up. I reviewed four books recently -- three art books and one novel -- which offer an intoxicating mix of the profound and the profane.
I can't say enough lovely things about Will Munro: History, Glamour, Magic, the luxurious coffee-table book published as a follow-up to AGYU's 2012 retrospective exhibition. The folks at AGYU went all out, and Lisa Kiss's design is as beautiful as it is intelligent. It's a loving tribute to Will Munro, the artist, DJ, party promoter and community-builder who died in 2010. At only $40, I'm sure the 1,000 copies are going to sell out, so get one -- or three -- while you can.
That story, in the current/December of In Toronto magazine, also includes a review of A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity across the World, a fascinating guide to roughly 40 objects from the British Museum, each opening a window on a particular moment or aspect of LGBT history around the world. "A powerful little book." I also tackle A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk, a heady, at times frustrating tome that accompanies an exhibition of the same name currently running at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York (until Jan 4, 2014).
And last month, I reviewed Greg Kearney's debut novel The Desperates. I open with the line: "Greg Kearney is a Tourette’s-addled savant. His deluded, narcissistic characters say and think every inappropriate comment that’s ever darkened your mind, and, I’m sure, quite a few that haven’t." The black humour, weird sex and failing characters may not be everyone's cup of tea... but if your tastes tend toward the macabre, this is an amazing read by one of Canada's must unique literary voices. The launch is Thu, Dec 5 at 6pm at the Black Eagle bar (457 Church St) in Toronto.
I can't say enough lovely things about Will Munro: History, Glamour, Magic, the luxurious coffee-table book published as a follow-up to AGYU's 2012 retrospective exhibition. The folks at AGYU went all out, and Lisa Kiss's design is as beautiful as it is intelligent. It's a loving tribute to Will Munro, the artist, DJ, party promoter and community-builder who died in 2010. At only $40, I'm sure the 1,000 copies are going to sell out, so get one -- or three -- while you can.
That story, in the current/December of In Toronto magazine, also includes a review of A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity across the World, a fascinating guide to roughly 40 objects from the British Museum, each opening a window on a particular moment or aspect of LGBT history around the world. "A powerful little book." I also tackle A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk, a heady, at times frustrating tome that accompanies an exhibition of the same name currently running at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York (until Jan 4, 2014).
And last month, I reviewed Greg Kearney's debut novel The Desperates. I open with the line: "Greg Kearney is a Tourette’s-addled savant. His deluded, narcissistic characters say and think every inappropriate comment that’s ever darkened your mind, and, I’m sure, quite a few that haven’t." The black humour, weird sex and failing characters may not be everyone's cup of tea... but if your tastes tend toward the macabre, this is an amazing read by one of Canada's must unique literary voices. The launch is Thu, Dec 5 at 6pm at the Black Eagle bar (457 Church St) in Toronto.
RSS Feed