Tuesday 24 March 2020

Pharricide by Vincent de Swarte (Cōnfingō)


Perhaps in these strange times you're looking for fictions that navigate solitude and isolation.

Robinson Crusoe may snag your attention, although you'd do better to read Charles Boyle's ferocious deconstruction of Defoe's novel and its malign cultural influence. You can get a copy of Good Morning, Mister Crusoe here. Recommended.

Another recommendation is Pharricide by Vincent de Swarte, translated from the French by Nicholas Royle. It's published by the Manchester-based indie Cōnfingō.






I reviewed this book for the TLS here. It's a striking exercise in guignol and will appear; to anyone with a taste for the grotesque. The setting is la Phare de Cordouan, situated in the mouth of the Gironde estuary and known, for good reason, as 'the Versailles of lighthouses. Look it up on Google images - it's a marvellous setting for a place where all hell is let loose.

Order your copy (postage-free) from the publishers here.

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