Clive Barker - by Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (Paperback)

About the Book

A necessary and timely study of Barker's influence in dark fantasy, gothic and horror studies. The book features twelve groundbreaking essays on Barker's creative legacy and influence, and reevaluates his celebrated and lesser known works in fiction, film and visual art, from the Books of Blood (1984-85) to The Scarlet Gospels (2015).

Book Synopsis

Clive Barker: Dark imaginer explores the diverse literary, film and visionary creations of the polymathic and influential British artist Clive Barker. In this necessary and timely collection, innovative essays by leading scholars in the fields of literature, film and popular culture explore Barker's contribution to gothic, fantasy and horror studies, interrogating his creative legacy.

The volume consists of an extensive introduction and twelve groundbreaking essays that critically reevaluate Barker's oeuvre. These include in-depth analyses of his celebrated and lesser known novels, short stories, theme park designs, screen and comic book adaptations, film direction and production, sketches and book illustrations, as well as responses to his material from critics and fan communities. Clive Barker: Dark imaginer reveals the breadth and depth of Barker's distinctive dark vision, which continues to fascinate and flourish.

From the Back Cover

Clive Barker: Dark imaginer explores the diverse literary, film and visionary creations by the influential British artist Clive Barker. Met with critical acclaim in the mid-1980s for his unique contribution to the horror genre with Books of Blood (1984-85), Barker has remained curiously overlooked in scholarly circles for decades, despite his continued success as a bestselling author, filmmaker and producer, and sought-after visual artist. In this necessary and timely scholarly collection, these innovative essays by leading scholars in the fields of literature, film and popular culture, explore Barker's contribution to gothic, fantasy, and horror studies, and interrogate his creative legacy.

The volume consists of an extensive introduction and twelve ground-breaking essays that critically reevaluate Barker's oeuvre. These scholarly examinations range from critical discourses on splatterpunk and body horror, the Thatcher era, and the dark fantastique, to queer(ing) desire, anti-horror, iconic monsters and demons, and the influence of the gothic mode. There are also in-depth analyses of both his celebrated and lesser known novels, his short stories, theme park designs, screen and comic book adaptations, film direction and production, sketches and book illustrations. Clive Barker: Dark imaginer, which also includes various illustrations by Barker himself, reveals the breadth and depth of his distinctive dark vision, which continues to fascinate and flourish.

The book is for fans of Clive Barker, and scholars and students interested in its many disciplines. It is an essential study of an extraordinary polymath.

Review Quotes

'No less boundary-crossing and boundary-pushing than the fantastique oeuvre of its subject matter, Sorcha Ní Fhlainn's edited collection ranges superbly across Clive Barker's dark fiction, films, fandom, theme park experiences, action figures, and "anti-horror". It is unafraid to provoke critical debate, alert to established ways of reading Barker, and sometimes even wary of the entrapping danger of a celebratory blurb or endorsement. But have no fear, because I have seen the future of scholarly work on Clive Barker... and its name is Dark Imaginer.'
Professor Matt Hills, author of Fan Cultures and The Pleasures of Horror

This collection of essays provides a fascinating account of the work of writer, director and artist Clive Barker. Barker emerges as an important, complex and challenging figure whose fantasy-based outputs across various media forms are capable of sustaining a range of critical approaches and treatments. It might be argued that the most significant and influential part of Barker's career lies in the 1980s and 1990s, but the collection also finds interesting and provocative things to say about the work done by Barker since that period. I do not doubt that Clive Barker - Dark Imaginer will find its place in the burgeoning fantasy, gothic and horror studies scene.
Peter Hutchings, Professor of Film Studies, Northumbria University

'All in all, Dark Imaginer fills the gap in the academictreatment of Barker's works and gives a good overview of his beauty marks, warts and all.'
Dejan Ognjanovic, Ninth Circle

About the Author

Sorcha Ní Fhlainn is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies and American Literature, and a founding member of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University