Another Night

by Mark Lamoureux (22pp. B&W illus) $5.00 ppd.

The source text for these poems was stolen from Harold Brainerd Hersey’s book, Night, originally published in 1923. The poems in this volume were accompanied by illustrations in the period style (art nouveau) by Elliott Dold. I have stolen some of these, also, unaltered.

In addition to Night, Hersey also published a book of Cowboy verse, a critical analysis of pulp novels and Helpful Hints on War Risk Insurance, Etc., among others. Dold did illustrations for numerous books and pulp magazines.

I became fascinated by the obsessive vocabulary and thinly veiled sadomasochism of Hersey’s somewhat tawdry original and decided to embark upon a project of “literary conservation.” The poems here include every word and mark of punctuation found in the Hersey originals of the same name; the words themselves have been rearranged by my whim, and in accordance with subjects that differ from the originals. I see this as a way of granting the original texts renewed vigor, allowing them to continue to exist into the future. Also, in keeping with one of the favorite subjects of the original author, the process of creating these was a kind of bondage game; one must compose within the tight fetters of the original works and their own obsessions and compulsions.

Sample poem and illustration here.