‘Lunar Moths’ is a collection of verses dedicated to the ephemeral nature of life’s fly by nights. In folklore, little white moths represented the souls of unbaptized children, unable to settle any place for long they flutter haplessly through night’s tributaries. The theme of the Lost Soul, those who drift on the midnight tide, briefly glittering and often seductive is of little real value. Modern life is rather too robust for their slender if memorable gifts, from Jean Seberg to Denny Fouts, to Johnny Thunders, they are ghosts in daylight, rubbing shoulders with Chatterton reborn at sunset in Euston Station. All creative people have refrains they return to, ‘Lunar Moths’ is a collection of Nina’s poems. Lunar Moths is £6 plus shipping and handling. For availability/purchase, please email Nina through her website https://ninaantoniaauthor.com/contact/ or contact the publisher at theblacklightenginedriver@hotmail.co.uk.
BOOK REVIEW: “A lovely review of ‘Incurable’ by Strange Attractor Press which will be back in print & available via Kindle shortly. Announcements will be made. Thank you, John Hopper.” – Nina
Nina Antonia is here to discuss her new book Dancing with Salomé: Courting the Uncanny with Oscar Wilde & Friends. Dancing with Salomé unmasks the occult aspects of Oscar Wilde’s celebrated tome The Picture of Dorian Gray, whilst exploring how the unseen manifested not just in the famous author’s life but in that of his love interest, Lord Alfred Douglas. Through a series of interlinking essays, Nina Antonia takes us to meet the Decadent demi-monde of the 1890’s with whom Wilde and Douglas mingled. Whilst eroticism and mysticism were key themes of the Decadents, there was also a surge of interest in ritual magic, enabled by the flowering of the “Golden Dawn.” Wilde’s wife, Constance, was a member, as was W.B. Yeats, alongside Aleister Crowley. All would play a part, directly or indirectly, in the drama of Oscar Wilde’s enchanted & accursed life. store.trapart.net/details/00178
Uncanny Aspects of Oscar Wilde: “Dancing With Salome: Decadence & the Supernatural” by Nina Antonia and “Activating Wilde’s World View” by Robert Podgurski. LECTURE ON ZOOM.
This lecture will take place virtually, via Zoom. Ticket sales will end at 12:30pm EST the day of the lecture. This event will be recorded and ticketholders will receive a temporary streaming link after the live stream.
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PLEASE NOTE: This lecture will be recorded and available for free for our Patreon members at $5/above.
A recent conversation between Nina and Creative Historian Brian Chidester. With a background in journalism and documentary filmmaking, Brian has written for publications including ‘L.A Weekly’ & ‘The Village Voice.’ He has also curated such exhibitions as ‘Beyond the Pleasuredome: The Occult Works of Burt Shonberg.’ This was great news for Nina who has long appreciated Shonberg’s work, especially the paintings of the haunted Usher family featured in Roger Corman’s cinematic retelling of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’ Brian’s main interest is in collating the experiences of those artists and authors who exist outside of the mainstream yet are still influential
Through a series of interlinking essays, Nina Antonia takes us to meet the Decadent demi-monde of the 1890’s with whom Wilde and Douglas mingled. Whilst eroticism and mysticism were key themes of the Decadents, there was also a surge of interest in ritual magic, enabled by the flowering of the “Golden Dawn” – the most significant esoteric order in England’s history. Wilde’s wife, Constance, was a member, as was W.B. Yeats, alongside Aleister Crowley and Arthur Machen. All would play a part, directly or indirectly, in the drama of Oscar Wilde’s enchanted & accursed life. Dancing with Salomé unmasks the occult aspects of Oscar Wilde’s celebrated tome The Picture of Dorian Gray, whilst exploring how the unseen manifested not just in the famous author’s life but in that of his love interest, Lord Alfred Douglas. The gilded backdrop to their ill-fated liaison was the Decadent movement, a literary and artistic feast of the divine and debauched which redefined the lines of male beauty. Curiously, Aubrey Beardsley, the most renowned illustrator of the Decadents, refused to keep any of Oscar Wilde’s books in his home, as he believed, like many of his friends, that the playwright was accursed. Beardsley’s theory is not as far-fetched as it seems if one takes into account the doomed lineages from which both Oscar and Lord Alfred Douglas were descended.
In lieu of being able to do a book signing at the legendary Atlantis bookshop www.theatlantisbookshop.com the equally legendary proprietor & worker of wonders, Geraldine, has sent some bookplates for me to sign. A stone’s throw from the ‘Dilly, a footstep & heartbeat from the British Museum, one feels certain that Wilde & Pals must have sauntered down these streets when the stars were so much brighter, the absinthe was green as carnations and the moon was made for beguiling glances. We may not be able to gather to celebrate the publication of ‘Dancing with Salome – Courting The Uncanny with Oscar Wilde & Friends’ but we can still be beguiled. Copies are available at Atlantis, via Trapart Books www.trapart.net or can be purchased at the link below. The link for ordering the book is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9198692003
Nina Antonia 