September through November 2010 sees an unparalleled amount of activity taking place surrounding the artist Austin Osman Spare, and Strange Attractor Press are contributing to it with the publication of Phil (Absinthe, The Devil is Gentleman) Baker’s long-awaited biography Austin Osman Spare: The Life and Legend of London’s Lost Artist.
We’re in the final stages of getting this together now and are very happy to report that we’ve received a wonderful introduction from author Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, From Hell, Voice of the Fire etc) who writes:
What Phil Baker has accomplished here is little short of marvellous…[he] at last offers us a view of Austin Spare that is complete and has an animating warmth… [it’s] a true watershed in Spare scholarship… Phil Baker has established himself as among the very best contemporary biographers.
We expect to have the book out in November as a high-quality hardback, and will provide a firm date as soon as we have one. Meanwhile, Phil is speaking on Spare as part of the Strange Attractor Salon at The Little Shoppe of Horrors on 13 October (book here).
Also starting today, 13 September, are two London exhibitions of Spare’s work, one at the Cuming Museum in Spare’s old stomping ground along the Walworth Rd, and an another at Atlantis Bookshop on Museum St.
A series of talks are taking place as part of the Cuming show, including SAJ pals and contributors, Robert Ansell, Gary Lachman, Ross MacFarlane, Robert Wallis, and of course Phil Baker.
[Photo above from Leader Magazine, 1948 via the Austin Spare site.]
