I'm full of despair and yet, at the same time, I'm horribly happy. It's a nice kind of feeling to want something as badly as that.
(Boris Vian, L'Écume des Jours)
(Boris Vian, L'Écume des Jours)
There’s a kind of Raphus Press tradition: every year, we release artisanal collections of stories and/or poetry — sometimes these collections are tributes but, at other times, we take our inspiration in peculiar ideas and obsessions. In all tese collections, we invite some of the best authors working on the vast continent of literature to contribute by offering their exquisite visions. For 2023, we will honor Boris Vian — the great French polymath (he was an engineer, writer, poet, translator, musician, composer, critic, inventor and singer) that had a short and intense life. The title of our new collection: There’s No Way to Escape (A Tribute to Boris Vian).
To pay homage to this demiurge in so many arts, we invited some of the best authors of our time, who sent strange and sophisticated brief narratives (some bordering on poetry), always coherent with Vian's mind-bending and anarchic insights: Rhys Hughes, Douglas Thompson, Tim Newton Anderson, Henry Jovial, Alcebiades Diniz Miguel, Maxim Jakubowski, Damian Murphy and Jonathan Wood.
There’s No Way to Escape (A Tribute to Boris Vian), a collection of stories and a tribute to the feverish oeuvre created by Boris Vian. Special format (200 x 280 mm or 7.87 × 11 in.), 80 pages, with a exclusive, painfully handcrafted Japanese binding style, designed at Raphus Press Immanent Headquarters and produced by Atelie88. A tricky process with at least 2 different printshops in the process (one for cover and another one for the rest of the book). As usual, this new edition will be very scarce: only 45 copies, plus some (very few) private copies. Already available in pre-sales campaign (expected to be released in 3 weeks) with a good price: only USD 68.00.
Available at Ziesings as well soon, probably in 4-5 weeks.
To pay homage to this demiurge in so many arts, we invited some of the best authors of our time, who sent strange and sophisticated brief narratives (some bordering on poetry), always coherent with Vian's mind-bending and anarchic insights: Rhys Hughes, Douglas Thompson, Tim Newton Anderson, Henry Jovial, Alcebiades Diniz Miguel, Maxim Jakubowski, Damian Murphy and Jonathan Wood.
There’s No Way to Escape (A Tribute to Boris Vian), a collection of stories and a tribute to the feverish oeuvre created by Boris Vian. Special format (200 x 280 mm or 7.87 × 11 in.), 80 pages, with a exclusive, painfully handcrafted Japanese binding style, designed at Raphus Press Immanent Headquarters and produced by Atelie88. A tricky process with at least 2 different printshops in the process (one for cover and another one for the rest of the book). As usual, this new edition will be very scarce: only 45 copies, plus some (very few) private copies. Already available in pre-sales campaign (expected to be released in 3 weeks) with a good price: only USD 68.00.
Available at Ziesings as well soon, probably in 4-5 weeks.
There’s No Way to Escape + International Mail Expenses = USD 68.00
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The opinion of our readers
Golden Age of Clairvoyance
"Well I have received the books today and I had certain high expectations and I must say such high expectations were well exceeded. The selectivity of the authors as I may have mentioned before (both individually and in combination) and translations are impeccable. The book design is exquisite and enhances the holistic reading experience (by way of comparison, on first seeing the books I had the same sense of elation when I had received my first Sylph Edition Cahiers a few years ago)."
(Andrew Condous)
(Andrew Condous)
"The books look really nice - I'm especially liking the full-color images inside. Very good design."
(Damian Murphy)
(Damian Murphy)
"The chapbooks are beautiful. Well done! Equally engaging for the eye and mind."
(Rachel Kinbar)
(Rachel Kinbar)
"The initial print-run of all three is, of course, low, so any interested readers should make a quick decision; because I do hope Raphus continue on their path of intriguing little translations of the recovered uncanny and esoteric."
(Mark Andresen at Pan Review)
(Mark Andresen at Pan Review)
The great weird and fantastic connoisseur, Des Lewis, made an insightful review of Black Mirror, the second chapbook in the series, available in this link.
Spiritual Meaning of the Massacres
"Many thanks for sending me a copy of The Mendicant. It really looks rather good – a bit like one of the books you read about in short stories that start off ‘Beware if you read these words... too late!"
(Stephen Cashmore)
(Stephen Cashmore)
"It's a marvelous production, and it's great that you have resurrected the remarkable title piece. I also enjoyed the pamphlet (...). Long may Raphus Press reign!"
(Chris Mikul)
(Chris Mikul)
"I am absolutely delighted with them [The Mendicant of the Books and The Sacred Abysmal Perspective]! They are both true examples of true and original creative philosophical ingenuity, originality and also design. They are fantastickal chapbooks and it is an equal delight to have been able to contribute and to assist in other ways. Although I saw the proofed editions when you e-mailed them to me, now that they are in my hands, they veritably glow and crackle and weep with their malign embers.
I shall take myself off on a sacred journey this weekend, like the early priests going to Tibet, and will immerse myself in the deep folds and ravines these chapbooks open up."
(Jonathan Wood)
I shall take myself off on a sacred journey this weekend, like the early priests going to Tibet, and will immerse myself in the deep folds and ravines these chapbooks open up."
(Jonathan Wood)