Galley Beggar Press - Christiana Spens

The Drone Age

jordison — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Price:

£12.00

An artists' book of illustrations and poetry on the themes of warfare and pop culture. Images include reproductions of First We Take Damascus, The Aesthetics of Terrorism, Fashions of the Day, Unmanned Vehicles Will Destroy Us All (Save Endangered Jets), and Power Dressing A/W 2013.

Christiana is the author of The Wrecking Ball (Harper Perennial), Death of a Ladies' Man (3:AM) and The Socialite Manifesto (Beautiful Books), which is an artists' book satirizing the fashion and music industries with caricatures and collages. The Drone Age follows on from this book, delving into conflict and political imagery as well as fashion and pop culture, inspired by the author's Masters and PhD work on terrorism and political violence.

Author:

Christiana Spens

Pages:

Published:

June 2014

Death of a Ladies' Man

jordison — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Price:

£5.00

Death of a Ladies' Man follows the rise and fall of politician Adrian Lowe and the effects of that descent on those closest to him.

From a debauched past as a student at Cambridge to greedy, shiny London in the late eighties with his wife, Adrian's personal politics veer increasingly towards the anarchic even as his public life stays intact. But as that behaviour begins to destroy Adrian's marriage, family, and unfortunate acquaintances, the personal becomes political, and his unlawful deeds turn to propaganda.

Spens' novella is a dark and satirical portrait of a man losing control in the public eye, and taking his loved ones with him.

Praise for Death of a Ladies' Man

Upon its opening dialogue Spens' narrative ignites—its momentum fuelled by lean, concise prose, which provides engaging intellectual considerations that never over-extend and beautifully define Adrian’s world. Above all Spens displays a brilliant emotional control in crafting the Lowes' tribulations — they are never melodramatic, but genuine with an underlying tenderness. What ultimately emerges is a carefully considered thematic fusion of human fragility and a dangerous world of limitless influence and control. With a potent wit and contagious dark humour, Spens' narrative illuminates emotional intersections of guilt and pride, delusion and reality, abuse and exploitation. -- Lindsay Parnell, The Culture Trip

Rich characters and a very grounded, real-world plot. Stylistically it delivers clean, sometimes stark and always measured prose, a narrative that stays close to the protagonists and takes it's time without being long-winded - a pleasure to read… There is something tragic about this tale, but Spens is forgiving in her portrayal, giving us the ugly but also the softer side, the frailty beneath the cold, hard surface of things. After all, even the worst of us are only human. -- Yann Rousselot, Margana

All author royalties of Death of a Ladies' Man are going to the charity UNSEEN, which works to stop human trafficking.

Author:

Christiana Spens

Pages:

136

Published:

April 2013

Guest List

jordison — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Price:

£5.00

A short story about ways of losing it in the big city - both financially and socially - Guest List [How to Go Bankrupt in NYC] is the first in a series of chapbooks / zines published by 3:AM Press. The illustration is also by the author.

To buy, just hit the button and we'll send one right out. Oh - and you've got to pay too. But £5 is a bargain.

Author:

Christiana Spens

Pages:

Published:

February 2013