A rediscovered gothic classic with a groundbreaking, gender-nonconforming protagonist at its heart.
I do not sin, he smiled. I am Sin
In a quiet medieval city, alone in his shadowy chambers, Dirk Renswoude worships the devil.
Then the wind brings the young scholar Theirry to his door. Could this beautiful man share his dark obsession? Under a hushed midnight sky, the pair swear themselves to the black arts, and to one another.
Yet Dirk shies away at the slightest touch. He will not discuss his past. As the duo hex their way across moonlit woodlands and learned cities, it becomes clear that Dirk will stop at nothing to live the life he desires, while concealing one precious secret.
First published in 1909, Black Magic is the remarkable rediscovered tale of a gender-nonconforming rebel.
'A subtle and complex thrillerJust dont give away its secret' Washington Post
The Vintage Classics Weird Girls series: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of weird fiction with nine books by nine pioneering female authors.
Arvustused
'It was Miss Bowens apparent zest that made me want to write. One could not read her without believing that to write was to live and to enjoy.' -- Graham Greene The finest British woman writer of the uncanny of the last century -- Michael Dirda
Marjorie Bowen, born in 1885 as Margaret Gabrielle Vere Campbell, was a prolific British author, writing novels across the horror, romance and historical fiction genres, alongside essays and biographies. Widely celebrated in her day, with admirers including Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle and Graham Greene, Bowen published her bestselling first novel, The Viper of Milan (1906), at twentyone years old, and went on to publish Black Magic (1909) at twenty-four years old. Supporting herself and her three sons by her pen, Bowen wrote over 150 books under various pseudonyms through the course of her life. Bowen died in 1952.
