The Books of Brian Barritt
When: Saturday 11th June 2011 , 8.00pm
Where: Iambic Arts Theatre
“If you finish a novel and you’ve only got one copy,
never leave it in a briefcase with a gold bar and a revolver, because it will get stolen.”
Such was the hard-earned literary wisdom of Brian Barritt, the Beatnik, Krautrocker and adventurer who died this year aged 76. Barritt was a writer in the Outsider Artist tradition who left behind a literary legacy of five bizarre, hilarious and uncompromising books. Wildly different, they range from autobiographical prison writing to psychedelic archaeology and pornographic science fiction, and have been praised by the likes of William Burroughs, Alex Trocchi and Timothy Leary.
Lusty, absurd and profoundly insightful – often in the same sentence – Barritt’s wild prose and extraordinary imagery are all we have now of his unique mind. How well do these obscure texts, at times scrappy and barely publishable, at others sublime and visionary, capture his spirit and his wilful insanity?
In this talk John Higgs, author of ‘I Have America Surrounded: The Life of Timothy Leary’, makes the first stab at assessing Barritt’s literary legacy. He will tell the stories behind each book, frequently as extraordinary as the books themselves, together with readings from each title and copious anecdotes from Barritt’s life.
For more information about Brian Barritt, see his obituary in The Independent
Why not come along early and join us for a glass of wine from the bar and listen to Nicola Wood reading from her astrologically-themed poetry collection. Request your sign! Click here for more information.
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