The Origin of Manias

Anton, a born sadist, a philosopher of psychosexual visions as an act against the world that tries to spit him out; a charlatan of provocative yet violent intellectual discourse that will devour all of whom are against his very nature. Jeremiah, an Afghan vet, distraught by his comrades' deaths during conflict returns to civilised life but struggles to conform to consumerist society. There's only one resolution but it lies in an unattainable place. Comparisons are odious but often edifying; in this instance I would cite Bataille's 'Story of the Eye', D M Perkins' 'Evil Companions', Delaney's 'Tides Of Lust' and Dennis Cooper's 'Frisk'. Dangerous territory, but one that probably needs treading if we are to understand how the human psyche functions 'in extremis'. D M Mitchell (author of 'A Serious Life') See more