At the Threshold of Liquid Geology and Other Automatic Tales

Eric W. Bragg

This modern collection of surrealist prose poems was inspired by the improvisational method of automatic writing, popularised by the International Surrealist Movement. From one brain to another without any literary rules or standards, the words in these automatic writings are not just words, but rays of subconscious illumination that peel away the various layers of the ‘civilized’, western psyche, one by one.

Full of bizarre transformations and dark, irrationally motivated patterns of erotic thought, these writings will seduce the reader into nothing less than a sublime overload and transgressive derangement of the senses. While a must-read for the poetically daring and the adventurous, this book is not recommended for those who seek peaceful numbness and safety!

Review by Paul Lappen (310105) Rating (8/10)

Review by Paul Lappen
To quote from the back cover of this book: “This modern collection of surrealist prose-poems was inspired by the improvisational method of automatic writing, popularised by the International Surrealist movement. From one brain to another without any literary rules or standards; the words in these automatic writings are not just words, but rays of subconscious illumination that peel away the various layers of the ‘civilized’, western psyche, one by one.”

For those who understand what that means, and are interested in such writing, read no further; buy this book. For everyone else, these are not stories in the usual sense. They are collections of strange images where bizarre things happen right next to each other. In just the first story, a thin stream of sugar is dropped into a tiger’s eyeball, a frog burps a shiny platinum marble, there is a talking caterpillar, and an umbrella reveals a family sunning themselves on the shore of an island continent formed from green volcanic glass deposited hundreds of thousands of years ago.

This book is very much not for everyone. For those who want to give their brain a workout, this is an excellent choice. For those who want ‘normal’ books with plot and characters and all those English Literature words, this book can be skipped.
Paul Lappen (31st January 2005)