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Apocalypse Culture
1987 anthology edited by Adam Parfrey From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Apocalypse Culture, or just Apocalypse, is an anthology of the fringe and transgressive edited by Adam Parfrey and first published by his publishing house Amok Press in 1987. Three years later, it was republished in an expanded and revised edition by Parfrey's second publishing house, Feral House. The book, named after Parfrey's fringe cultural scene, defines itself as "an exhaustive tour through the nether regions of today's psychotic brainscape"; it contains writings from, among others, anarchist Hakim Bey and journalist Thomas McEvilley, as well as avowed neo-Nazis, Satanists, pedophiles, necrophiles, and writing from Parfrey himself.
Though controversial, the book was popular with its audience and sold well, reportedly having sold at least 100,000 copies by 2010. The expanded edition contains largely different content. It was a success for Parfrey, his earliest book to achieve this kind of success, and became a cult classic in some circles. The book was banned in Russia in 2006. It was followed by a sequel, Apocalypse Culture II, in 2000.
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Background
Adam Parfrey was an American writer, editor, and publisher known for his publication of outsider works. He was the creator of the publishing house Amok Press and its successor Feral House.[1] Seattle Weekly described him in 2010 as "one of the nation's most provocative publishers".[2] Many of the works he published were extremely controversial, and he had connections to some neo-Nazis and white supremacists.[1]
The title of the anthology, "apocalypse culture", is what Parfrey dubbed his fringe cultural scene.[3] "Apocalypse culture" has been described by Mark Harrison as "a literary and cultural milieu for those fascinated with eschatology, or the study of last things", including discussions of, among other topics, mind control, paraphilia, and fascism.[4]
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Publication history
It was first published by Parfrey's publisher Amok Press in 1987.[5] An expanded and revised edition was published in Port Townsend in 1990 by Feral House, a publisher he founded after the publication of the first edition.[6][2][7]
The book was reported to have sold 100,000 copies by 2010, and was one of Parfrey's most successful books.[2][8] It was Parfey's earliest book to achieve fame.[7] A sequel, Apocalypse Culture II, was published by Feral House in 2000.[9]
In 2006, it and its sequel were translated into Russian in 2006 and published combined as one volume by the Russian counterculture publisher Ultra.Kultura as Культура времен Апокалипсиса. The book was afterwards banned in Russia as "drug propaganda" (a single entry in the sequel is about ketamine) and all copies were confiscated.[10][11][12][13][14]
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Contents
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Perspective
The book, an anthology volume, defines itself as "an exhaustive tour through the nether regions of today’s psychotic brainscape".[2][4] It focuses on fringe and transgressive behavior, including socially and sexually.[11] Parfrey notes in an introduction that "The reader of Apocalypse Culture will soon begin to notice a preponderance of materials from individuals who have the audacity to consider themselves their own best authority, in repudiation or ignorance of the orthodoxy factories of Church, University, or State."[2] The contents of the anthology are similar to Exit, a prior magazine created by Parfrey.[8] The 1990 edition has much new content and also lacks much of the content of the 1987 edition. Both editions are illustrated and contain the short biographies on and the contact information of the writers included, when available.[15][16]
Chapters include interviews with the pedophile Peter Sotos, the creator of the pro-pedophile and serial killer zine Pure, and another interview with the necrophiliac Karen Greenlee.[2] Several entries are written by Parfrey himself, discussing, among other topics, self-castration and the modern aesthetic being terroristic in nature.[2] There is a large amount of neo-Nazi material in the book.[8] It includes flyers from neo-Nazi James Mason, later the author of Siege,[8] a selection from Adolf Hitler,[17] Savitri Devi's The Lightning and the Sun,[18] and holocaust denier Michael A. Hoffman II.[19]
1987 version
1990 edition
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Reception
The book was well-received with its audience.[7] Spencer Sunshine described it as "infamous"[21] and as a "cult classic" in underground circles.[7] Jeffrey Kaplan wrote that it had become "an instant underground classic with its bizarre collection".[16] Seattle Weekly said that the book is what cemented Parfrey as "the enfant terrible of the publishing world".[2] Its platforming of neo-Nazi authors has received criticism; Sunshine wrote that if "one wished to read White Supremacist and neo-Nazi literature, Apocalypse Culture had a sampling on offer".[8]
Parfrey claimed in a 2010 interview that many people had told him the book had "changed their lives", in that "the culture that was provided them in school and so on was expanded [in Apocalypse Culture] and torn apart."[2]
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References
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