BOOKS/WRITERS
Readings/San Francisco/"Mortal Love"
July 20, 7pm

"Mortal Love," a dark fantasy novel from Elizabeth Hand, explores the theme of artistic inspiration and its dangerous devolvement into obsession and madness.

In this compelling new work, Hand laces her story with references to the work of artists ranging from Algernon Swinburne to Kurt Cobain while capturing the intense emotions of her characters in exquisitely sculpted prose.

Elizabeth Hand is the award-winning author of six novels, including "Black Light" and "Waking the Moon." She co-created DC Comics' post-punk, post-feminist cult series "Anima."

Her one-act play, "The Have-Nots," was produced in 1997 and staged at London's Fringe Theater Festival.

Hand comments on the new book: "'Mortal Love' isn't so much a decadent novel as a Symbolist novel; not a book about the thing but the thing itself. Algernon Swinburne is a supporting character, and really upstages everyone else when he's around. The central female figure is a sort of avatar of the White Goddess; at least that's how mortals see her: her true nature is something else entirely..."

Related: Find out more about this book, and read the "Arte Six" author interview here.

Visit Hand's official site here.

Find it: The Booksmith
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco, California 94117
Get info: (415) 863-8688, (800) 493-7323

Find author reading/signing events in other cities, in the July issue of "Arte Six".