Heliogabalus or, the Crowned Anarchist - Antonin Artaud

Antonin Artaud’s 'Heliogabalus' is simultaneously his most extreme, revolutionary and deranged book, and likely now also to prove his most influential in the contemporary moment with the publication by Infinity Land Press of this first complete English-language translation, by Alexis Lykiard. Dating from the period when Artaud was preparing his legendary ‘Theatre of Cruelty’ experiments, 'Heliogabalus' anatomises and recreates the sperm and blood-constellated life of the infamous Roman emperor who was assassinated by his own guards at the age of 18 after four years spent relentlessly deriding and disintegrating the empire’s power. Artaud asserts that ‘The entire life of Heliogabalus is anarchy in action... fire, gesture, blood, cry... Fanatical, a real king, a rebel, a crazed individualist.’ Artaud explicitly wrote his account of Heliogabalus's acts as an embodiment of himself and of his own insurgency in art. Three years after the book’s publication, he was incarcerated in a lunatic asylum, emerging only shortly before his death in 1948. This edition includes an introduction by Stephen Barber and his translations of all of the surviving letters written by Artaud about his work on 'Heliogabalus'.

Translated by Alexis Lykiard With an introduction by Stephen Barber Artworks by Martin Bladh Photographs by Karolina Urbaniak.

Publisher: Infinity Land Press

Published: 2nd edition 2022 (1st edition 2019)

Format: Hardback

Pages: 196

Dimensions: 190 x 148mm