[Item #3322] The Blood Countess. Robert Peters.
The Blood Countess

The Blood Countess

ISBN: 0916156818
Cherry Valley, NY: Cherry Valley Editions, 1987. First Softcover Edition. Softcover. "Erzebet Bathory, the notorious Hungarian Countess, niece of King Stephen Bathory, of Poland, believed she would remain young by bathing in the blood of virgins. She murdered some 700 women before she was immured in her castle Csejthe, in 1611...These poems explore the bizarre psyche of this mass-murderer. Few poets have explored such deviates...Bathory's life is relevant to a culture as sick with violence as ours." (from "Note to the Reader from the Author") Two works about Erzebet Bathory (1560-1614), "The Blood Countess," by Robert Peters (1924-2014), the great American poet, playwright, performer & critic. As in his works about Victorian era figures, Peters attempts (imaginatively & successfully in our estimation) to get into the mind of an intriguing, & in this case very macabre, actual historical person. The first work is "The Blood Countess: A Gothic Horror Poem of Violence and Rage," a long poem told from the perspective of the Countess; followed by "The Blood Countess: A Gothic Horror Play for Single Performer," which Peters himself performed in Countess drag to much acclaim, therefore in this case getting into the body as well as the mind of his subject. With evocative, haunting illustrations by his daughter Meredith Peters on front cover & throughout interior; photograph of Peters as the Countess in performance on back cover. This is the first softcover edition, published simultaneously with the first hardcover edition by Cherry Valley Editions, the imprint of legendary literary outlaw Charles Plymell & his wife, Pamela Beach Plymell. An essential collectible in the Peters canon- and, sadly, more "relevant" than ever per his Note quoted above. In very fine condition with only the slightest bit of rubbing & a few short, faint scratches at front, back covers & spine; otherwise virtually mint inside & out. Very Fine. [Item #3322]

Price: $20.00

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