Various (Stettner, Irving (Editor); Bowles, Paul; Miller, Henry; Mrabet, Mohammed; Krim, Seymour et al.)

Stroker No. 17 (1980)

New York, NY, USA: Stroker, 1980. First Edition. “...I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire...I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it. Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools.” William Faulkner, “The Sound and the Fury.” “Stroker” was a magazine of literature and arts that ran from 1974 to 1994. It was published from New York – and later from Nagano, Japan – by American artist and author Irving Stettner (1922-2004). Stettner, a friend of Henry Miller’s (1891-1980), lived many years as an ex-pat in France, Morocco, Japan and other countries. With little money, he cultivated a devoted following of readers who were also “Stroker” contributors -- including Henry Miller in the last two years of his life, as well as Paul Bowles (1910-1999), Mohammed Mrabet (b. 1936) and Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), among others. One lesser-known writer from Detroit named Ron Papandrea (b. 1948) became one of Stettner's closest allies, his "Western scout," acting as a collector, archivist, distributor and publisher of Stettner's works. Stettner’s vision for “Stroker” was largely to present an amalgamation of art, literary essays, correspondences, poetry, and a seemingly Walt Whitman (1819-1892)-esque enthusiasm for life and poetry. Today’s offering, “Stroker 17”, published in 1980 is a glowing example of the heights to which this relatively short-live publication would reach. Within this volume are three magnificent letters from Mohammed Mrabet (b. 1936) Moroccan poet and artist, to Stettner himself–the contents of the letters seem to range from lamenting a drought in his home of Morocco, to plans to come to New York and visit Stettner (this section/letter is dripping with poetry and a soaring lyrical pathos), to telling Stettner about the publication of his (at the time) newest book, “The Beach Cafe and the Voice” (1979). Also contained within this volume is Henry Miller’s “America, America” an essay Miller wrote as a foreword to a book of photography by Michel Waxman and Andre Cromphont–the essay sings of the raw, visceral beauty of America and the dual nature of it, the man-made beauty (to which Miller says is “falling apart”) and the one made by God. Another wondrous addition to this volume (and the last of which I shall speak on lest I reproduce the volume here in this curation myself) is Seymour Krim’s (1922-1989) “Krim on Miller on Lawrence.” Krim’s essay is a critical and analytical look upon Miller’s own writing on D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) and subsequently Lawrence’s influence on Miller. The essay is simply a marvel of critical insights, while at the same time praising Miller’s literary genius. Stapled wrappers. First and presumably only edition, though not explicated as such at copyright page. Book is in relatively-very-fine condition with minor wear to fine edges, slight discoloration due to sun-toning, and light rusting at staples. Otherwise substantially mint! Very Fine. [Item #6648]

Price: $50.00