'B. Catling, R.A. (1948-2022) was born in London. He was a poet, sculptor, filmmaker, performance artist, painter, and writer. He held solo exhibitions and performances in the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Iceland, Israel, Holland, Norway, Germany, Greenland, USA, and Australia. His Vorrh trilogy and novels Earwig and Munky have drawn much critical acclaim. He was also Emeritus Professor of Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford.'
I had never heard of B(rian) Catling when I received a review copy of this book, which comes with three intriguing postcards 'featuring photographs by Iain Sinclair and text by Alan Moore'. I was a little puzzled. So I did some Googling and YouTubing and discovered that Catling was a very significant figure in the UK arts scene. I feel slightly ashamed that his work passed me by, but I have tried to dispel some of my ignorance. This book certainly offers a good overview of some of the man's ideas and personal vision.
Here, you will not find many conventional tales of the supernatural, but that's no bad thing. The last story, 'A Pendon Parva Ghost', is however a good example of an exploration of the genre from an unusual perspective. A pretentious professor escorts a party of guests to a museum containing a huge diorama of the Vale of the White Horse. There our academic shows off a bit, but is then chastened by an encounter with a woman who asks him to consider the concept of hauntings from a new angle. The story also contains a justifiable sideswipe at ghost hunter Harry Price.
Catling is certainly not conventional in his approach to the supernatural. The story above begins with the infamous anecdote of William Buckland eating the mummified heart of Louis XIV. I don't know why this is included, but it fits somehow. And I daresay that is where the artistry lies. The same can be said for 'Further Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar', which begins with an account of Valdemar's fascination with Japanese culture. The story is a (sort of) sequel to Poe's original tale in which the unnamed mesmerist finds himself stigmatized for his antics and seeks refuge in an unlikely place. It is a compelling piece.
'X Certify' is a fascinating meditation on horror, with ideas circling a central event in Catling's life. In 1959 he went to see Hammer's The Revenge of Frankenstein and then visited an uncle who had just undergone brain surgery. Not surprisingly, this double encounter left a lasting impression. Catling's erudition takes him effortlessly between 'high' and popular culture, referencing Goya and Jack Pierce, the make-up artist on James Whale's first Frankenstein movie.
Indeed, one of the pleasures of this book is its unapologetic interest in serious ideas, coupled with a more playful interest in Fortean/paranormal phenomena. 'Vanished!' is a series of monologues from the Manx family who encountered Gef the legendary talking mongoose. 'April 6th 1744' recounts the mystic and inventor Swedenborg's first encounter with an angelic being while he earing at a London Tavern. The short play 'Ugler i Mosen' concerns a bog body and its debatable origins. It formed the nucleus of the 2005 film The Cutting (which I watched on YouTube and found deeply moving).
A good read? For me, yes. Even the shortest items here have something to offer. Every inclusion is thought-provoking in the true sense of the term; not merely contentious for the sake of it, but seeking to share and explore hidden or neglected aspects of our world. After this, Catling may well haunt me.
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