[Juenger-list] Clive Barker & Juenger (Leviathan addendum)

[e-ensign@thing.net (Richard Brem)]

While doing research on some contemporary artistic interpretations of
Hobbes' "Leviathan" I came across a short story by Clive Barker called "In
the Hills, the Cities", which reminded me very much of Juenger's 1939
novella "On the Marble Cliffs".

Barker's short story was written in 1985 and is included in his "First Book
of Blood". It is set in Kosovo and tells the story of two towns which
ritually fight each other by forming giant human bodies out of their
inhabitants. There's a number of analogies between Juenger's and Barker's
text, e.g. both feature two male protagonists -- in "Marble Cliffs" it's two
brothers, in Barker's short story it's a gay couple. Both texts are striking
prophetic visions of the horrors which would unfold in Germany resp. Kosovo
not long after their publication. Both contain extremely graphic
descriptions of human cruelty and carnage. They do so, however, in a
nevertheless subtle manner, giving the texts a dreamlike or even mythical
quality.

For those who don't know Clive Barker -- he's best known for his "Books of
Blood" (six volumes of horror stories) and as script writer & director of
the "Hellraiser" movies.

Bests,
Richard Brem
- - - - - - - - - - - -
'As giants,' he said. 'They fought as giants. They made a body out of their
bodies, do you understand? The frame, the muscles, the bone, the eyes, nose,
teeth all made of men and women.'

'He's delirious,' said Judd.

'You go into the hills,' the man repeated. 'See for yourselves how true it
is.'

'Even supposing -- ' Mick began.

Vaslav interrupted him, eager to be finished. 'They were good at the game of
giants. It took many centuries of practice: every ten years making the
figure larger and larger. One always ambitious to be larger than the other.
Ropes to tie them all together, flawlessly. Sinews ... ligaments ... There
was food in its belly ... there were pipes from the loins, to take away the
waste. The best-sighted sat in the eye-sockets, the best voiced in the mouth
and throat. You wouldn't believe the engineering of it.'

'I don't,' said Judd, and stood up.

'It is the body of the state,' said Vaslav, so softly his voice was barely
above a whisper, 'it is the shape of our lives.'

                    --  Clive Barker "In the Hills, the Cities"