Tag Archives: Lombano

MALDOROR 2:7 – THE HERMAPHRODITE

Balladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the macabre 1868 French language work The Songs of Maldoror.

THE HERMAPHRODITE

HermaphroditeIn this stanza the supernatural being Maldoror contemplates a beautiful human hermaphrodite sleeping in a forest near Paris. This portion of The Songs of Maldoror really emphasizes the oneric nature of Ducasse’s writing. Stanzas like this one and The Philosophical Gravedigger always make me wonder if the French horror film director Jean Rollin was influenced by the Count de Lautreamont.    

This interlude with the hermaphrodite reminds me of Rollins’ Two Orphan Vampires and the way the title figures have brief encounters with the mad wolf-woman of the train yard, the haughty matriarchal vampress and the she-ghoul. The mystery surrounding the exact nature of the orphan vampires, who may or may not have been around since the Aztecs, is reminiscent of the enigmas surrounding Maldoror himself.   Continue reading

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MALDOROR 2:6 – THE JUSTICE OFFERED BY THE LAW IS WORTHLESS

Balladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the macabre 1868 French language work The Songs of Maldoror.

THE JUSTICE OFFERED BY THE LAW IS WORTHLESS

Tuileries gardens at nightThe supernatural being Maldoror, fresh off his sadistic murder of a 10 year old girl in the previous stanza, this time around turns his attentions on an 8 year old little boy. Our vile protagonist first spots the child sitting on a bench in the Tuileries Gardens. Maldoror sits down next to the boy and engages him in conversation. 

The conversation consists of the monstrous figure peppering the child with questions about his beliefs and his dreams for the future as well as his barely-developed notions of right and wrong.  Continue reading

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MALDOROR 2:5 – INDELIBLE BLOOD GLITTERING LIKE A DIAMOND

Balladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the macabre 1868 French language work The Songs of Maldoror.

INDELIBLE BLOOD GLITTERING LIKE A DIAMOND

Maldoror 2 5Back to the insane, taciturn and blood-thirsty Maldoror we’re used to this time around. The supernatural being has been strolling through a particular narrow Paris alley as part of the ground he covers while taking his walk. A slender ten year old girl, oblivious to the danger she’s courting, takes to following him each time until he gets to the end of the alley where she and her mother live.

Growing bolder she even takes to playfully blocking his way sometimes. On occassions when Maldoror tries to walk through at a brisker pace she speeds up her own gait to keep pace with him. On occassions when he goes slowly through the alley the little girl matches that pace, too. When she tries to start a conversation with the monstrous figure by asking him what time it is he coldly replies that he has no watch. 

Initially Maldoror toys with the idea of sparing the child’s life by simply avoiding the alley from now on. Unfortunately as his disturbed mind continues mulling over the situation he slowly convinces himself the child has dark motives and might even be a youthful prostitute like the 12 year old runaways from England. Maldoror convinces himself the mother could be the child’s Madam. At the very least if the little girl lives she will eventually turn out like the rest of the human race that our vile narrator loathes so deeply.  Continue reading

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MALDOROR 2:4 – THE MIDNIGHT OMNIBUS

Balladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the macabre 1868 French language work The Songs of Maldoror.

THE MIDNIGHT OMNIBUS

Midnight strikes in Paris. An eerie double-decker horse-drawn omnibus bursts forth from the ground and begins making its way through the nearly empty, night-darkened streets.

A few late night wayfarers regard the unusual omnibus with a shudder as it goes by. The vehicle carries the full passenger load of twenty-four but all of the travelers on the upper deck appear to be lifeless corpses leaned against each other.

The top-hatted driver looks like another corpse, and the whip he uses to urge on his horses seems more alive than he is. That whip appears to be what animates the arm of the otherwise lifeless driver, not the other way around. Even the passengers on the inner deck remain mute and still and are likewise as pale as ghosts.   Continue reading

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