Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti

Hello Gentle Reader

I have finished reading my first, short collection of short stories, by the master of horror that is not horror but is considered horror, in an entirely new different form. Thomas Ligotti, the master of nightmares, the absurdity and poppycock, of life and existence, shows the very fear of the human condition.

One thing that I can surely say about Thomas Ligotti, is that he does not sit around and waste his time, with describing, bodily disfiguration or mutilation. Thomas Ligotti, does not waste his time, with describing anything in to a gory detail, that we can pretty much see every single blood cell in a pool of blood. In fact, the way that Thomas Ligotti, presents some of the situations is almost normal, and is not shocking at all, not even unsettling, just makes you read along. To say the least, Thomas Ligotti is not going to waste his time, with simple Hollywood shock tactics. Thomas Ligotti doesn't even waste his time, by making the plot move along via any chasing after any thing or anyone. In fact Thomas Ligotti, just lets his work flow from the characters point of view. The rants, the idea's, and the arguments that are presented with Thomas Ligotti's work, is just his own. Some say that he reminds them of Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft.

I can see where some people, see the Poe influence and the Lovecraft influence as well. However I also some influence from Franz Kafka and if i may say what i say, i also see some influence from Thomas Bernhard. The way Thomas Ligotti is rather disturbing. Its hard to relate to the characters sometimes -- and sometimes its appears impossible, which is fine by me.

If a person is looking for a coherent all tied up and neatly decorated ending with Thomas Ligotti's work, I would suggest look elsewhere. For nothing is ever truly answered, and even there was an answer there would be more questions after that answer. Rather than Thomas Ligotti, wasting his time, answering every detailed question regarding, the questions that are not answered in his work, he allows the reader to come up with their own possibilities. Much as literature, should.

Thomas Ligotti does have amazing descriptive power, though. In the short story titled "The Clown Puppet," he describes the face of the clown puppet with fluid, and harshness of the narrators, voice.

from "The Clown Puppet," taken from "Teatro Grottesco," by Thomas Ligotti:

“Its expressiveness was all in that face with its pale and pitted complexion, its slightly pointed nose and delicate lips, and its dead puppet eyes — eyes that did not seem able to fix or focus themselves upon anything but only gazed with an unchanging expression of dreamy malignance, an utterly nonsensical expression of stupid viciousness and cruelty.”

Its not meant to be unsettling as it is to describe the almost horrifying aspect of the clown. How its eyes, show no life, yet has all the workings of a regular human face.

Thomas Ligotti, surely does describe the nonsensical life, and existence of mankind. When one person may happily filling paper, or doing a job, that they find great meaning in, Thomas Ligotti, rips that shroud away and we just see the meaningless and absurdity that life has become of the human race. Our supposedly meaningful jobs, that present themselves with great, wonder, and awe, and a sense of purpose for the person doing the task, Thomas Ligotti, shows us the inner workings of this. Thomas Ligotti, is merely saying that this nothing more then mechanical working. An illusion that we are just doing for the sake of doing it. Something we are forcing ourselves to do because we are told do it, because it is good, and that we have to do because its what puts food on the table. With this kind of thinking, we fool ourselves into doing these jobs because that’s the way it is to be done. However, Thomas Ligotti, looks at this and laughs. He describes these tasks, and nothing more then a waste of time, and life, and is just something to keep the boredom and pointlessness, of existence at bay. Even though the task itself is pointless.

If a person is going to pick this collection of short stories up, and think that this book is just going to give them some violent action, and show them dancing skeletons and woman running around with the tops off, screaming manically, I would laugh at them.

Thomas Ligotti, is not going to waste his time, with the rather cliché and pathetic tactics of Hollywood Horror. In fact, Thomas Ligotti's beautiful, and macabre prose, require concentration, and deep thinking, and even then you may not understand what is trying to be said, but Mr. Thomas Ligotti is not going to waste your time, with simple, thinking. In fact Thomas Ligotti, is merely giving you the props to creature your own meaning -- even though it may as well be as pointless as existing itself.

Some may look at this work of fiction and call it Nihilism. But it appears far from the truth. Thomas Ligotti is not a nihilist from what I can see. But rather an observer who is looking at the world, from his unblended eyes, and see's a world of meaningless and pointless random events that just happen to happen. Rather than looking for meaning, and performing experiments, and declaring its divine intervention, Thomas Ligotti just walks away from and accepts it as it is. There is no need to look for anything that is not there, as far as Mr. Ligotti is concerned. In fact, Mr. Ligotti, just accepts what is or was happening, as what it is. Mr. Ligotti, accepts a falling meteorite, as a simple falling rock from the sky. There is nothing to other than that. When a friend comes to knock on the door to talk about "Gas Station Carnivals," or another talks about creepy spider like creatures that have a human head, Thomas Ligotti, just accepts it as a random occurrence.

However Mr. Ligotti, also is quick to point out, other true facts of life. There are some people in the world, that we as human beings give them the power to control and even influence our lives. Funny thing is, we are not sure that they are there at all. We have no idea who or what they are, or even if they take a shape. Some days they appear to hide in an office, sending strange messages on paper down a street. Other times, they are a company that owns the doctors, and prescribes medications for your fears, so you can function in day to day life. Yet the characters are not sure who they are, and how they got this influence or power, but they don't appear to question it that much, but at the same time, they sometimes wonder. Even though the world is pointless, and meaningless, with random occurrences, Mr. Ligotti, also shows us, our own godlike power, that we can have over our fellow mankind.

Again this is not your typical horror. Mr. Ligotti, has gone back to the roots of horror, and is not going to waste his time, with simple shock techniques. Mr. Ligotti is going to make you think, scratch your head, re-read, and just wonder what the hell is going on. A true genius of horror. Though a real pity that he is so underappreciated.

Take Care Gentle Reader
Thank-you for Reading.

Stay Well Read

M.Mary