Here are five decadent things worth sharing:
grotesquerie (noun)
grō-ˈte-skə-rē
: something that is grotesque: fanciful, bizarre, or incongruous. Something departing markedly from the natural, the expected, or the typical. Example sentence: Born Joseph Merrick, the so-called Elephant Man was exhibited as a sideshow grotesquerie.Contes cruels (cruel tales) are stories that focus on the dark side of human behavior—on aberrant bodies and their sinister schemes. They take their name from Decadent author Villiers de l’Isle-Adam’s collection of short stories Contes Cruels (1883). This story genre often has an ironic or twist ending, and can be supernatural or even horrific, sharing aspects of Grand Guignol. Authors who have written contes cruels include Barbey d’Aurevilly (1808–89), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49), Octave Mirbeau (1848–1917), Guy de Maupassant (1850–93), Charles Birkin (1907–85), Patricia Highsmith (1927–95), Brian Stableford (1948–2024), and Brendan Connell (born 1970).
Prolific translator Brian Stableford (1948–2024) was a towering Decadent Movement scholar. He described himself as “a confirmed antiquarian… I’ve always had a particular interest in French imaginative fiction….” See Dedalus, Black Coat Press, and Snuggly Books for his many books on fin-de-siecle literature (such as The Dedalus Book of Decadence and Decadence & Symbolism), as well as his own science-fiction. He is missed.
Founded in 2013, Snuggly Books specializes in Decadent, Occult, and Neo-Decadent fiction and poetry. Besides publishing Brian Stableford and Brendan Connell (mentioned above), the company has published many books by Decadents Jean Lorrain (1855–1906) and Jane de la Vaudère (1857–1908), as well as supernatural author Quentin S. Crisp (born 1972). “Snuggly aims to increase Anglosphere awareness of previously neglected stylistic directions and underexposed authors who, however influential in their own time, have not received the attention they deserve,” according to Publishers Global.
“In the Midst of Flowers,” Writer Jane de La Vaudère on her property in Parigné-l'Évêque. ©Jane de La Vaudère, 1906. Dealer in grotesqueries Paxton Gate has been providing San Franciscans with ethically sourced rare insects, taxidermy, bizarre plants, and oddities since 1992. A sister store has opened in Portland.
The natural curiosities of Paxton Gate, a store in the Mission District of San Francisco 
Paxton Gate in the Nob Hill neighborhood in Portland, Oregon Thank you for reading!
Grotesquely,
Rachilde & Co.
