Black Magic

A rediscovered gothic classic with a groundbreaking, gender-nonconforming protagonist at its heart. ''I do not sin,'' he smiled. ''I am Sin'' In a quiet medieval city, alone in his shadowy chambers, Dirk Renswoude worships the devil. Then the wind brings the young scholar Theirry to his door. Could this beautiful man share his dark obsession? Under a hushed midnight sky, the pair swear themselves to the black arts, and to one another. Yet Dirk shies away at the slightest touch. He will not discuss his past. As the duo hex their way across moonlit woodlands and learned cities, it becomes clear that Dirk will stop at nothing to live the life he desires, while concealing one precious secret. First published in 1909, Black Magic is the remarkable rediscovered tale of a gender-nonconforming rebel. ''A subtle and complex thriller...Just don''t give away its secret'' Washington Post The Vintage Classics Weird Girls series: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of weird fiction with nine books by nine pioneering female authors.

Autorentext

Marjorie Bowen, born in 1885 as Margaret Gabrielle Vere Campbell, was a prolific British author, writing novels across the horror, romance and historical fiction genres, alongside essays and biographies. Widely celebrated in her day, with admirers including Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle and Graham Greene, Bowen published her bestselling first novel, The Viper of Milan (1906), at twentyone years old, and went on to publish Black Magic (1909) at twenty-four years old. Supporting herself and her three sons by her pen, Bowen wrote over 150 books under various pseudonyms through the course of her life. Bowen died in 1952.