Customer Reviews

The Shit of God: The Texts of Diamanda Galás (High Risk Books)

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A collection of writings culled from Diamanda's performance texts and notes, the works comprising this book read well as poems and prose pieces, and give readers valuable insight into Galas's message and methods of composition. The words lose none of their power when relocated to the page from Galas' vocal projection. Galas, as studied a theologian as any produced by the clergy, here turns the Fundamentalist perspective on Chirstianity on its head; she utilizes the Bible as a springboard for her meditations on the right of the afflicted (particularly People With AIDS and the insane) to compassion and the immunity of the diseased from judgement by man. Ultimately, she creates a new vehicle of empowerment for the heretofore "victimized." Aligning herself with the condemned, the castigated and the demonized, she emerges as the avatar of the Holy, seen robed in the filth of the Rebel by the warped visions of the hypocrite evangelist. Known until now as "The Voice," Diamanda Galas here proves herself just as moving and effective in her role as "The Writer."

This book is of very good quality, hard back, and white pages. It's got some nice black and white pictures of Diamanda in it, but in my opinion, it could have been a few more. It's nice to have all the lyrics, however, there are no lyrics for her album "The Sporting Life" and several passages from "Plague Mass" are missing. But the texts for "Vena Cava" are absolutley funny!