Book #77

The Skeleton's Holiday by Leonora Carrington

'Ring for your maid, and when she comes in we'll pounce upon her and tear off her face. I'll wear her face tonight instead of mine.'

These dreamlike, carnivalesque fables by one of the leading lights of the Surrealist movement are masterpieces of invention and Grand Guignol humour.

I loved these bizarre and ridiculous stories. Having no experience of Carrington, I wasn’t sure what I was going into, and I’m still not sure what I’ve come out from. But the level of macabre here has spoken to me, and despite making no sense, the stories were utterly delightful.

From carnivorous rabbits to fighting vegetables, hyenas wearing human faces to flannel knickers, each of these had an exquisite dark humour with a playful and cheeky creepiness, whilst threatening danger at every moment.

I’ll be exploring Carrington in more depth in future - what a brilliant mind.