Dark Star: The Satanic Rites Of Gilles de Rais
Georges Bataille & others…
Creation Books
Scribbled by LM Campbell
The greatest literary perverts of the ages reside almost exclusively in France; from DeSade and Genet to Apollinaire and Aragon, their input contains historical value in both interpretation and inspiration.
Although Gilles De Rais did not write anything of substance, his actions inspired a million pages and inflamed the libido of every transgressive writer of froggish descent. History dictates that Gilles De Rais fought alongside Joan Of Arc and her army of god; he was a nobleman of the highest regard whose generosity was matched only by the obscenity of his later deeds. An avalanche of debt combined with typical plutocratic financial politicking crippled De Rais’ estate, so he did what any sane, logical philanthropist of the time would do: he began raping, mutilating, torturing and inevitably sacrificing to Satan every young boy he could get his hands on.
During his Satanic reign in search of riches De Rais did much more than a yearly sacrifice on the autumn equinox, he killed over 800 boys in three years; that averages to one boy every three days! However, Dark Star is as much about De Rais as it is about the people who write of him or because of him. Reverence, empathy, jealousy, disgust: the gamut of human emotion is evinced by all who learn of his madness; many of the writers covet his perverse ways, while fewer condemn his actions, wishing more to understand him than lambaste him. The previously mentioned DeSade and Genet unveil their attraction to the deeds of De Rais alongside contemporary writers James Havoc, Valentine Penrose and many others. Interpretations of his actions are either clinical, somber, lyrical and/or rapturous and convey a sense that De Rais was either a pawn of the alchemists he commissioned, or that because of him a small portion of Hell opened up wherever he went.
Dark Star is brimming with texts straining to glimpse the madness that overtook the once noble man by poring over his obsessions, but by doing so they end up taking something of him with them; and regardless of who you are, his deeds will forever be branded upon your conscience.
