In the Realms of the Unreal: Insane Writings

By John G. Oakes

Book Overview

"Demanding but mind expanding . . . A fascinating study of language's slippery relation to reality."--Publishers Weekly

A selection of prose and poetry written by those whom society has deemed mentally unbalanced, In the Realms of the Unreal is an international compilation involving the active participation of individuals and institutions in the U.S., Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France. This anthology is meant to be a window on alternative ways of seeing, a beginner's guide to what the "insane" can offer those of us with more conventional outlooks.

Introduced by Kurt Vonnegut and with a foreword by the editor, In the Realms of the Unreal contains more than three hundred works--including short essays, poems, and stories--by nearly one hundred individuals. Most of the contributors to the anthology have never before been published, and currently are institutionalized.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0941423573
• ISBN13: 9780941423571
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant insanity

Glimpses into the mind and souls of schizophrenics, who try and explain their realities through poetry. The absolute honesty of their position is startling, many of them stand firmly in their beliefs, while others do not know what is real and what is not. Some of the insanity starts to make sense as the reader is drawn into the thoughts of the authors.