Amsterdam: Entimos Press, 1993. From a total edition of 1,000 copies. [54]pp. Signature-bound in oblong wraps, 11 x 5-1/2 in. Light toning and a few spots of soiling to wraps, else near fine. This copy from the library of New York School poet, librettist, and publisher Kenward Elmslie (1929-2022); calligraphically signed and inscribed to him on the dedication page: “To Kenward from your pseudonymous admirer Hakim Bey Naropa 1994.”
Presentation copy of this collection of poems extolling the beauty of boys by the 8th century Persian poet Abu Nuwas, as translated under his Hakim Bey pseudonym by anarchist writer and theorist Peter Lamborn Wilson (1945-2022), who also supplies a biographical essay. Though respected for his unique brand of mystical anarchism, and for his concept of Temporary Autonomous Zones, Wilson’s legacy is blighted by his insistent defense in such venues as the NAMBLA Bulletin on the virtues of paedophilic love - the present publication, one of his scarcest, being consonant with that problematic strain. A Naropa regular, Wilson presumably inscribed this copy to Elmslie in July 1994, when Elmslie was there to present, with collaborator Steven Taylor, excerpts from their recent musical play, Postcards on Parade.
