Songs of A Dead Dreamer

Songs of a Dead Dreamer is a 1986 short story collection by horror fiction writer Thomas Ligotti. It has been acknowledged as one of the seminal collections of modern weird horror fiction by peers such as Ramsey Campbell. Many of its stories show the influence of Ligotti's literary idols of horror such as H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.

The first edition of Ligotti's book was produced in paperback by Silver Scarab Press, limited to 300 copies. It was re-released in an expanded and revised edition in 1989 by Carroll and Graf. Both editions of the book contain an introduction by Ramsey Campbell. In 2010, Subterranean Press republished the book, with author revisions, making it the definitive edition.

The serial killer story "The Frolic" was filmed in 2007 directed by Jacob Cooney, based on a screenplay co-authored by Brandon Trenz and Ligotti. Wonder Entertainment has released The Frolic Collector's Edition DVD and Book set, which contains the short film adaptation of the story, and also commentary tracks and behind-the-scenes by director Jacob Cooney, producer Jane Kelly Kosek, and actor Maury Sterling; a new interview with screenwriters Thomas Ligotti and Brandon Trenz; a newly revised version of the short story, with a new introduction by Thomas Ligotti; and the screenplay, with a new introduction by Brandon Trenz. Only 1,000 copies of the collector's edition were released. The book containing the revised text of "The Frolic," was exclusive to this set.

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Famous quotes containing the words songs of, songs, dead and/or dreamer:

    O past! O happy life! O songs of joy!
    In the air, in the woods, over fields,
    Loved! loved! loved! loved! loved!
    But my mate no more, no more with me!
    We two together no more.
    Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

    What wondrous love is this
    That caused the Lord of bliss
    To bear the dreadful curse for my soul
    —Unknown. “What Wondrous Love is this!” L. 3-5, Dupuy’s Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1811)

    I say that the dead are slaying the living.
    Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)

    Dream is not a revelation. If a dream affords the dreamer some light on himself, it is not the person with closed eyes who makes the discovery but the person with open eyes lucid enough to fit thoughts together. Dream—a scintillating mirage surrounded by shadows—is essentially poetry.
    Michel Leiris (1901–1990)