Spring 2024 Book Launch!
We’re proud to present the next round of Mercurius books!
Mercurius’s Future World(s) is an anthology of essays that look beyond nihilistic neoliberalism.
Mercurius No. 2: Local Nature Devas is a selection of texts and images from the Poetry of Life, Society, Transitions, and Images sections of the website.
Prescribee
Some poems from Chia-Lun Chang’s prize winning Prescribee
Speaking in Tongues
The moment an Englishman opens his mouth, another Englishman despises him… An essay on how dialect-bias pervades the UK’s social hierarchy and what growing up with the “wrong” accent can mean.
Thank you but how am I free?
I am a free and full of hope.
Although.
Walk in the Dark
An essay on walking at night through London, a city that has always been loved by nocturnal ramblers and insomniacs, of which Dickens is only the most famous.
Beachcombing
These prose poems express the mess of hope, fear, memory, longing and, above all, uncertainty that’s left behind when the desiccated three-word slogan of our brave new soundbite world has been tossed away.
Beneath the Pavement
Ever since I was a teenager, friends and family and teachers and civil servants have told me that I think too much. I overthink, they all said, which made me think. People have used other terms to describe my condition – several doctors, for example, have called it anxiety.
Life, Love & Gay Inhibitions In The Noughties
I suppose I'm an old romantic at heart. Even though I should know better, I still adhere to the old school notion of 'true love'. I tried deeply to dismiss it - telling myself it was all too complicated and that I couldn't possibly put my body through the angst that comes with it. It didn't work.
Paths
This poem originated with a brutal relationship that tore at my soul. We have all been there; ravaged by a storm called love. My self-esteem was battered but I still clung on to the one who was drowning me.
A Knife in the Face
Cai Draper flows seamlessly between prose and poetry to recount his days as a kitchen worker. The anger, the stress, the pressure, the long hours and the occasional threats of horrendous violence all laid bare.
No Rent In Heaven
A piece of experimental nonfiction prose
On Bladee’s Mallwhore Freestyle
Alex Mazey uses an analysis of the Swedish rapper Bladee as a launchpad for concerns about consumerism, with references to Mark Fisher, Jean Baudrillard, George Ritzer and Jean-Francois Lyotard
Reflections on Editing
AGNI and Arrowsmith Press’s founder, Askold Melnyczuk, reflects on a life-time as an editor, revisiting the friendships and experiences that helped shaped his literary awareness.
Scavenger Love
In this age of unprecedented pet ownership, Deborah Thompson reflects on the mysterious origins of humanity’s oldest friend. This charming essay comes from her book Pretzel, Houdini & Olive (Red Hen Press).
As You Were
When he learns his father is dying, David Tromblay ponders what will become of the monster’s legacy and picks up a pen to set the story straight. As You Were (Dzanc Books) is the result.
Essays on a Traumatized America
Sebastian Matthews’ memoir in essays Beyond Repair: Living in a Fractured State (Red Hen Press) explores a traumatized America through his encounters with friends and strangers. Mercurius is delighted to share two essays from the collection.
Tales from Dublin Pubs: The Chancery Inn (O'Reilly Bros) of Inns Quay
On a good day this seemingly foreboding haunt is in fact a source of warmth and welcome. A rare quayside pub with a bleak band of militant raw-boned smoking sentinels offering up plumes of smoke and gawking ever downward, perhaps contemplating Plato, perhaps counting cigarette butts, who’s to know?
US Election Special: An Emotional Response to Donald Trump
Existence, Trump reminds us, can be dark and meaningless indeed. How should one respond emotionally?
Tales from Dublin Pubs: Corrigan's Mount Pleasant Inn of Lower Mount Pleasant Avenue
The pub was formerly under the management of a certain Mr. Barry Cotter, a social climber with six houses and Scrooge-like tendencies. Staff of those days included two doddery gents of a ripening vintage, kindly Robbie with a baritone voice that was made for the radio, and nasty Ciaran who cultivated many grudges and lived with his mother.
Tales from Dublin Pubs: Grace's of Rathgar Road
Our first visit was spoiled by the sight of a drunken sot blatantly pissing himself while standing watching the horses, oblivious to the dark and disgusting stain spreading across his grubby pants. Subsequent visits proved more amenable and it has since come to be regarded as an especial favourite, even a gem.
The never-ending quest…
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