Work has recently begun on a series of volumes provisionally entitled The Selected Letters of Kenneth Grant. The expectation at this early stage is that the first volume will cover the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The letters will be arranged in date order showing the development and varied interests of Kenneth Grant.
When Kenneth Grant stayed with Crowley at 'Netherwood' in 1945, he wrote many letters to Steffi Grant. These letters have been preserved, and will be published for the first time in this first volume. There are also letters to Karl Germer from 1948 until 1956, and to other Thelemites such as Wilfred T. Smith, Carl Petersen, Frederick Mellinger, Friedrich Lekve, and later in the 1960s Mildred Burlingame and Israel Regardie.
Grant had a life-long interest in Eastern Mysticism, and during the 1950s became particularly interested in the work of such as Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Ma, and Pagal Haranath. He maintained a correspondence with fellow advaitins both here and abroad, such as Arthur Osborne, Mouni Sadhu and Paul Brunton. A close friend, Duff Mellis, returned to India in the mid 1950s but sadly died out there; Grant's correspondence with him is particularly insightful.
The letters to Spare from 1949 until 1956 are also included; though the bulk of these were published in Zos Speaks! which has been out of print for some years now, their publication here will be an opportunity to see them in the context of Grant's other interests and developments at the time. In the mid 1960s a publisher contracted to publish a book by Grant on Spare, with the eventual title 'The Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare'; unfortunately this never saw the light of day and the contract was cancelled in March 1968, and some of the letters from Grant to the publisher, describing the projected book as it develops, are here included.
The particular value of these letters is the light they throw on Grant's preoccupations and in particular how those preoccupations fed through into the Trilogies. As the period of this first volume draws to a close, Grant is writing 'Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God', a typescript that Muller suggested could form the basis of two books, the first of which was published as The Magical Revival.
I was hoping originally that this first volume would be published in Autumn this year, but now that I'm sourcing correspondence, and finding more than I was originally anticipating, it seems clear that publication sometime during 2018 is more realistic.
Thanks for the information. As someone who has repeatedly returned to the works of Kenneth Grant - often surprised by how much he learnt between my readings of the same volume (!) - I find this announcement very exciting.
Please keep us updated on developments. It'll be interesting and a rare opportunity to watch things develop. And do, please, let me know if I can offer any assistance.
Owner and Editor
LAShTAL
I wish people could have had the opportunity to get hold of the complete Zos Speaks!, if not in paperback, then at least in a digital format. It would have been a win win for everybody. It would guarantee a lower price, yet Fulgur would earn money on it. I'm sure they could partner up with amazon to reach out to an even greater numbers of readers.
Thanks Mick! Eagerly awaiting these volumes as well as the Achad letters!
Sure I will learn a lot.
Michael, I just learned about this interesting project. We are in 2018! Is there any possibility of being released later this year?
I'm planning to publish Volume 1 at the end of this year. At present it's my intention for this first volume to go to the end of 1969. However, there are a lot of extremely good and often lengthy letters during the first half of the 1950s, when KG was running the British Bramch of the O.T.O., corresponding with Germer, and - for a year or more from Summer 1952 - was immersed in Advaita Vedanta and corresponding with fellow Advaitins. Many of the letters in this period are extremely interesting - rivetting, in fact - and I wouldn't want to exclude any of these on the grounds of lack of space. Thus, depending on how many more archives I locate over the next few months, this first volume may run up to the end of 1959 instead.
There's a great deal of interest in this publication, and I'll update this thread from time to time, as well as create a page on the Starfire Publishing website.
Is there any clearer date yet as to when we can expect the first volume to appear?
Is there any clearer date yet as to when we can expect the first volume to appear?
I'm working with Autumn this year in mind for publication.
Thanks Michael, that is great news! I look forward to it appearing.
Work has recently begun on a series of volumes provisionally entitled The Selected Letters of Kenneth Grant. The expectation at this early stage is that the first volume will cover the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The letters will be arranged in date order showing the development and varied interests of Kenneth Grant.
When Kenneth Grant stayed with Crowley at 'Netherwood' in 1945, he wrote many letters to Steffi Grant. These letters have been preserved, and will be published for the first time in this first volume. There are also letters to Karl Germer from 1948 until 1956, and to other Thelemites such as Wilfred T. Smith, Carl Petersen, Frederick Mellinger, Friedrich Lekve, and later in the 1960s Mildred Burlingame and Israel Regardie.
Grant had a life-long interest in Eastern Mysticism, and during the 1950s became particularly interested in the work of such as Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Ma, and Pagal Haranath. He maintained a correspondence with fellow advaitins both here and abroad, such as Arthur Osborne, Mouni Sadhu and Paul Brunton. A close friend, Duff Mellis, returned to India in the mid 1950s but sadly died out there; Grant's correspondence with him is particularly insightful.
The letters to Spare from 1949 until 1956 are also included; though the bulk of these were published in Zos Speaks! which has been out of print for some years now, their publication here will be an opportunity to see them in the context of Grant's other interests and developments at the time. In the mid 1960s a publisher contracted to publish a book by Grant on Spare, with the eventual title 'The Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare'; unfortunately this never saw the light of day and the contract was cancelled in March 1968, and some of the letters from Grant to the publisher, describing the projected book as it develops, are here included.
The particular value of these letters is the light they throw on Grant's preoccupations and in particular how those preoccupations fed through into the Trilogies. As the period of this first volume draws to a close, Grant is writing 'Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God', a typescript that Muller suggested could form the basis of two books, the first of which was published as The Magical Revival.
I was hoping originally that this first volume would be published in Autumn this year, but now that I'm sourcing correspondence, and finding more than I was originally anticipating, it seems clear that publication sometime during 2018 is more realistic.
Digging through the archives, I found this. This was originally posted in 2017. It is now 2023. Any idea when this book will be finalized and published? It would be a must for the scholars of Thelemic history.
That's all well and good. But bottom line, We ALL are going to wind-up in the dustbin of history. All this Grant jazz, although interesting, will go the way of all perishable things.
Yes, six years is a hiatus of somewhat disconcerting proportions, but I had to fight my way out of the dustbin of history.
Having dusted myself down, I resumed work on the letters at the beginning of this year, and anticipate the first volume being published at its end. The planned series of volumes is primarily for those interested in Kenneth Grant's work, though likely there will be plenty there to interest "scholars of Thelemic history" – enough to keep them off the streets for a while and away from decent folk.
This first volume will go up to the mid 1950s, probably 1954. I had originally planned for the end of 1969, but on reflection I'd rather avoid having a book as large as The Ninth Arch or The Incoming of the Aeon of Maat because such a size borders on the unwieldly.
More on the contents as the book is prepared for publication.
@the_real_simon_iff The great ones are always quoted, or should I say parodied? "Hey, you, get off my cloud."
Yes, six years is a hiatus of somewhat disconcerting proportions, but I had to fight my way out of the dustbin of history.
Yeah, that dustbin will get you every time! As a erudite scholar of Thelema myself, I wait with bated breath for the publication.
@michael-staley Forgive me, I'm way off-topic here, but I felt this needed to be said, and I feel it's important to me.
First, I'm not of the opinion that I am the reincarnation of anybody -- and if I am a magical child of anyone, I'm an aborted one.
I am so, so very sorry that I made all those idiotic remarks in all those posts on this forum, I have no idea what possessed me to be so stupid, but I suppose religion was probably at the root of it. I am not religious any longer, and I see how really stupid and wrong I was at every point because of it.
I recently suffered a stroke, and it really brought me great clarity. I realize what an idiot I was, and wish to make a great apology to you, sir. I know that I do not deserve it, but I really heartfully mean it.
Cheers!
Aleisterion
six years is a hiatus of somewhat disconcerting proportions, but I had to fight my way out of the dustbin of history.
I resumed work on the letters at the beginning of this year, and anticipate the first volume being published at its end
Kenneth's work is inexhaustible and we have plenty to keep us occupied while this volume is in preparation. But I AM looking forward to it very much! Kenneth clearly distilled much wisdom and vision in his correspondences, the collection of which, I suspect, will comprise its own literary masterwork.
I recently suffered a stroke, and it really brought me great clarity.
I hope you are well on the mend, Aleisterion! When you write:
I am so, so very sorry that I made all those idiotic remarks in all those posts on this forum
I can only think of my own warped and polarized points of view-and the gusto with which I have expressed them. And yet, they were rungs on a great ladder we were climbing. Maybe we grabbed them as a cherished prize...but we eventually pulled ourselves up and kicked our feet off of them. We live and learn. If we do it enough, we expect more "living and learning" to follow! But this also becomes more of a joyful thing as opposed to being knocked down a peg and "taught a lesson."
Perhaps the Adept is really a person who has learned to be a highly functional and effective Student!
I hope you are well on the mend, Aleisterion!
Thanks so much, Kidneyhawk! I've always appreciated your keen insight and unique expression, not to mention your artwork. The stroke devastated the right half of my brain, as a consequence of years of high blood pressure combined with a really extreme bout with flu last winter. Yet here I remain, stubbornly refusing to die against all odds. Medications have failed me until now, and I am improving at this point! (Yay!)
We live and learn. If we do it enough, we expect more "living and learning" to follow! But this also becomes more of a joyful thing as opposed to being knocked down a peg and "taught a lesson."
So very true!! But even in these difficult times, I am finding far more joy, contentment, gratification, and enlightenment, than ever before.
What happens to our physical forms as we are hurled through space attached to this madly spinning chunk of rock, I think, matters not so much; I'm more interested in the experiences I can have, and how they can propel me to ever greater understanding, wisdom and clarity.
93 brother!
all the best to thee!
777
I am finding far more joy, contentment, gratification, and enlightenment, than ever before.
Kali Yuga, though dreadful and dark, offers an unique opportunity for spiritual advancement. That is, it is easier to get out when the matrix turns black.
Many thanks for your post, Aleisterion. There's no need to apologise. We may have clashed from time to time in earlier years, but I think we developed a mutual respect over the years and that is how I feel about you.
I was sorry to hear about your stroke, and hope very much that you are in recovery. My warmth and very best wishes to you.
I am so happy for your words, kind sir. I have the highest respect for you; and I've admired Kenneth Grant since the '70s. You have warmed my heart, and for that I do thank you.
At first I had to be hospitalized, after suffering a myocardial infarction a few days following the stroke. I am recovering very well now, however. I am home now and reacting well to the medicines, and everything looks promising to the doctors.
Cheers!
777