Novels
- The Arabian Nightmare (1983)
- The Limits of Vision (1986)
- The Mysteries of Algiers (1988)
- Exquisite Corpse (1994)
- Prayer-Cushions of the Flesh (1997)
- Satan Wants Me (1999)
- Wonders Will Never Cease (2016)
- My Life is Like a Fairy Tale (2019)
- The Runes Have Been Cast (2021)
Anthologies edited
- Night and Horses and the Desert (1999)
Non fiction
Novels Book Covers
Anthologies edited Book Covers
Non fiction Book Covers
Robert Irwin Books Overview
The Arabian Nightmare
The hero and guiding force of this epic fantasy is an insomniac young man who, unable to sleep, guides the reader through the narrow streets of Cairo a mysterious city full of deceit and trickery. He narrates a complex tangle of dreams and imaginings that describe an atmosphere constantly shifting between sumptuously learned orientalism, erotic adventure, and dry humor. The result is a thought provoking puzzle box of sex, philosophy, and theology. Reminiscent of Italo Calvino, and Umberto Eco, this cult classic is finally back in print! ‘The Arabian Nightmare is a conceit worthy of Borges.’ The New York Times ‘Deft and lovely…
the smooth steely grip of Irwin’s story telling genius is a joy to read.’ The Washington Post
The Limits of Vision
Finally available again in the United States, The Limits of Vision is Robert Irwin’s irrepressibly entertaining and imaginative novel about a young housewife named Marcia and the war she wages against dirt. Set over the course of a single day as Marcia goes about her quotidian activities having the girls over for coffee, tidying the house, making dinner it becomes increasingly clear that her sanity is unraveling at an alarming rate. Irwin is at his creative best here, as he describes Marcia’s conversations with Mucor, the ‘mouthpiece for the Dirt, the Empire of Decay and Ruin, the Principle of Evil,’ as well as such scientists and artists of the past as William Blake, Charles Dickens, Leonardo da Vinci, and Charles Darwin.
The Mysteries of Algiers
On one level this is a political thriller set in Algiers in 1959. The French know that they are going to lose control of the territory and are resorting to torture to hold their ground. On another level it is a study of the complex psychology of a traitor and the inevitable failure of imperalism.
Exquisite Corpse
Caspar is a mildly promising surrealist painter living in 1930s London, who secretly longs for the ordinary. He meets Caroline who seems ordinary enough until she vanishes. Caspar’s obsessive quest to find her leads him into a more surreal landscape than any he could imagine. The dazzling interplay of fiction and fact within fiction is at the heart of this wondrous work of imagination from one of the most intriguing writers at work today.
Prayer-Cushions of the Flesh
Finally published in the United States, Robert Irwin’s gripping fantasy tale of sensuality and ancient Arabian culture takes readers on a kaleidoscopic ride of deception, temptation, and greed. The virginal hero of the tale, Prince Orkhan, escapes from The Cage of the Imperial Harem, in which the sons of the sultan are imprisoned, and finds himself hailed by the Harem’s concubines as their new Sultan. He is immediately caught up in the excesses and perversions of the Harem. But evil flourishes in a bed of boredom and, after allowing the Viper to drink at the Tavern of the Perfume Makers, Orkhan enters a maze of complicated relationships, all orchestrated by the devotees of the Prayer Cushion movement. Temptation, seduction, story telling, and magic are used to lure the Sultan towards a climax which is designed to be both ecstatic and fatal. Prayer Cushions of the Flesh is a masterful blend of historical fact, dark humor, and robust fantasy. The tale features sex with men, women, fairies, and alligators there is something here to titillate every desire, and a wonderful story to boot.
Satan Wants Me
The summer of 1967 the summer of ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, ‘Mellow Yellow’ and ‘Sgt Pepper’. Peter is into path working meditations, backwards causation, easy sex and drugs. There is acid on the streets and darker things are on the move.
Night and Horses and the Desert
Spanning the fifth to sixteenth centuries and societies that range from Afghanistan to Spain, this anthology is a testament to the astonishing grandeur and variety of classical Arabic literature. Here are excerpts from dozens of works both renowned The Qur an, The Thousand and One Nights and esoteric Ibn Washshiyya’s Book of Poisons ; a 10th century poem in praise of asparagus all accompanied by Robert Irwin s erudite commentaries that illuminate readers on the vanished world in which they were written. In Night & Horses & the Desert we encounter the dashing Byronic poetry of Imru al Qays and a treatise on bibliomania by Al Jahiz, possibly the only writer to have been killed by books. There s a sorcerer s manual from 11th century Spain and an allegory by the mysterious Brethren of Purity, in which animals argue their case against humanity. Encompassing piety and profanity, fables and philosophy, this volume is a thrilling and invaluabe introduction to one of the world s great bodies of literature.
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