The mythological, folkloric, and religious beliefs of Western culture have resulted in a long and ongoing history of esoteric themes in theatre from the Middle Ages to the present in Spain and the America. Now Robert Lima, a noted comparatist, brings to bear on this material his wide knowledge of the world of the occult. Lima defines the terms "occult" and "occultism" broadly to embrace the many ways in which humans have sought to fathom a secret knowledge held to be accessible only through such supernatural agencies as alchemy, angelology, asceticism, astrology, demonolatry, divination, ecstasy, magic, necromancy, possession, Santeria, séances, voudoun, and witchcraft. The dramatic works covered range from medieval materializations of Hell to the Golden Age plays of Lope de vega, Tirso de Molina, and Calderón de la Barca, to modern stage works by Valle-Inclán, García Lorca, Casona, Miras, and a number of significant Afro-Brazilian and Caribbean dramatists. The concluding comprehensive bibliography of the drama of the occult is invaluable.

Dark Prisms: Occultism in Hispanic Drama (Studies in Romance Languages)

Lima, Robert

Religion & Spirituality

University Press of Kentucky

<p>"The evil that men do" has been chronicled for thousands of years on the European stage, and perhaps nowhere else is human fear of our own evil more detailed than in its personifications in theater. Early writers used theater to communicate human experiences and to display reverence for the gods governing daily life. Playwrights from Euripides onward sought inspiration from this interplay between the worldly and the occult, using human belief in the divine to govern characters' actions within a dramatic arena. The constant adherence to the supernatural, despite changing religious ideologies over the centuries, testifies to a deep and continuing belief in the ability of a higher power to interfere in human life. Stages of Evil is the first book to examine the representation and relationship of evil and the occult from the prehistoric origins of drama through to the present day. Drawing on examples of magic, astronomy, demonology, possession, exorcism, fairies, vampires, witchcraft, hauntings, and voodoo, author Robert Lima explores how theater shaped American and European perceptions of the occult and how the dramatic works studied here reflect society back upon itself at different points in history. From representations of Dionysian rites in ancient Greece, to the Mouth of Hell in the Middle Ages, to the mystical cabalistic life of the Hasidic Jews, to the witchcraft and magic of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, Lima traces the recurrence of supernatural motifs in pivotal plays and performance works of the Western tradition. Considering numerous myths and cultural artifacts, such as the "wild man," he describes the evolution and continual representation of supernatural archetypes on the modern stage. He also discusses the sociohistorical implications of Christian and pagan representations of evil and the theatrical creativity that occultism has engendered. Delving into his own theatrical, literary, folkloric, and travel experiences to enhance his observations, Lima assays the complex world of occultism and examines diverse works of Western theater and drama. A unique and comprehensive bibliography of European and American plays concludes the study and facilitates further research into the realm of the social and literary impact of the occult.</p>

Stages of Evil: Occultism in Western Theater and Drama (Studies In Romance Languages)

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

Dark Prisms: Occultism in Hispanic Drama (Studies In Romance Languages)

Valle-Inclan: The Theatre of His Life

History & Criticism

University of Missouri Press

A unique account by a great mystical poet of his search to realize Beauty, Truth, and Goodness in his life and in his art.

The Lamp of Marvels (English and Spanish Edition)

Valle-Inclán, Ramón Del

Lindisfarne Press

<p>THE RITES OF STONE presents the award-winning poet's perspective on the archaeological sites of the Andes and Rapa Nui that he has visited. A prose introduction places these trajectories in perspective, giving incisive comments on the temples, statuary, fortresses, towers, cities and other structures erected by the pre-Hispanic peoples of Perú and Bolivia. The Andean poems are followed by those dealing with the massive Moai of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island.</p>

The Rites of Stone

Poetry

Orlando Press

S E L F

Robert Lima

Prominent people I've met over my career are featured in anecdotes, photos and letters that reflect our encounters. Among these individuals are famed artists (Dalí, Leonora Carrington), writers (Barth, Borges, Jorge Amado, Mario Vargas Llosa), musicians (Segovia), poets (Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Denise Levertov), sports figures (Ron Delany), critics (William Empson, Sir Walter Starkie), religious (Mother Teresa), among many others.

¡SOME PEOPLE! Anecdotes, Images and Letters of Persons of Interest

Biographies & Memoirs

Memoirs

Tracking the Minotaur: Poems

1st Book Library

The Pointing Bone

Xlibris

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Books by Lima, Robert