четвртак, 21. јануар 2016.

Clive Barker Author, film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, playwright, painter, illustratorand visual artist of Horror,and fantasy

Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English writer, film director, andvisual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories known as the Books of Blood which established him as a leading young horror writer. He has since written many novels and other works, and his fiction has been adapted into films, notably the Hellraiser and Candyman series. He was the Executive Producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Barker's paintings and illustrations have been featured in galleries in the United States, as well as within his own books. He has also created original characters and series for comic books, and some of his more popular horror stories have been adapted to the medium.
His archives have been a source of material for biographies and non-fiction books containing his personal essays, discussions of his fringe theater work, interviews, and other content.

Early life[edit]

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, the son of Joan Ruby (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm.[1][2] He was educated at Dovedale Primary School, Quarry Bank High School and the University of Liverpool, where he studied English and Philosophy.
When he was four years old, Barker witnessed the French skydiver Léo Valentin plummet to his death during a performance at an air show in Liverpool. Barker would later allude to Valentin in many of his stories.[3]

Writing career[edit]

Barker is an author of contemporary horror/fantasy. He began writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6) and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991), and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker's distinctive style is characterised by the notion of hidden fantastical worlds coexisting with our own, the role of sexuality in the supernatural, and the construction of coherent, complex and detailed universes. Barker has referred to this style as "dark fantasy" or the "fantastique". His stories are notable for a deliberate blurring of the distinction between binary opposites such as Hell and Heaven, or pleasure and pain (the latter particularly so in The Hellbound Heart).
When the Books of Blood were first published in the United States in paperback, Stephen King was quoted on the book covers: "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker."[4] As influences on his writing, Barker lists Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, William S. Burroughs, William Blake and Jean Cocteau, among others.[5]
He is also the writer of the best-selling Abarat series, and plans on producing two more novels in the series.[6]
Barker's basic philosophy and approach are revealed in his foreword to H.R. Giger's illustrated work, Necronomicon (1993 edition).

Film work[edit]

Barker has a keen interest in film production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (a.k.a. Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou.[7] Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early films, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art films with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (1990), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions (1995). A short story titled "The Forbidden", from Barker'sBooks of Blood, provided the basis for the 1992 film Candyman and its two sequels (whereof he was also producer of the two first). Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters (1998), which received major critical acclaim. He had been working on a series of film adaptations of his The Abarat Quintet books under Disney's management, but has admitted that because of creative differences, this project will not go ahead. In 2005, Barker created the film production company Midnight Picture Show together with horror film producer Jorge Saralegui, with the intent of producing two horror films per year.[8] Since then, the company has produced four films: The Plague (2006), The Midnight Meat Train (2008), Book of Blood (2009) and Dread (2009).[9]
In October 2006, Barker announced through his official website that he will be writing the script to a forthcoming remake of the original Hellraiser film.[10][11] He is also developing a film based on his Tortured Souls line of toys from McFarlane Toys.

Visual art[edit]

Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early '90s; on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996); and on the second printing of the original Britishpublications of his Books of Blood series. Barker also provided the artwork for his young adult novel The Thief of Alwaysand for the Abarat series. His artwork has been exhibited at Bert Green Fine Art in Los Angeles and Chicago, at the Bess Cutler Gallery in New York and La Luz De Jesus in Los Angeles. Many of his sketches and paintings can be found in the collection Clive Barker, Illustrator, published in 1990 by Arcane/Eclipse Books, and in Visions of Heaven and Hell, published in 2005 by Rizzoli Books. The most complete selection of Clive Barker's paintings and drawings are available to view in a gallery setting on the website.
He worked on the creative side of a horror video game, Clive Barker's Undying, providing the voice for the character Ambrose. Undying was developed by DreamWorks Interactive and released in 2001. He also worked on Clive Barker's Jericho for Codemasters, which was released in late 2007.
Barker created Halloween costume designs for Disguise Costumes.[12][13]

Comic books[edit]

A long-term comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid (written first by James Robinson, then by futureMatrix co-creator Lana Wachowski, with art by Steve Skroce), Hokum & Hex (written by Frank Lovece, art by Anthony Williams), Hyperkind (written by Fred Burke, art by Paris Cullins and Bob Petrecca) and Saint Sinner (written by Elaine Lee, art by Max Douglas). A 2002 Barker telefilm titled Saint Sinner bore no relation to the comic.
Barker horror adaptations and spinoffs in comics include the Marvel/Epic Comics series Hellraiser, Nightbreed, Pinhead,The Harrowers, Book of the Damned, and Jihad; Eclipse Books' series and graphic novels Tapping The Vein, Dread, Son of Celluloid, Revelations The Life of Death, Rawhead Rex and The Yattering and Jack, and Dark Horse Comics' Primal, among others. Barker served as a consultant and wrote issues of the Hellraiser anthology comic book.
In 2005, IDW published a three-issue adaptation of Barker's children's fantasy novel The Thief of Always, written and painted by Kris Oprisko and Gabriel Hernandez. IDW is publishing a 12 issue adaptation of Barker's novel The Great and Secret Show.
In December 2007, Chris Ryall and Clive Barker announced an upcoming collaboration of an original comic book series,Torakator, to be published by IDW.[14]
In October 2009, IDW published Seduth (Written by Clive Barker and Chris Monfette; art by Gabriel Rodriguez; colours by Jay Fotos; letters by Neil Uyetake; edits by Chris Ryall; and 3-D conversion by Ray Zone), the first time Barker has created a world specifically for the comic book medium in two decades. The work was released with three variant covers; cover a featuring art by Gabriel Rodriguez and cover b with art by Clive Barker and the third is a "retailer incentive signed edition cover" with art by Clive Barker.[15]
In 2011, Boom! Studios began publishing an original Hellraiser comic book series. The comic book picks up 2 decades after the events of Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and from there, builds its own mythology. The book has several credited writers: Chris Monfette, Anthony Diblasi, Mark Miller and most recently Witch Doctor creator Brandon Seifert. The series is ongoing and has just celebrated its second anniversary in print.
In 2013, Boom! Studios announced the first original story by Barker to be published in comic book format: Next Testament. The story concerns a man named Julian Demond who unearths the God of the Old Testament and discovers that he has bitten off more than he can chew. The series is co-written by Seraphim Films Vice President Mark Miller.

Bibliography[edit]

Novels[edit]

Collections[edit]

  • (1984–1985) Books of Blood
  • (1985) The Inhuman Condition
  • (1986) In The Flesh
  • (2000) The Essential Clive Barker: Selected Fiction
(2015) Tonight, Again: Tales of Love, Lust and Everything In Between.

Others[edit]

Filmography[edit]

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriter
1973Salome
No
1978The Forbidden
No
1985Underworld
No
1986Rawhead Rex
No
1987Hellraiser
No
No
1988Hellbound: Hellraiser II
No
1990Nightbreed
No
No
1992Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
No
Candyman
No
No
1995Lord of Illusions
No
No
No
1996Hellraiser: Bloodline
No
1998Gods and Monsters
No
2006The Plague
No
2008The Midnight Meat Train
No
No
2009Book of Blood
No
Dread
No
TBAHellraiser
No
No
No
TBATortured Souls: Animae Damnatae
No
No
TBABorn
No

Video games[edit]

Personal life[edit]

In 2003, Barker received the Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards.[16] Barker has been critical of organised religion throughout his career, but he has stated that the Bible influences his work and spirituality.[17] In 2003, Barker remarked "I am, [a Christian]" during an episode of Real Time With Bill Maher when Ann Coulter implied he was not a Christian.[18]
Barker said in a December 2008 online interview (published in March 2009) that he had polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars.[19]

Relationships[edit]

In a 20 August 1996 appearance on the radio call-in show Loveline, Barker stated that during his teens he had several relationships with older women, and came to identify himself as homosexual by 18 or 19 years old.[20] Barker has been openly gay since the early 1990s.[21] His relationship with John Gregson lasted from 1975 until 1986. It was during this period, with the support that Gregson provided, that Barker was able to write the Books of Blood series and The Damnation Game.
He later spent thirteen years with photographer (Emilian) David Armstrong, described as his husband in the introduction toColdheart Canyon; they separated in 2009.[22]
Barker currently lives in Beverly Hills with his partner of six years, Johnny Ray Raymond Jr. As of 2015, he is also a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.

Critical studies of Clive Barker's work[edit]

  • Suzanne J. Barbieri, Clive Barker : Mythmaker for the Millennium. Stockport:British Fantasy Society, 1994, ISBN 0952415305.
  • Gary Hoppenstand, Clive Barker's short stories : imagination as metaphor in the Books of blood and other works. (With a foreword by Clive Barker). Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 1994, ISBN 0899509843.
  • Linda Bradley, Writing Horror and The Body : the fiction of Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Anne Rice. London : Greenwood Press, 1996, ISBN 0313297169.
  • Chris Morgan, "Barker, Clive", in David Pringle, ed., St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers. London: St. James Press, 1998, ISBN 1558622063
  • S. T. Joshi The Modern Weird Tale Jefferson, N.C. ; London : McFarland, 2001, ISBN 078640986X.
  • K. A. Laity, "Clive Barker" in: Richard Bleiler, ed. Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror. New York: Thomson/Gale, 2003, ISBN 0684312506.
  • Edwin F. Casebeer, "Clive Barker (1952- )" in: Darren Harris-Fain (ed.) British Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Since 1960. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson/Gale, 2002, ISBN 0787660051.
  • Smith, Andrew. "Worlds that Creep upon You: Postmodern Illusions in the Work of Clive Barker." In Clive Bloom, ed,Creepers: British Horror and Fantasy in the Twentieth Century. London and Boulder CO: Pluto Press, 1993, pp. 176–86.
    Clive Barker
    CliveBarker.jpg
    Barker at the Science Fiction Museum in 2007
    Born5 October 1952 (age 63)
    Liverpool, England
    OccupationAuthor, film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, playwright, painter, illustratorand visual artist
    NationalityBritish
    GenreHorror, fantasy
    Website
    www.clivebarker.info



    Za početak, dopustite da vam ukradem malo vremena pričom o "Kradljivcu Večnosti".

    "The Thief of Always" je originalni naziv (ne)djela majstora horror žanra, engleskog pisca Clivea Barkera. Danas, MTV Generacija Barkera prvenstveni posmatra kroz njegov rad i doprinos na polju horror filma i horror igara, prvenstveno zbog "Hellraiser" serijala i igara "Undying" i "Jericho". Što se tiče njegovog književnog opusa, ako ga niste ganjali po Internetu, teško da ste ga mogli i pronaći. Na području bivše Jugoslavije, ja sam pronašao samo izdanja "Igre Prokletstva" (njegov debi roman "The Damnation Game") i "Kradljivca Večnosti" (o kojem pišem) koji je srećom po one koji su propustili prvo izdanje 2010. godine izašao u drugom izdanju, a krivac je opet kuća Solaris iz Srbije. Na Internetu sam pronašao i fotografije domaćeg izdanja "Knjiga Krvi" na siteu "Znaka Sagite", ali nemam pojma da li se radi o oficijelnom izdanju ili piraterije. U svakom slučaju, do ovih knjiga nisam došao i sumnjam da se može tako lako doći u Bosni i Hercegovini.

    "Kradljivac Večnosti" spada u finiju, dječiju literaturu gospodina Barkera, u istu gomilicu u kojoj se nalaze i dvije knjige iz serijala "Abarat". Kad napišem finu i dječiju onda to i mislim s obzirom da su iz uma ovog čovjeka izašli i likovi koji imaju tijela unakažena kukama i latex ušiven u kožu. Ovaj roman se najlakše može okarakterisati kao bajka, ali prvo skočite, pa recite hop! jer ovo baš i nije djelo za sasvim malu djecu.

    Iako sam ga pročitao više puta, nikad nisam mogao odrediti kad se tačno odvija radnja ovog romana, ali jednostavno imam osjećaj da bi svijet "Kradljivca Vječnosti" savršeno mogao stati u neke pedesete ili šezdesete godine prošlog vijeka. Harvey Swick je desetogodišnjak kojeg ubija dosada i hladna zima. Jedan dan mu na prozor doleti čudna kreatura, osoba po imenu Rictus koja ga poziva u Prazničnu kuću koja za cilj ima samo jedno - da zabavi svoje goste. Nakon početnog nećkanja, Harvey kreće sa Rictusom, prolazi zid magle i ulazi u svijet gdje se godišnja doba mijenjaju četiri puta dnevno (proljeće, ljeto, jesen i zima u istom danu), hrane ima u izobilju i ne zna se je li bolje aranžirana ili ukusnija, svaku noć je Noć Vještica i Božić. Nema škole, nema učenja, nema roditelja koji zvocaju. Zvuči kao dječija verzija utopije, zar ne? Pa možda bi i bilo, ali u kući postoji jedno pravilo - nema postavljanja pitanja, a Harvey je jedan veoma znatiželjan dječak koji počinje shvatati da stvari baš i nisu onakve kakvim se čine.

    Od samog početka, od prve pa sve do zadnje stranice čitanjem se pokreće dinamična gradacija gdje raj postaje pakao, sreća i radost postaju strava i užas, a šareni, veseli svijet postaje zlo. Kako se priča nastavlja, zapetljava i završava, to nije na meni da kažem, već na vama da pročitate. Ono što je mene fasciniralo je činjenica da je knjiga pisana tako lakim, razumljivim jezikom, ali da Clive uspijeva da iz sekunde u sekundu drži napetost, jednostavno isčekivanje nečega što bi se moglo desiti na sljedećoj stranici. Rijetki su pisci majstori toga. Iako će mnogi reći da je Stephen King majstor horrora, ništa što je ovaj napisao nije me držalo na ovakvom rubu kao "Kradljivac Večnosti".

    Napetost poprilično dobro skače i Barkerovim sužavanjem likova u igri. Veoma često, valjda od silne volje, pisci počnu uvoditi stotine različitih likova kojima se ne posvete dovoljno i to dovede do mlitavosti u upoznavanju sa likovima, pa nam je svejedno ko je ko, šta ko radi i kako će završiti. Ovdje, postoji samo par likova - Harvey, dvoje dodatne djece iz kuće, Lulu i Wendell, gospođa Griffin, kuharica u kući, gospodin Hood, tajanstveni vlasnik kuće i zlokobna četvorka - Rictus, Jive, Marr i Carna. Kad smo već kod ove četvorke, ona me neodoljivo podsjeća na Ambrose, Lizbeth, Aarona i Bethany, zlu četvorku iz igre "Undying" na kojoj je radio niko drugi doli Clive Barker.

    Harvey svoje neprijatelje u igri pobjeđuje na različite načine koji su prilagođeni mlađem uzrastu čitatelja, ali Barker i dalje fura svoje sadističke opise uništavanja neprijatelja: možda bi naivno zvučalo ubistvo negativca tjeranjem da iskaže svoje želje ili najobičnijim zagrljajem da opis toga nije pisao Barker. U njegovom slučaju, na svaku iole laganu, dječiju, bajkovitu temu pada kamion težine kakav samo on može proizvesti.

    Zaista su rijetke knjige koje možeš čitati sa petnaest, dvadeset, dvadeset i pet, trideset i tako dalje, a da u svakom momentu osjetiš isti osjećaj, ma kakav on bio. Ova bajka savršeno čuva svoju esenciju i ne obazire se na to da li mi odrastamo ili ne.

    Obradujte sebe "Kradljivcem Večnosti". Sasvim odličan uvod u Barkerovu bibliografiju, a i lijepa promjena ako ste jedan od onih koji su navikli na "Books of Blood", "Hellbound Heart" i "The Damnation Game" atmosfere.


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