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Press review for The Decadent Handbook
"In recent years, the noble and rakish art of decadence has been traduced by those who would associate its name with the Asbo brigade. To counter these slurs, I recently compiled and edited The Decadent Handbook, a rallying call for modern libertines.
Our mission statement was as follows:' The Handbook is for all those who seek respite from the worst banalities of modern existence: property ladders, yummy mummies, loyalty cards, friendly bacteria, Glade air freshener, decking, Coldplay, The Da Vinci Code and Natasha Kaplinsky.'
I like to think luminaries of the Decadent movement during the second half of the 19th would have approved. The Decadents were writers, artists, philosophers and dandies whose guiding mantra was 'Art for Art's Sake'.
They abhorred the relentless grind of industrialism and sought refuge in beauty, sensuality and extreme sensations – often at the expense of their health, safety or sanity.
It is no surprise their drink of choice was absinthe, the 'green fairy' that led to many an artist’s ruin. The Decadents preferred life to burn with one brilliant flame rather than to smoulder slowly and dimly."