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Carnifex Mardi Gras*

Reviews:

It has the power and strength that is so unforgettable that you will not be the same person after having read it. Certain scenes stand out as though they had been permanently Xeroxed on your brain. Beware the redheaded dwarf with the silver phallus. Beware the King of Dwarves. And most importantly, beware the Crying Clown." --Kathleen Sky

Crying Clown Celebration

Carnifex Mardi Gras is the first book of a series that John F. Carr and his friend and colleague, Camden Benares, planned to write. It is, however, the only book of the series that was ever completed and published. The John F. Carr Collection contains drafts and notes on some of the other books planned for the series, known as the Crying Clown Celebration. Those items are listed on this page as well.

* Part of the Friedsam Library Collection

Archival Holdings:

Carnifex Mardi Gras  [hardcover book]

218 pages  

Physical Description:  

This is a hardcover novel written by John F. Carr and illustrated by Stephen Fabian.  There are slight stains on the spine of the cover for the book over the text “MARDI.” 

Crying Clown Celebration [typescript]

Carr-05-02

362 leaves

Physical Description:

Edited draft by John F. Carr and Camden Benares.  The story starts on page 1 and ends on page 362.  The editor of this draft is unknown while the editor’s marks appear in black ink and pencil.  The heading of each page features “ Benares and Carr – Phillip 1,” and then is followed by the page number.  There is damage to each page in this draft, presumably from smoke.  The top, right and bottom edges are crumpled and have a brown stain to them.

Crying Clown Celebration [typescript]

Carr-05-03

363 leaves

Physical Description:

Edited draft by John F. Carr and Camden Benares.  The story starts on page 1 and ends on page 362.  However there is an extra page after 362 that is numbered page 357, this page does not correspond with the first page 357 in the draft.   The editor of this draft is unknown while the editor’s marks appear in black ink. The heading of each page features “ Benares and Carr – Phillip 1,” and then is followed by the page number.  On page 1, written in blue ink at the top left of the page is “Bio-wars.”  Few pages but not the entire draft features some smoke damage to the outlying edges, overall not as significant as the damage to Carr-05-01.

Carnifex: 2084 [miscellaneous]

12 leaves

Carr-07-01

Physical Description:

The contents of a file folder labeled “Carnifex: 2084.” The contents are a collection of original templates and flyers for John F. Carr’s novel, Carnifex Mardi Gras. A second file folder is inside, labeled “Loons ads—2^nd one (with dwarf) never used.” The contents of these folders bear some amount of water damage.

The Dance of the Dwarfs Review [magazine]

1 sheet

Carr-07-10

Physical Description:

From a file folder labeled “Crying Clown Cele.” One sheet torn from a magazine, identified in blue pen as being Science Fiction Review #43, from the summer of 1982. The page contains a short review by Darrell Schweitzer of a chapter of one of John F. Carr’s upcoming novels. The chapter is identified as “The Dance of the Dwarfs.” This chapter is listed in the beginning of Carnifex Mardi Gras as being part of the novel.

Crying Clown Celebration outline [typescript]

79 leaves

Carr-07-17

Physical Description:

This file contains two sets of loose sheets. The first set is titled, “The Crying Clown Celebration: a novel of the future.” This set is signed and dated 4/25/08 by John F. Carr, with a note that reads: “Original for agent outline and story done in 1978 or ’79, for proposal book (octet) The Crying Clown Celebration. This was to be our breakout series and we worked on the background/setting/future history starting 1975/76 and we were still working on it until Camden ’s fatal heart attack in 2000…” The outline is 44 pages long and covers the plots of all eight planned books. The second set of loose sheets is a short story by Camden Benares titled “A Legacy of Sex, Charisma and Death.” The story is 25 pages long and appears to be a predecessor of one of the planned Crying Clown Celebration novels.

The Crying Clown Saga [typescript]

5 leaves

Carr-07-18

Physical Description:

A set of two short articles written by John F. Carr. The first, titled “The Crying Clown Saga or Publish or Perish,” is two pages long and deals with Carr’s annoyance at the books that publishers choose to buy and publish. Edits are made to this draft with blue pen. The second article, titled “The Crying Clown Saga: So you want to be a SF Star,” is 3 pages long and deals with the same theme. Carr signs it at the top with the note “false start.” Edits are made on this draft by Carr in black pen.

The First Book of Phillip character descriptions [photocopied typescript]

2 leaves

Carr-07-19

Physical Description:

A photocopy of a 2-page list of characters in The First Book of Phillip, the first of eight novels in The Crying Clown Celebration. The list includes a physical description of each of the major characters and some of the minor characters in the novel, organized by order of appearance in the novel.

Crying Clown Celebration Draft [typescript]

362 leaves

Carr-07-20

Physical Description:

A set of loose sheets titled “The Crying Clown Celebration: The First Book of Phillip.” On top of the sheets is a smaller piece of paper with a penciled note that reads: “CCC, Geneaology Chart, Fitz’s grandfather is Fitzgerald Baker.” Below this note, in pen, is a note signed and dated 4/26/08 by John F. Carr that reads: “4^th or 5^th draft from approx. 1997-1998, when we went back to work on the ‘Clown Cycle’ after Camden ’s wife died unexpectedly…”

Carnifex Mardis Gras dust jacket photo [photograph]

Carr-08-01

Physical Description:

A large photo of John F. Carr printed on cardboard. The photo is covered with a piece of tissue paper with lines drawn on it, appearing to mark how the photo should be cropped and/or resized. There is a note written in blue pen on the tissue paper that reads, “photo for DJ.” On the back of the cardboard, Carr has signed a note in black pen that reads, “Original photo for Carnifex Mardis Gras dust jacket. 1/9/2008.”

Carnifex Mardis Gras original manuscript, part 1 [typescript]

57 leaves

Carr-08-02

Physical Description:

Loose sheets bearing the title “Carnifex Mardi Gras, by John F. Carr.” On the title page, there is a handwritten note, signed and dated 5/12/08 by Carr, that reads: “Original ms. for Carnifex Mardi Gras; part one. All corrections by JFC circa 1981…” The pages exhibit minor discoloration from smoke and water damage.

Carnifex Mardis Gras original manuscript, part 2 [typescript]

Carr-08-03

Physical Description:

Loose sheets bearing the title “Chapter One” at the top of the first page. The first page is also signed and dated 5/12/08 by John F. Carr with a note that reads: “Original ms of part II of Carnifex Mardi Gras… originally written in 1980 as a standalone story. All corrections by JFC.” The document is extensively edited in black pen.

The Crying Clown Rites, part 2 [typescript]

90 leaves

Carr-08-04

Physical Description:

Loose sheets bearing the title “The Crying Clown Rites, part two” on the first page. John F. Carr has also written and signed a note on the title page that reads: “Original title for Carnifex Mardi Gras. This is the final ms I believe. All Black corrections are by JFC circa 1981… P.S. There were 4 parts to this ms. One was sold to ‘Fantasy Book’”. The pages of the manuscript are slightly discolored from smoke and water damage.

Siren’s Song, part 4 [typescript]

23 leaves

Carr-08-05

Physical Description:

Numbered loose sheets beginning at 229 bearing the title “Siren’s Song, part 4” on the first page. John F. Carr has also written and signed a note on the title page that reads: “Part IV of Carnifex Mardi Gras. Written in 1981 especially for the novel, after Camden ’s heart attack. All corrections by JFC.” The pages are slightly discolored from smoke and water damage, and they bear damage from being held together by a rusty paperclip.

Crying Clown Celebration Outline [typescript]

44 leaves

Carr-08-06

Physical Description:

An outline written by John F. Carr and Camden Benares for their planned series of novels known collectively as The Crying Clown Celebration. The outline contains plot summaries for the eight planned books in the series. On the title page, Carr has written and signed a note that reads: “Very early (late 70s) book outline of the Crying Clown octet.”

Crying Clown Celebration Draft: a Legacy of Sex, Death, and Charisma [typescript]

approx. 215 leaves

Carr-08-07

Physical Description:

A set of typed loose sheets bearing the heading “ONE.” The first sheet is signed by John F. Carr with a note that reads: “Draft of Crying Clown Celebration: A Legacy of Sex, Death, and Charisma (incomplete).” It is difficult to tell the exact number of pages in the document, for the pages are out of order. No editing marks are present on the draft.

The First Book of Phillip original first draft manuscript [typescript]

266 leaves

Carr-08-08

Physical Description:

A 266-page document with a title page that reads: “The First Book of Phillip, by Camden Benares and John F. Carr.” Two notations appear on the title page in red pen. The first reads, “First draft 11/80,” and the second reads, “Original.” In black pen, John F. Carr has signed and dated a note that reads: “5/22/08. Corrections by Camden Benares .” Extensive corrections are made to the draft in black pen in Benares ’ hand. The pages of the document are slightly discolored from smoke damage.

The Crying Clown Rites [typescript]

7 leaves

Carr-09-08

Physical Description:

An excerpt of a piece titled The Crying Clown Rites by John Carr. Carr has signed and dated the document in April 2009 with the annotation, “1^st drafter of pt. III of Carnifex Mardi Gras.” The document includes pages 1-6 as well as page 12. All of the pages are badly damaged from fire and smoke along their bottom edges and are therefore very brittle.

Carnifex Mardi Gras Misc. [typescript]

Carr-17-19

Physical Description:

Miscellaneous typed material related to Carr’s Carnifex Mardi Gras. Included is a draft of an advertisement for the novel and a printout of a review of the novel.

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Page created by Kyle Wimann Spring 2008.
Updated by Ellen Winger Fall 2008.
Last Updated: 04/29/2013