Description
Book SynopsisThis volume analyses the work of Nick Cave, a singular, idiosyncratic and brilliant musician, specifically through his engagements with theology and the Bible. It does so not merely in terms of his written work, the novels and plays and poetry and lyrics that he continues to produce, but also the music itself. Covering more than three decades of extraordinarily diverse creativity, the book has seven chapters focusing on: the modes in which Cave engages with the Bible; the total depravity of the worlds invoked in his novels and other written work; the consistent invocation of apocalyptic themes; his restoration of death as a valid dimension of life; the twists of the love song; the role of a sensual and heretical Christ; and then a detailed, dialectical analysis of his musical forms. The book draws upon a select number of theorists who provide the methodological possibilities of digging deep into the theological nature of Cave's work, namely Ernst Bloch, who is the methodological foundation stone, as well as Theodor Adorno, Theodore Gracyk and Jacques Attali.
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Searching the Holy Books 2. The Total Depravity of Cave's Literary World 3. Some Routine Atrocity, or Apocalyptic 4. Death 5. God, Pain and the Love Song 6. Jesus of the Mon, or Christology 7. Hearing Round Corners: Nick Cave Meets Ernst Bloch Conclusion: Gates to the Garden - The Search for Redemption