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Dandy in the Underworld - Sebastian Horsley dies age 42
18 June 2010
Stephen Horsley, the colourful artist and writer of 'Dandy in the Underworld', his shocking autobiography, has been found dead at his home in London. It has been suggested that the cause of his premature death was from a heroin overdose. His death follows the recent opening of a West End show at the Soho Theatre also entitled Dandy in the Underworld, and it is understood that film version rights had been acquired by Sprout Films, a production company owned by Stephen Fry.
The famously outrageous self publicist acquired notoriety when prior to painting an image of the crucifixion, offended some Christians because he nailed himself to a cross for the experience.
His autobiography described by some as self indulgent and lacking purpose, and others as 'superb' and 'philosophical' was deliberate in its intention to shock; both in Horsley's ambition to describe his lifestyle of drug addiction and prostitution, and his attempt to explain the connections with his chaotic upbringing by alcohol dependant parents. His father was the chairman of Northern Foods, a company set up by his own father, and his mother, Valerie Edwards, a typist from Wales, confirmed his 'profoundly difficult' childhood because of their perpetual drunkenness.
Horsley spent four months after his Crucifixion event writing for a sex column in the Observer but this ended abruptly due to complaints about his graphic accounts of anal and oral sex. For six years, he had a regular column in The Erotic Review. He was banned for entering the USA after the publication of his book because of his conviction for amphetamine possession on the grounds of 'moral turpitude'. He had intended to publicise his memoirs in the states, but instead found himself being asked to remove his nail polish and returned on a flight home. Although Horsley had been married to Evelyn Smith, they separated in 1983, and she later died of an aneurysm, aged 40. Horsley admitted that he had a sexual preference for prostitutes by explaining that it did not produce 'the slow strangulation of my art', which he believed occurred when he was forced into intimacy.
His book has limited stocks, but is available today in Paperback through Tesco's and Play for less than £7, by Sceptre Publishers. There are also limited stocks by Harper Perennial, available through Abe Books. There are no Hard copies available through our regular retailers but some used versions can be purchased through Amazon Marketplace and Abe Books. Please check carefully the prices using our price comparison services as there can be as much as £14 difference in prices across retailers.
 Dandy in the Underworld: An Unauthorised Autobiography (P.S.) Sebastian Horsley (Paperback)  |
