Teatro Grottesco (book)

Teatro Grottesco (Italian for Theatre of the Grotesque) is a collection of short stories by American horror author Thomas Ligotti. This is his fifth collection, containing tales written throughout his career. The book was first published in 2006 by Durtro Press as a limited edition hardcover: another hardcover edition was released on November 30, 2007 by Mythos Books, and a paperback edition was released on July 10, 2008 by Virgin Books.

Contents
A boy moves to a new neighborhood with his disturbed family and learns of his father's strange "principles". A small town descends into absurd insanity when a new "town manager" arrives. A struggling author meets an older, wiser author and reads his strange works. A man experiences consistent "visits" from a supernatural marionette. The narrator tells of the history of a horrific factory. A new employee uncovers a strange conspiracy at his office. In a small factory, a new, uncanny supervisor is sent by corporate. Various tales are told of the strange town from across the border. Various members of the local art community discuss the arrival of the deranged "teatro". An ill man discusses strange memories with an odd acquaintance. A librarian discovers an audiotape art-piece and becomes obsessed with meeting its creator. A man with many creative friends is pushed to meet the eccentric Severini. Many people are brought to the strange town of Crampton for reasons unknown.
 *  Derangements 
 * Purity
 * The Town Manager
 * Sideshow, and Other Stories
 * The Clown Puppet
 * The Red Tower
 *  Deformations 
 * My Case for Retributive Action
 * Our Temporary Supervisor
 * In a Foreign Town, In a Foreign Land
 *  The Damaged and the Diseased 
 * Teatro Grottesco
 * Gas Station Carnivals
 * The Bungalow House
 * Severini
 * The Shadow, the Darkness

Review
"Just flip through the book and you will see page after page of text with few paragraph indents. I am told my writing is unduly formal; at times Ligotti seems to be writing a reference book rather than a fictional story. But it all works for him as he weaves interesting, strange, and fantastic tales that are as sincere as they are bizarre and stories that captivate the reader and drag them off to a place they have never been. If you enjoy reading Lovecraft and Poe, you will most likely embrace Ligotti. If you prefer the streamline style of Dean Koontz, you may find Ligotti a bit overbearing. But try it out for yourself and make your own decision. Teatro Grottesco is a good place to start."

—Review by Parlor of Horror