Dark Carnival
Dark Carnival
This chapter discusses Ray Bradbury's revisions and last-minute reconfigurations for Dark Carnival prior to its May 1947 publication. According to August Derleth, Dark Carnival cost more in press corrections than all his previous Arkham House titles combined. But it was clear that Bradbury pushed as hard as he could to update it as it moved toward the May 1947 publication date. For instance, he replaced “The Poems” with a newer story, “The Coffin”; cut two stories from the page proofs (“The Watchers” and “Trip to Cranamockett”); and tried to make significant revisions in seven other short stories. This chapter considers the reception of Dark Carnival following its official release, citing reviews such as those of Anthony Boucher of the San Francisco Chronicle, Will Cuppy of the New York Herald Tribune Weekly Book Review, and Arthur Hillman of Britain's Fantasy Review. It also looks at the continuing marketing friction between Bradbury and Derleth, along with other projects spun off by Bradbury's original concept for Dark Carnival.
Keywords: revisions, Ray Bradbury, Dark Carnival, August Derleth, short stories, Anthony Boucher, Will Cuppy, Arthur Hillman
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