Sign-In
Cart
The Arts Council
Paperback
HumorMystery & ThrillerLiterary Fiction
Publisher Price: $44.99
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN13: 9798998883101
Publisher: 7th Species
Published: Jan 21 2026
Pages: 548
Weight: 2.15
Height: 1.49 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Publisher: 7th Species
Published: Jan 21 2026
Pages: 548
Weight: 2.15
Height: 1.49 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
An arts council run by corrupt and unscrupulous philistines routinely casts its votes in favor of talentless charlatans and pretentious mediocrities for its own enrichment until one outraged young artist of irreproachable talent and attainments decides to exact her revenge against the system by exposing it exactly for what it is: a nepotistic demeritocracy in which professional advancements are only accorded in return for financial kickbacks, horizontal refreshments, and material gratuities.
This novel is a scathing indictment of Art by Committee, the common cultural protocol in which practitioners in all idioms of artistic expression (i.e., painters, sculptors, composers, musicians, novelists, playwrights, actors, choreographers, dancers, and others) are, with the sole exclusion of singular cases in which the exceptions prove the rule, hard up not just for cash in support of their precarious subsistences, but also for official recognition by the power elite of the ruling classes to lend them a tinge of credibility in their Darwinian (and, dare it be said, Machiavellian) struggles to stay afloat and sustain a level of public support and acknowledgement that ensures them a primordial modicum of dignity and self-respect-albeit one that only barely empowers them to press on with their creative pursuits in peace and serenity for the sake of their minds and souls (viz., sanity)-and also (wittingly or no) for the long-term benefits to the prevailing high culture in which they find themselves so deeply embroiled (whether in strict accordance therewith or in vehement opposition thereto).The plot centers around two young female visual artists who are arch-rivals and ideological adversaries. One is a cunning imposter who wins pecuniary support and recognition for the meaningless rubbish she produces whilst the other is the genuine article, more concerned with the consummate technical mastery and creative artistry of her work than the high praise and/or harsh censure it incites. As mortal frenemies, both young ladies' interactions with each other are toxic to the point where they cause one another untold pain, despair, misery, humiliation, and grief. On top of all that, they have no choice but to cave to powerful and influential members of the local arts council, each and every one of whom is an unprincipled, immoral, corrupt, depraved, and ignorant buffoon with no real interest in supporting artists per se but rather in perpetuating their own luxurious lifestyles by dint of their systematic embezzlement of funding from donor and taxpayer monies that have been earmarked in advance (at least, in theory) for allocation towards creative projects of high merit by artists of super-exceptional talent and skill (of which there are only a handful).The story unfolds in the backdrop of a toxic political climate that is Orwellian in nature in the sense that virtually all things malign by intent (think: the Ministry of Love, which brainwashes and tortures political and ideological dissidents) are treated as if they were benign, even altruistic, in character and-whensoever it suits the powers that be-vice versa.THE ARTS COUNCIL is a story of insatiable greed, bureaucrappic corruption, moral depravity, sadistic sexual perversion, and even (heaven forfend!) cold-blooded murder.Caveat Emptor: Due to the explicit and provocative-not to say scandalous-content of this deeply unorthodox psychological thriller, it is neither recommended for the faint of heart nor for children under the age of 30.
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Landon, Dolly Gray
Jagdlied: a Chamber Novel for Narrator, Musicians, Pantomimists, Dancers & Culinary Artists (premium color hardback)
Landon, Dolly Gray
Hardcover
$142.49
Jagdlied: a Chamber Novel for Narrator, Musicians, Pantomimists, Dancers & Culinary Artists (black and white paperback)
Landon, Dolly Gray
Paperback
$41.79
Nothing is More: a High Black Comedy in Verse with Music for Six Actors
Noland, Gary Lloyd
Landon, Dolly Gray
Paperback
$13.19
Jagdlied: a Chamber Novel for Narrator, Musicians, Pantomimists, Dancers & Culinary Artists (standard color paperback large print edition)
Landon, Dolly Gray
Paperback
$119.69
Jagdlied: a Chamber Novel for Narrator, Musicians, Pantomimists, Dancers & Culinary Artists (color paperback)
Landon, Dolly Gray
Paperback
$85.49
Jagdlied: a Chamber Novel for Narrator, Musicians, Pantomimists, Dancers & Culinary Artists (black and white hardcover)
Landon, Dolly Gray
Hardcover
$52.24
Jagdlied: a Chamber Novel for Narrator, Musicians, Pantomimists, Dancers & Culinary Artists (standard color hardcover)
Landon, Dolly Gray
Hardcover
$94.99
Also in
Mystery & Thriller
The Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy, Volume I: American Tabloid, the Cold Six Thousand; Introduction by Thomas Mallon
Ellroy, James
Hardcover
$33.25
Coffin Road: An Utterly Gripping Crime Thriller from the Author of the China Thrillers
May, Peter
Paperback
From $9.99
Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
$10.99
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Movie Tie-In Edition): Book 1 of the Millennium Trilogy
Larsson, Stieg
Paperback
$9.99
The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
$9.99
Big Little Truths: Reese's Book Club: A Novel: The Sequel to Big Little Lies
Moriarty, Liane
Hardcover
$30.60
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover
$28.80