“The archetype of the femme fatale has existed and persisted in fascinating writers from time immemorial. She appears in the mythology of nearly every known culture, taking such seductive forms as siren and mermaid, witch and succubus, courtesan and vampire, moon goddess and fairy queen. She has been the focal point of countless poets and playwrights, including such masters as John Milton, Edgar Allan Poe and William Shakespeare. And, perhaps, most intriguingly, she is a central figure in the religious texts of both Eastern and Western traditions. Within this context, she has been called Kali, Mary Magdalene, Dalila, Salome and, of course, Eve, the mother of all fatal women. However, this eternal seductress seems to have been of particular interest to the Neoclassical and Victorian Romantic poets, each of whom lent to her his own singular and unique psychology. . .”
(taken from the introduction to ‘Fatal Women’ by Kevin Nicholas Roberts)
This issue features the artwork of Heather Valentin’s beautiful Siren Songs that she painted for our cover. To view more of her enchanting work be sure to visit her page and follow the links to her artwork and the many forms of merchandise containing her artwork that she has to offer.
We hope that you will be enthralled by the many different visions of Sirens portrayed by the poetry, prose and stories contained in this issue.
In an attempt to make navigation of this site easier for our visitors, the main menu is now available on all pages. This means that you no longer have to return to the home page in between viewing pages. As always, you can also use the search box provided by typing in the name of the person or title that you are looking for.
Half-way through issue one, we introduced Andres Garzon as our student editor. He is currently scouting for student authors. Please note that all authors under the age of 18 must be approved by the editor and will require parental permission.
Please feel free to use our Contact form to send any comments, questions or suggestions – we’d love to hear from you.
And, most importantly, a big Thank You to all of our readers, contributors and staff for helping to make this zine a success.
~ Enjoy ~
Janice Roberts, Editor
Scarlet Literary Magazine
Header image, The Sleeping Beauty, by William Arthur Breakspeare (1856-1914)
Scarlet Literary Magazine 