Skip to content
Brego.net
Celebrating Viggo Mortensen & The Lord of the Rings
  • Home
  • Viggo Mortensen
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • Viggo Theory
    • Filmography
    • Biography
    • Art & Music
    • Political Activism
    • Quotes by
    • Quotes about
    • Fan Fiction
    • Links & Resources
  • Lord of the Rings
    • The Lord of the Rings
    • Tolkien’s Worlds in Art
    • Horses in Books & Movies
    • Brego
    • Shadowfax & the Mearas
    • Horses of Rohan
    • Video Clips
    • Links & Resources
  • News/Media
    • News Blog
    • Articles & Interviews
    • Image Galleries
    • Video Clips
  • About
    • About Brego.net
    • Brego Classic
    • Contact
    • Guestbook
    • Brego.net Bookstore
    • Website Credits
    • Privacy Policy & Terms
    • Sitemap
Home • Viggo Mortensen • Articles & Interviews • Small Press Is Beautiful

Small Press Is Beautiful

By Justin Clark

Perceval Press

Maybe we’ve just got one too many trilogies on the brain, but the name of this Santa Monica–based art, criticism and poetry press (and the best-known role of its founder, Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen) suggests an urgent heroic quest. Still, of the dozen handsomely designed books Perceval has published since its 2002 founding (which include Weekly contributor Anne Fishbein’s Russian photographs, On the Way Home), fewer document epic journeys than whimsical career divagations: a planned trio of kids’ books by sociologist Mike Davis, a first book of paintings by poet Rene Ricard, a collection of urban photos by Dennis Hopper, a few avant-garde noise CDs, a book of horse photography from Mortensen himself. There may be a higher political purpose to Pirates, Bats and Dragons, Mike Davis’ tale of three kids who join a U.N. research mission to a magical land suffering under a war on terrorism, but its polymath publisher (who, besides battling for Middle-earth, is a poet, painter and experimental musician) denies any agenda but quality publishing.

“Perhaps the attention derived from the publication of Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation has given some people the mistaken impression that we concentrate on overtly ‘political’ or ‘progressive’ material,” Mortensen tells me via e-mail, referring to Perceval’s recent collection of anti-Iraq-invasion essays. Though Twilight’s contributors are all heroes of the progressive Round Table — anti-corporate activist and journalist Naomi Klein, historian Howard Zinn, and former diplomat and Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson — Mortensen promises that Perceval “will remain open to publishing new and different material as well as points of view.”

(Article also discusses 13 other alternative publishers, including Bük, Santa Monica Press, TOKYOPOP, Equator Books, Red Hen Press, Gorsky Press and Green Integer.)

About the Article

Published Jun 3, 2005 in LA Weekly.
Read original online

Filed in About Viggo
Tagged artist, Perceval Press, politics

Article Categories

  • Lord of the Rings (3)
    • Horses (1)
  • Movies (93)
    • About the Movie (3)
    • Interviews (45)
    • Making of (3)
    • Reviews (20)
    • Soundtrack (3)
  • Viggo Mortensen (114)
    • About Viggo (9)
    • Activism (4)
    • Biography (1)
    • Creative Arts (3)
    • Interviews with Viggo (22)
    • News & Events (4)
    • Published 2001 (22)
    • Published 2002 (17)
    • Published 2003 (20)
    • Published 2004 (10)

Article Tags

acting activism Aragorn artist biography career choosing projects Cindy Sheehan cowboys creativity Denmark egoless Fellowship of the Ring film review G.I. Jane Green Book Henry Mortensen Hidalgo History of Violence horses Indian Runner interview Lord of the Rings Mahershala Ali Miyelo musician mythology outdoor living Passion of Darkly Noon Perceval Press Perfect Murder photographer poet politics Psycho Return of the King riding scans stunt work swordsmanship Tolkien Two Faces of January Two Towers Viggo Mortensen yerba mate
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Home
  • About
  • Brego Classic
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy & Terms
back to top
©Brego.net 2019