{"id":35001,"date":"2019-04-27T14:29:35","date_gmt":"2019-04-27T18:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/?p=35001"},"modified":"2019-04-29T14:48:11","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T18:48:11","slug":"william-levy-r-i-p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/2019\/04\/william-levy-r-i-p.html","title":{"rendered":"William Levy, R.I.P."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>William Levy,  sometimes called &#8220;the Talmudic Wizard of Amsterdam,&#8221; has died at the age of 80. A prolific expatriate American writer and editor, he left the United States in 1966 and earned a reputation as one of the leading intellectual and sexual subversives in Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p> Levy was  a master of literary outrageousness, an editor of <em>The Insect Trust Gazette,<\/em> <em>International Times, <\/em>publisher and editor of <em>Suck <\/em>magazine, and producer of the Wet Dreams Film Festival, as well as a poet and radio broadcaster.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"146\" height=\"241\" data-attachment-id=\"35009\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/bill-levy-photo-eddie-woods-1980\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bill-levy-photo-eddie-woods-1980-.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"146,241\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"William Levy [Photo: Eddie Woods, 1980]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bill-levy-photo-eddie-woods-1980-.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bill-levy-photo-eddie-woods-1980-.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bill-levy-photo-eddie-woods-1980-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35009\"\/><figcaption><em>William Levy, 1980<br>[Photo: Eddie Woods]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>&#8216;Suck<\/em> was a magazine of art and literature with sex as a theme.&#8217; &#8212; Bill Levy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube alignleft wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"William Levy BEYOND CRITICISM\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z8u6vfBWpKk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption><em>William Levy: &#8216;Beyond Criticism&#8217;  (A Malcolm Hart Production)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His books and writings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/short_stories\/fiction\/tennis_kafka\/page_1.html\"> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gerardbellaart.com\/cold_turkey_archives.php\">  Certain Radio Speeches of Ezra Pound<\/a> (as editor)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Virgin-Sperm-Dancer-William-Levy\/dp\/B002DPL0WM\">  The Virgin Sperm   Dancer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sea-urchin.net\/collectible\/william-levy-natural-jewboy-hardcover\/\">  Natural Jewboy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.corpse.org\/archives\/issue_11\/manifestos\/levy.html\">  ZOCK: The Outlaw     Manifesto of the Century <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.molokoplusrecords.de\/finder.php?folder=Print&amp;content=51\">  Rape<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.molokoplusrecords.de\/finder.php?folder=Print&amp;content=92\">  The Fortunate   Traveler<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><strong>Postscript: <\/strong>April 29 &#8212; A friend suggested expanding this blogpost and recommended adding these items, which he kindly provided.  Both written by Levy, they are very much worth reading, One is entitled &#8220;NOTHING PERSONAL BUT . . . <em>A Tale of Passion for Brion Gysin<\/em> (from The Fanatic, No. 2, 1976, one of the zines Levy also edited); the other is entitled &#8220;Enter Mister Maurice,&#8221; which was published online by realitystudio.org in May 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"35027\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/the-fanatic-no-2-1976-bill-levy-enh-1-369x521\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-369x521.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"369,521\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"THE FANATIC, NO. 2 (1976) Bill Levy\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-369x521-212x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-369x521.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-369x521.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35027\" width=\"348\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-369x521.jpg 369w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-369x521-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 348px) 100vw, 348px\" \/><figcaption>The Fanatic, No. 2 [1976]<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/THE-FANATIC-NO.-2-1976-Bill-Levy-enh-1-.jpg\">Click to enlarge for reading.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"361\" height=\"521\" data-attachment-id=\"35026\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/enter-mister-maurice-by-william-levy-realitystudio-org361x521border\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ENTER-MISTER-MAURICE-by-William-Levy-realitystudio.org361x521border.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"361,521\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ENTER MISTER MAURICE by William Levy, (May 2014) [realitystudio.org]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ENTER-MISTER-MAURICE-by-William-Levy-realitystudio.org361x521border-208x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ENTER-MISTER-MAURICE-by-William-Levy-realitystudio.org361x521border.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ENTER-MISTER-MAURICE-by-William-Levy-realitystudio.org361x521border.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ENTER-MISTER-MAURICE-by-William-Levy-realitystudio.org361x521border.jpg 361w, https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ENTER-MISTER-MAURICE-by-William-Levy-realitystudio.org361x521border-208x300.jpg 208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 361px) 100vw, 361px\" \/><figcaption><em><a href=\"https:\/\/realitystudio.org\/biography\/enter-mister-maurice\/\">Click to read at realitystudio.org<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A further thought: &#8220;NOTHING PERSONAL BUT\u201d concludes  that &#8220;[o]ne of the many things I learned doing the SUCK project is that sophistic discretions about sex never conceal. They only invite curiosity about what one intends to hide.&#8221; Which leads me to wonder whether William Levy was some kind of latter-day countercultural doppelg\u00e4nger of Frank Harris.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>William Levy, sometimes called &#8220;the Talmudic Wizard of Amsterdam,&#8221; has died at the age of 80. A prolific expatriate American writer and editor, he left the United States in 1966 and earned a reputation as one of the leading intellectual and sexual subversives in Europe.  Levy was  a master of literary outrageousness, an editor of The Insect Trust Gazette, International Times, publisher and editor of Suck magazine, and producer of the Wet Dreams Film Festival, as well as a poet and radio broadcaster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":35009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19,26,18,4,20,23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35001","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-art","8":"category-books","9":"category-literature","10":"category-main","11":"category-media","12":"category-news","13":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bill-levy-photo-eddie-woods-1980-.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbvgEs-96x","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35001"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35048,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35001\/revisions\/35048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/herman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}