Augural Ediciones Press Presents the Book: Seolic Tales
Editorial Work
Our editorial work stems from Augural Ediciones Press’ interest in opening a space to showcase the voices of different writers, eager to share their stories. This particular case is the anthology book Seolic Tales, which falls within the horror genre, though not strictly so, as it contains very diverse proposals. And it is precisely its breadth of possibilities that allows us to bring to the reader pages written with vocation and care, which otherwise might remain forgotten in a drawer.
Editor Ana Segovia Camelo, a prominent figure in the presentation of the anthology “Seolicos Tales” by Augural Ediciones Press.
About the Authors
A characteristic of the book is the diverse backgrounds, ages, and styles of contemporary writers gathered in a kaleidoscope revolving around terror. Some have produced novels, narrated stories, or ventured into poetry and essays; others write journalistic articles or this is their first publication. Their professions also vary, as they are professors, actresses, editors, workshop facilitators, journalists, essayists, etc., which indicates that having a publication that gives voice to their talents will complement and enrich their lives and those of their readers.
Literary Expression
Hence, Seolic Tales is an option for literary expression, in an effort to share both creation and its enjoyment. Therefore, we thank all the authors for collaborating with their inventiveness, which will undoubtedly intrigue and thrill readers.
📅 Friday, June 13th | 🕕 6:00 PM 📍 Salón Morelos, Casa de Cultura Jesús Reyes Heroles (Av. Francisco Sosa 202, Santa Catarina, Coyoacán, Mexico City). 🎤 Featuring: Teresa Cervantes and Alicia Flores Morales. 🎉 Copies will be available! #Literature #SeolicTales
Table of Contents
Seolic Tales: Literary Horror and the Legacy of Sheol
The term Sheol (or Seol) originates from Hebrew, appearing in the Bible to denote hell, the abyss, or simply the dwelling place of the dead. We’ve borrowed this word to title this collection of narratives, as each story carries shades of darkness and twists of torment or unease. Whether realist —where “hell is other people”— or fantastical and supernatural, Seolic Tales offers a reading experience where the protagonists confront a conflict known for centuries: humanity’s encounter with its own Hades. This anthology features thirteen sharp-witted short story writers of diverse styles and generations. They approach horror with unflinching suspense and mysterious literary devices. Ghosts and apparitions intrude without warning, alongside unsettling themes that awaken latent fears. Yet, throughout, there is poetry, imagination, emotion, and surprise —beyond the terror they may evoke. The settings and plots are multifaceted, weaving together a world of possibilities, real or imagined, that will astonish readers through uncharted paths.
I sink into the armchair, close my eyes, and let the Best of Blues mp3 wash over me. Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim… Each song paints a new scene. I see myself with a cigar and a whiskey glass in some noir-toned nightclub. Then, another track transports me —I’m fighting mobsters with a shotgun beside Elliot Ness. Marvelous! My favorite tune plays, and suddenly I’m in a Parisian battle, dragging a wounded soldier alongside Clint Eastwood… Then my boss barks at me to guard the warehouse and lock the main gate. I close my eyes again: now I’m distilling moonshine to survive the night.
This story is part of the book:
Latin American Flash Fiction: Cuéntame un Blues
from the Blue Cat Collection (fiction series) by La Tinta del Silencio Press. Edited and designed by Anaïs Blues and Luis Flores Ramos, who also wrote the foreword. Featuring flash fictions by Mexican writers like Ulises Paniagua, Mariano F. Whatle, and José Luis Zárate.
Years ago, my flash fiction piece “Blue Devils” was published in the book Cuéntame un Blues: Antología de minificciones (La Tinta del Silencio Press). It shared pages with “Blues para todos mis sueños” —the debut literary work of Héctor Juárez Lorencilla (my husband!), who got published on his very first try (lucky him, right?).
I was pregnant when I started watching Game of Thrones, the show that had half the world obsessed. But I couldn’t handle all that graphic violence with a baby in my belly. So instead, I picked up the first book at the Central State Library of Guanajuato, Wigberto Jiménez Moreno. The series is called A Song of Ice and Fire.
Then my maternity leave began. And since I never got a library card, I downloaded the book as a PDF (poor me!).
For the rest of my leave, I watched every single Adam Sandler movie. From his early roles as a side character (like the ridiculously stupid Airheads, with that ugly Brendan Fraser guy) to the mind-numbingly boring The Cobbler. Heck, I even rewatched Jack and Jill… No wonder my poor laptop chose a quick death. One day, it just refused to turn on. Poof.
I downloaded the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire.
After finishing it, I tried reading a bunch of other books. But I abandoned them all halfway: Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami, A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe (and I even suffered through I Am Charlotte Simmons again just because I was too lazy to find another book)…
So after The Sweetest Dream by Doris Lessing and Brothers by Yu Hua (a masterpiece you just can’t put down) and Don Quixote… I couldn’t read anything that wasn’tA Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones.
When my laptop died (thanks, Adam Sandler), I started using the forgotten tablet my husband gave me like ten Christmases ago. Honestly, it’s the only reason I survived months without a computer!
So I kept reading and downloading the remaining four books in the series:
A Clash of Kings,
A Storm of Swords,
A Feast for Crows, and
A Dance with Dragons.
Of course, not all of them are equally gripping.
Once they start introducing new characters like the Krakens or those sand snakes, you lose interest because you can’t keep track of who’s who —and really, you only care about two or three people (I love the Lannisters, such a karmic soulmate fairy tale). At first, you adore the Khaleesi, but after five books, she turns into Dumbteesi, and all you want is to smack some sense into her thick skull.
I had no idea what to read next that I wouldn’t abandon halfway: The Lord of the Rings wasn’t available in my tiny home library, The Hobbit was… BUT I got used to reading comfortably on my tablet, which I later replaced with an Amazon Kindle —no more hauling around three kilos of bound paper.
In this text, the writer Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo highlights how the squire Sancho Panza, after some time serving his master, begins to reason and adopt attitudes worthy of Don Quixote of La Mancha. This is what is known as the process of quixotization.
Madariaga takes as an example the beginning of the Chapter V of the Second Part of the book:
“Of the discreet and gracious dialogue between Sancho Panza and his wife Teresa Panza, and other events worthy of happy recollection”:
“When the translator of this history reached the fifth chapter, he declares it apocryphal, for in it Sancho Panza speaks in a style unlike what might be expected from his limited wit…”.
Here, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra plays with words and the narrator’s voice, as in other chapters of the First Part. He aims to convince the reader that these adventures were drawn from another source —though he may also allude to the unauthorized sequels of Don Quixote published after the original.
Don Quixote is the most famous warrior ever
I.I The Process of Sancho Panza’s Quixotization
Later, Madariaga references the Chapter III of the Second Part:
“Of the laughable exchange between Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and the bachelor Sansón Carrasco”.
This bachelor informs the protagonists of a book written by Cide Hamete Benengeli, “who left recorded the history of your great deeds”.
Sancho listens to the conversation between the bachelor and his master. As he learns that his name has gained fame, the squire swells with pride, even declaring himself “one of the principal presonages” (sic) of the story.
Sancho’s quixotization lies in this: after so often hearing Don Quixote speak of how their adventures would be remembered through the ages… Sancho comes to believe it and acts accordingly.
Don Quixote was a romantic.
II. The Sanchification of Don Quixote
Here, Salvador de Madariaga explains how Don Quixote gradually sheds his knight-errant persona. In the First Part, Alonso Quixano abandons everything to roam the world, honoring his king and his lady.
But as the novel progresses, the protagonist —through his madness— gains awareness of the real world. He now travels with saddlebags full of coins and pays for his lodging at the inns where he stays.
He even seeks advice from the bachelor Sansón Carrasco on how to begin his new series of adventures.
Today, Don Quixote would fight against global warming.
II.I The Meaning of Don Quixote’s Sanchification
The fervor with which Don Quixote begins his exploits wanes as reality intrudes.
The knight and his squire travel to El Toboso, to seek the maiden Dulcinea. But when Don Quixote sees that his lady is merely a peasant girl, he blames his enemy, the enchanter:
“Sancho, dost thou see how I am hated by enchanters? And mark how far their malice and the grudge they bear me extend, for they would deprive me of the joy I might have in seeing my lady in her true form. Truly, I was born to be a model of misfortune, the target and bull’s-eye for the arrows of adversity…”.
Ultimately, Madariaga contrasts how Don Quixote’s illusions are eroded by reality, while Sancho undergoes the inverse: he begins grounded but becomes filled with fantasy and dreams of glory.
SOURCE:
De Madariaga, Salvador. Quixote reading guide. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1981. Chaps. VII–VIII: “The quixotization of Sancho and the sanchification of Don Quixote”.
