|
Ericus Rex is the exiled monarch of the Carpathian Kingdom of Friedrichstein.
It has been two years since a Solipsist coup forced the royal family
to flee their ancestral lands and take refuge in the United States.
The king settled near Seattle with his wife, Nathalie Regina, and
his son and heir to the throne of Friedrichstein, Oscar Princeps.
Since that time, the king has taken the guise
of Eric Scharf, gentleman philosopher and belletrist, contributing
to small literary journals and evading Solipsist assassins.
The royal family is supported by a network of admirers who revere
Friedrichstinian culture and appreciate fine writing.
The king has recently translated into English
from his native Silesian a book of medieval erotica, The Giantess
of Kraków.
and/or
Eric Scharf co-founded Truncheon with Aaron Finkelstein
in a snowbound Outer Philadelphia in January 1996. They intended
to establish both a new standard for close criticism and a proscenium
for bold discovery. Scharf earned his writing and editing
chops at such diverse publications as Film Comment, The
New Republic, and American Francophobe.
A seasoned culture warrior, Scharf has written
ferociously in opposition to censorship, defiantly in support of
pornography, and plangently in memory of Calvin & Hobbes.
Film criticism remains his passion, and he has championed several
new artists in the Eritrean New Wave.
Scharf is fighting a losing battle against the
temptation to add his to the mountain of memoirs of bemused and
appalled Americans in France.
and/or
Eric Scharf has been writing on the Web
since 1995, and on private Bulletin Board Systems since 1986.
He has experimented with short stories, film criticism, and travel
diaries. He is currently working on a book about his maternal
grandfather’s naval experiences in World War II.
Eric hopes to use Truncheon to record
his comments on news and culture as they go by, to incubate ideas
for future expansion, and to further develop his voice for writing
for a large (undefined?) audience. Eric expects Aaron to write
with both passion and rigor, to tirelessly pursue inquiry wherever
it may lead, and to welcome honest confrontation, as befitting a
friend of the mind.
Eric married his wife Nathalie in 1993, and their son
Oscar
was born in 2001. They live near Seattle, but they often visit
Nathalie’s family and friends in Villefranche-sur-Saône,
France.
|
|
pH Balance has variously held the job titles
of WebMonkey, Don Juan's Feckless Tobacconist, Sprinting Cubicle
Trogdolyte, Hack, Copyflogger, and the Much-Vaunted Voice of Reason.
He has been hideously underqualified for all of them (please don't
tell).
Currently, he is seeking employment as a Social
Creature, License Plate Alphabetizer, or Color Swatch. He no longer
accepts appointments as Stage Foot, Idea Man, or Peacekeeper.
and/or
Aaron Finkelstein is a much-lauded writer of
stage and screen, and co-founder of Truncheon. His intentions
in this regard must be presumed honorable.
Notoriety came first from his daring screenplay
Pop Rocks, which told of a CIA plan to combat separatist
rebels in Paraguay through judicious strategic employment of boy
bands, which was made into a direct-to-video comeback vehicle for
surviving members of New Edition. Pithy anecdotes of his
travels as a gourmand throughout the great bun shops of Europe
have graced the pages of Harpers, Saveur, and The
Pap Smear Journal.
Long regarded as among the foremost authorities
on pan-Jewish cuisine, Mr. Finkelstein makes frequent appearances
on From Martha's Kitchen. Most recently, he can be seen preparing
a Chilean Sea-Bass Kugel.
Mr. Finkelstein has also thrown his considerable
political might behind the American Pudding Advisory Council, a
cause which lies close on his soul.
and/or
Aaron Finkelstein has been writing for nearly
as long as he's had fingers. Currently, he plies his trade as a
freelance business writer, which in many ways qualifies him as a
purveyor of decorative fiction.
For some time Aaron has made a habit of annotating Mr.
Scharf, whose documentary memory and clarity of voice have long
been a source of envy. In the course of their 18-year acquaintance,
it has often fallen to Aaron to smooth the raging waters of Eric's
passionate soul, and he anticipates this struggle will continue,
to the enrichment of both.
After a long hiatus Back East, Aaron returned
to his native Seattle in 1998. Most waking hours are spent behind
his drum kit, over a hot sauté pan, on the soccer pitch,
or wrapped around a creamy pint.
|
