One of the Village Voice's Top 25 Books of 2003.

Guy Maddin is one of Canada's most celebrated and original filmmakers, the director of such delirious films as Tales from the Gimli Hospital, Careful, Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary and the forthcoming The Saddest Music in the World. Few know, however, that he is just as gifted a writer, and his resolutely purple prose, as eccentric and enchanting as his film work, is a true delight.

From the Atelier Tovar gathers, in one volume, the best of Maddin's writing: his journalism (originally published in the Village Voice, Cinema Scope, Film Comment and points beyond), unpublished short stories and film treatments (including the riotous Child Without Qualities), and selections, both lurid and illuminating, from the filmmaker's personal journals. Here are Maddin's feverish musings on hockey, the Osmonds, divas of the Italian silent cinema, Bollywood, his own twisted biography, and much, much more. What emerges finally is both a fragrant potpourri and a treasure trove, a singular portrait of this very unique artist.

Guy Maddin is the filmmaker behind Tales from the Gimli Hospital,Archangel, Careful, Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, The Saddest Music in the World, Dracula: Pages from a Virginâ??s Diary and Brand upon the Brain! Maddin is also a writer (From the Atelier Tovar: Selected Writings) and teacher, and occupies the position of Distinguished Filmmaker in Residence at the University of Manitoba.

Guy Maddin's profile page