The Symposium of the Gorgon by Clark Ashton Smith

The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast

Tony Walker

Science Fiction, Fiction, Drama

4.9 • 835 Ratings

🗓️ 6 June 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Clark Ashton Smith's "Symposium of the Gorgon," a masterful blend of satire and fantasy, made its debut in _Fantastic Universe Science Fiction_ in October 1958. Published relatively late in Smith's career, the story showcases his enduring talent for crafting bizarre and imaginative narratives, even as his output had begun to wane. The appearance in _Fantastic Universe_ introduced this darkly humorous tale to a new generation of pulp readers. ⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐ https://patreon.com/barcud Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out. You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month. Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible? Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Think of a breakfast muffin with sausage and egg.
0:03.0	Yep, that's the one.
0:05.0	You can see it, can't you?
0:07.0	Deep in your mind.
0:09.0	Sausage, egg, cheese, muffin.
0:12.0	I don't even need to say its name, do I?
0:15.0	Breakfast, done properly.
0:17.0	Served until 11am.
0:20.0	Whoa! Look! Is that Dragonite? properly. Served until 11am.
0:22.4	Whoa! Look!
0:24.2	Is that Dragonite?
0:27.0	Dragon-type Pokemon have arrived.
0:29.2	Discover in Happy Meal now!
0:33.1	Some fun, some food, it's all inside this happy meal.
0:37.8	Until 17th of June, from 11am includes one pre-selected book or toy.
0:40.0	Pokemon range comprises toys only, whilst thoughts last.
0:44.0	Clark Ashton Smith's Symposium of the Gorgon,
0:47.1	a masterful blend of satire and fantasy,
0:52.1	made its debut in Fantastic Universe Science Fiction in October 1958,
0:57.0	published relatively late in Smith's career. The story showcases his enduring talent for crafting bizarre and imaginative narratives, even as his output had begun to wane.
1:04.0	The appearance in Fantastic Universe introduced this darkly humorous tale to a new generation of pulp readers.
1:11.7	I am Tony Walker, the human narrator of the classic ghost stories podcast,
	...

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