Peter Sotos
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Peter Sotos (1960?-) is a Chicago-born writer who has contributed an unprecedented examination of the peculiar motivations of sadistic sexual criminals. His works are often cited as conveying an uncanny understanding of myriad aspects of pornography. Most of his writings have focused on sexually violent pornography--particularly of that involving children.
In 1984 Sotos began producing a self-published newsletter or "fanzine" named Pure, notable as the first zine dedicated to serial killer lore. Sotos used a xeroxed image from a magazine of child pornography called Incest #4, as the frontpiece of issue #2 of Pure. A copy of that issue, which had obtained international distribution, was found in the apartment of graverobbers in Scotland in 1985. Scotland Yard got ahold of Sotos' zine and the three psychiatrists they showed it to concluded that he was a dangerous sex criminal. They tracked Sotos to his hometown, thereby bringing the author of Pure to the attention of the Chicago authorities. In 1986, after nine months of police surveillance, Sotos' apartment was raided by the police, he was arrested and charged with obscenity and possession of child pornography. What followed was a three year trial, countless psychiatric tests, and some jail time. Charges of obscenity were dropped, but Sotos was eventually found guilty of the possession charge, and was given a suspended sentence and a fine. Sotos was the first person in the United States ever to be charged for owning child pornography.
Sotos' writings explore the terrible, forbidden sexual impulse its many, often hidden, guises. Using first person narratives, his prose takes on the point of view of the sexual predator. Despite all his legal troubles, and the seemingly fatal stigma of being (falsely) labeled a pedophile, Sotos continues to garner support for his ideas and literary output.
He was until 2003 a seminal member of the industrial noise band Whitehouse.
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Quotation
- "No one comes close to Sotos in his ability to rape a blank page." —Jim Goad, author of ANSWER Me!.
- "In a real sense, reading Sotos is like peering into the appetitive, aquisitive aspect of the heart of life itself."-Michael Lujan, "Sotos: A Case Study in Lust and the Unconditioned".
Works
- Total Abuse: Collected Writings, 1984-1995: Pure, Tool, Parasite, 1995 (Goad to Hell Enterprises, Portland, OR, ISBN 1111178321, out of print).
- Special, 1998 (Rude Shape, ISBN 1890528021, out of print).
- Tick, 2000 (Creation Books, ISBN 1840680482).
- Index, 2000 (Creation Books, ISBN 1840680105).
- Lazy, 2000 (Creation Books, ISBN 1840680105).
- Selfish, Little: The Annotated Leslie Ann Downey, 2004 (Void Books, limited to 1000 copies).
- Proxy: Peter Sotos Pornography 1991-2000, 2005 (Creation Books), a compendium of five of Sotos' works (Tool, Special, Tick, Index and Lazy). First edition, with CD by Sotos and Steve Albini, limited to 500 copies ([1] (http://www.creationbooks.com/frameset.asp?p=http://www.creationbooks.com/titles/PROXY.html)).
- Predicate, a study of Thomas Hamilton (scheduled for release in 2006).
Texts featuring Sotos
- Apocalypse Culture, edited by Adam Parfrey, interview with Sotos (Amok Books, 1990, ISBN 0922915059)
- .45 Dangerous Minds edited by Steve Blush and George Petros, interview with Sotos (Creation Books, 1999, ISBN 1840681241).
- Apocalypse Culture II, edited by Adam Parfrey, chapter by Sotos (Feral House, 2000, ISBN 0922915571)
- The Gates of Janus by Ian Brady, afterword by Sotos (Feral House Books, 2001, ISBN 0922915733)
- Straight To Hell: 20th Century Suicides, edited by Nomida King, contributed to by Sotos (Creation Books, 2003, ISBN 1840680903).
External Links
- Review of Selfish, Little (http://www.nypress.com/17/16/books/bookskoyen.cfm) by Jeff Koyen in New York Press.
- Creation Books (http://www.creationbooks.com/frameset.asp?p=news.html)
- Peter Sotos: A Case Study in Lust and the Unconditioned (http://www.rosenoire.org/essays/sotos.php) by Michael Lujan