And the Ass Saw the Angel centres on Euchrid Eucrow, a deaf mute born into a swampy backwoods world of drunks and religious zealots. Nick Cave lost the manuscript for the book twice - once in Berlin and again in London.


‘The story of And The Ass Saw The Angel came to me in fits and starts.

I began writing the story without any structured narrative in mind at all. It slowly unfolded over time. Halfway through writing the book, I realised I wanted to make the central character, Euchrid Eucrow, a mute — a boy that could not speak — so I had to begin the book all over again.

I carried the manuscript around in plastic shopping bags as I travelled from place to place, writing it by hand, or on a typewriter, whenever one was available. On two occasions I lost the entire book and had to begin again. I began to collect mounds of highly detailed descriptive notes for the book which I discovered in a box in the bottom of a cupboard when putting the Stranger Than Kindness exhibition together.

Here is a small selection of typed and handwritten pages with their manic scribbling. I hope you like them.’

- Nick Cave

Number of pages: 8
Size: A4
Print: Offset
Paper: Bible paper, Biblio Print 60gsm
Printed by Narayana