Guilty But Insane

Poppy Z. Brite is nothing if not wacky and witty. Best known as the author of four novels (Lost Souls; Drawing Blood, etc.), she again proves her skill for provocative, meditative writing in her current collection of short nonfiction essays, Guilty but Insane. These brief pieces cover a variety of subjects, including decadence, the genre of horror writing, William S. Burroughs and her fantasy of an inspired love affair between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Although her readers know that Brite loves to toy with them, her ability to do so candidly and immodestly will please her current fans and should attract new ones, particularly among a literary Gen X crowd. (Mar.)