"Beloved Demons is an insight into the soul . . . an extraordinarily frank exploration of the deepest, darkest crevices of human experience with occasional lashings of light and humour. It’s a poetic and visceral stream of consciousness."
—Alex from the UK
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PictureEiffel Tower in background
"[Anthony's] short stories were amazing, often triggering but always full of heart. In the end, they made me feel good about myself and the world, even if, in the beginning, I was feeling very much down."
—Sarah from France
"I felt a kind of relief as I read the stories about Martignetti’s family. They made me feel less lonely about having been through similar moments myself, and even about having a hard time dealing with it. Also, when he talked about hate in the last chapter, admitting to feel it even about people he barely knows, I thought it was very brave, and very enlightening (to me) as a way to understand and accept that such emotions (considered "bad") are too a part of being human. As I read Lunatic Heroes, I never felt so strongly the cathartic effect that someone's stories can have in another person, that is, ultimately, the effect that art can have over another random person."
--Marcela from São Paulo
"Beloved Demons is about the human condition. Predominantly love. I drank from this book. There was the need to digest and ponder for a while after finishing some stories. You realise how astounding and real a human can be through Anthony’s personal narrative.
These stories very much awoke AND comforted my own beloved demons. Now, whether I’m just another crazy or this writer has just ultimately exposed the human race, as it should be, I don’t know. But, for me, Anthony’s stories provided comfort. The compilation, the book itself, was therapeutic."
—Yana from Australia
"Naked, vulnerable, transparent, raw, wide open, honest, heartfelt, funny, tragic, truthful .... just some of the words that spring to mind to describe [Beloved Demons]. Oh, did I mention it's incredibly well-written, poetic in places and always intelligent, witty, sharp, provocative, challenging ... This book will make you think, it will make you weep, laugh, and -- if you're like me -- dance around the room when you're done. Many of these stories are not easy to read, because they are SO truthful they make you squirm. But stick with it ... you will not only see into the heart and soul of a compassionate and wise man, full of human frailties and foibles, but you will probably also see into your own heart as Martignetti's particular personal experiences point at the universal human condition."
—Bonnie from Maine



"I can honestly say I have never read anything like Beloved Demons. No book has had the same effect on me, ever. Martignetti’s first book was absolutely brilliant but number two blew me away. His honesty was inspiring.
It’s a fucking cracking book and I loved it. His whole upbringing resonates with me. The big hypocritical catholic thing. Parents who fought behind closed doors. Behaving correctly for the society we grew up in. And sex is worse than shooting each other. For fuck sake. Also, the whole idea of spending years building a reputation and then setting about wrecking it is Pure Punk in my book and should be applauded standing up....! It was 'Epic'. So it was."
--Paul from London
"[Beloved Demons] takes you into a poignant and dark journey deep through the lanes and alleys of a human soul. A soul brave enough to let guests in without cleaning up and hiding certain things. . . . It is a collection of mind twists and hungry thinking. . . . We all should read such memoirs.”
—Vera from Moscow
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The only two known hard copies of Anthony's books in Russia. Photo by Vera Golosova
"Sometimes a work is so powerful and potent in its courage and its honesty that it lifts up the space around itself, inviting intimacy and strength all at once. I am grateful for the introduction to his work and honour the way people dedicated to their own life journeys tend to discover and share treasures along the way. Anthony's books have become shared treasures, it appears, for many who have been moved by his writing and his stories.
I remember my first time in a sweat lodge, where I was moved by the invitation to honesty, intensity and a kind of truthfulness that was no longer content to wait for a more comfortable moment. Reading Beloved Demons took me to a similar place.
After reading Beloved Demons, I wanted more. Another series of stories to deepen the mystery and experience of life. A change of address; more proximity.
I finished the book thinking, this is the guy I want to be talking to after the most rewarding or unsettling of days. And - in a sense - having read his stories, he is with me, unflinching in his ability to look at our accommodations to pain and fear and deprivation, and the lives we build out of them, and the stories we create out of those lives."
—Harry from Toronto