“To be in agony is, etymologically, to be battling against something, to be locked in a contest. In the pages of this magazine, you will see a battle waged. It is a battle against the habits of shallow feeling that are so pervasive and commanding in our culture, a battle against the ancient temptation to convenient idols, a battle against ersatz humanity, a battle against the logic of the swarm. The anti-culture is powerful, and many believe the way to fight it is to fight, with renewed vigour, the “culture wars.” We think of battle differently. When the stakes of the conflict are the existence of culture at all, then making war over culture can never be as effective as making culture, making art.”

Sean Haylock – Editor of Agony