The Future of Agony

And the release of Volume IV

Today, Volume IV of Agony is available to subscribers through our new website.

Many people have told us that the work we do at Agony is important. I have taken them at their word. Creating something as beautiful as Agony is costly. Beyond maintaining our high standard of quality, I plan to grow Agony into something even more rewarding for our readers, attracting more brilliant contributors, commissioning more exceptional writing, and crafting a product that is even more exquisite.

In order to survive, Agony must grow. That is why we are asking you now to subscribe for 2025. A subscription will secure you a copy of Volume IV now, plus each of the three volumes planned for the coming year.

The best way for you to ensure the appearance of quality content, here on the Agony Substack as well as in the pages of the magazine, is by sharing our new website far and wide, and telling your friends and loved ones about the singular creation that is Agony.

Volume IV features original work by Thom Sullivan, Kieran Hookway, James Donald Forbes McCann, Anna Freer, Matthew A. Stanley, and many others. You’ll also read in Volume IV another instalment of Vlad Popescu’s translation of Romanian philosopher Andrei Plesu’s brilliant commentary on the parables (an Agony exclusive), one of the finest stories by short story master Saki, and a scintillating piece of commentary from a lesser-known work by Daniel Defoe.

I’m very proud of Volume IV, and I hope you’re excited to read it, but I also know it is just a taste of the kind of exceptional content I want Agony to deliver in 2025. Subscribe for yourself, or, at no extra cost, give a gift like no other.

With gratitude and blessings,

Sean Haylock

Agony Editor-in-chief