Stinkhorn - How Nature’s Most Foul Smelling Mushroom Can Change the Way We Listen

In this genre-defying exploration of scent and sound, Stinkhorn by Siôn Parkinson delves into the strange, smelly world of one of nature’s most bizarre fungi. Blending natural history, science writing, musicology, and memoir, Parkinson builds a provocative theory of “Stink” as a kind of “smelling sound.” Centered around the infamous stinkhorn mushroom—known for its pungent odor and phallic form—the book traverses topics from John Cage’s silent walks and Brian Eno’s scented compositions to hallucinated smells caused by seizures. A bold meditation on malodor, perception, and the philosophy of the senses, Stinkhorn redefines how we think about listening, smelling, and meaning-making.