Arthur Machen

Arthur Machen

Arthur Machen is perhaps not a household name in literature, but his works are well-worth reading. His fiction is really in a category of its own: a mix of horror, psychological terror, occult, often with a foundation based on ancient myth or religion. Roman history frequently weaves its way into his themes.

Machen was born in 1863 in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, Wales. Though his name was Arthur Llewelyn Jones, his father, a vicar, had added his wife's maiden name to his, making it Jones-Machen, and Arthur was baptized with that name. He later shortened it to Machen.

Though at first he attempted to go to medical school, he wasn't accepted. But soon after, he found his true calling was to the literary world. His first work, a poem, was published in 1881. He went to London and struggled as a journalist, publisher's clerk, and tutor, while continuing to write. His second work was published in 1884, and he also began doing translations from French.

In 1887, Machen married Amelia Hogg, who introduced him to other literary people and also to the occultist E. A. Waite. He also received some legacies from relatives which allowed him to devote time to writing. This information, is found on the Arthur Machen page at Wikipedia , and you may read more about his interesting life there.

As for me, I fell in love with his writing after reading The Three Impostors, which I had to read twice before I "got it," but once I did, I was duly impressed. His writing is very deep and intense and foreboding, and not easy to understand. Doing research for additional information and opinions helps. Here is what I have reviewed so far, but Project Gutenberg has more of his works available, so they will eventually find their way onto my tablet. If you like spine-tinglers, definitely check out Machen's novels and stories.

Arthur Machen

Machen's Works

Novels
The Great God Pan and The Hill of Dreams
The Terror: A Mystery
The Three Impostors

Short Stories
The Great Return
The Shining Pyramid

Collections
The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War

Stories found in Multi-Author Collections
The White People
found in
Great Horror Stories: Tales by Stoker, Poe, Lovecraft and Others

The Inmost Light
found in
Great Weird Tales: 14 Stories by Lovecraft, Blackwood, Machen and Others

Non-Fiction
Far Off Things
Hieroglyphics

The Great God Pan

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