Welcome back to another edition of, Dark Authors Of Yester-Year. This is just a mere part in a series that author, AR Braun and I are bringing to you. Braun’s site, which can be found here, http://arbraunsblog.blogspot.com  has a myriad of useful information on this an many other subjects as well. Stop on by and say hello!

Today, the spotlight is on one of the most influential and unique dark authors to write a story. Without further ado, I give you, Algernon Blackwood. 3/14/1869-12/10/1951

Why?

In his own words, “My fundamental interest, I suppose, is signs and proofs of other powers that lie hidden in us all; the extension, in other words, of human faculty. So many of my stories, therefore, deal with extension of consciousness; speculative and imaginative treatment of possibilities outside our normal range of consciousness. … Also, all that happens in our universe is natural; under Law; but an extension of our so limited normal consciousness can reveal new, extra-ordinary powers etc., and the word “supernatural” seems the best word for treating these in fiction. I believe it possible for our consciousness to change and grow, and that with this change we may become aware of a new universe. A “change” in consciousness, in its type, I mean, is something more than a mere extension of what we already possess and know.”

This obviously unique premise was new to its time… even now and seldom used. Regardless it provided fiction that was truly an interactive experience. As opposed to reading characters, we find ourselves becoming merged with the people, not characters of Blackwood’s fiction. This provided for a deeply introspective read filled with supernatural metaphors.

What influence?

Blackwood’s work has influenced practically every modern and contemporary suspense, horror and fantastical writer… even still. H.P. Lovecraft included him as a “modern master” in his essay, “Supernatural Horror in Literature.” Back then, everyone considered any genre “literary” unlike today… but I digress… Literary critic, S.T. Joshi said, “”his work is more consistently meritorious than any weird writer’s except Dunsany’s” and that his short story collection Incredible Adventures “may be the premier weird collection of this or any other century”.

Aside from influencing his contemporaries, Blackwood continues to do so by directly influencing acclaimed horror novelist, Robert Bloch-whom attributed much of his inspiration from Blackwood for his novel, Psycho. Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, just to name a few.

The Word!

A prolific short story writer, play-write and novelist, his work spans fourteen novels, six plays and 32 short fiction collections. Best known for his stories, “The Willows” and, “The Wendigo.” The latter, Stephen King used to great effect in his own novel, “Pet Sematary.”

The Willows-1907 A tale of horror in which a pleasant sojourn down the Danube tumbles terrifyingly awry as the veil between this world and an unfathomably weird dimension is inadvertently pierced by an innocent pair of vacationers, “The Willows”, arguably Algernon Blackwood’s seminal contribution to supernatural literature, has had a lasting influence on the field. No less a personage than H. P. Lovecraft describing it as “…the greatest weird tale ever written.” A reading will reveal a clear influence to one familiar with Lovecraft’s work. The masterful handling of mystery and suspense that build to a quite satisfyingly unnerving crescendo may be particularly noted by the discerning aficionado of the genre.(Summary by Michael T. Robinson)

The Wendigo-1910 Another camper tale, this time set in the Canadian wilderness. A hunting party separates to track moose, and one member is abducted by the Wendigo of legend. Robert Aickman regarded this as “one of the (possibly) six great masterpieces in the field”

Where?

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/algernon-blackwood/

To stream and or download a reading of, “The Willows”, have a browse here: http://librivox.org/the-willows-by-algernon-blackwood/ Trust me, you’ll love it.

 -Ben

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