Books by Arthur Machen
“One of the remarkable things about his novel is how it manages to unite the worlds of scientific materialism and of occult spiritualism.” Read more...
Darryl Jones, Literary Scholar
“The White People is probably my favourite weird tale. It has a philosophical preface, with two very English people talking about the nature of sin and this and that. But the bulk of it purports to be the diary of a seventeen-year-old girl. This girl has been raised in the countryside, and her parents are absent. Her father’s alive, but he doesn’t have any time for her. She’s very alone. She doesn’t mention any friends. She pretty much just has her governess, and she spends a lot of her time rambling in the countryside. As she’s narrating events, she keeps making references to strange things…It’s clear that her governess is some kind of witch – not a sinister witch who’s trying to do anything, just someone who inherited very old practices, and because she’s in charge of her, she teaches her these things.” Read more...
Interviews where books by Arthur Machen were recommended
The Best Weird Fiction Books, recommended by Michael Cisco
Weird fiction uses the supernatural to throw all our experience into doubt, says author and academic Michael Cisco. He introduces us to five favourites, featuring everything from ghosts to fairies to cults – all subtly constructed, infused with real human feeling, and calculated to perturb.
The best books on Horror Stories, recommended by Ramsey Campbell
From the psychological terror of a haunted house to the spectral dread of an indescribable colour, the British horror writer recommends five disturbing tales to get you in the mood for Halloween
The Best Horror Stories, recommended by Darryl Jones
Why was 1897 such a great year for horror? How did Charles Darwin’s discoveries impact the genre? Trinity College, Dublin professor Darryl Jones selects some of the best of the genre—and discusses why we find these stories so fascinating.
