Here's a general question: Do you have a favorite 20th Century British author of weird fiction, other than Arthur Machen, M.R. James, and Algernon Blackwood? This past year I delved into the stories of William Fryer Harvey, W.W. Jacobs and John Metcalfe. What about those of John Buchan, L.P. Hartley, and Thomas Burke? They wrote mostly outside of the fantasy sphere with the possible exception of Buchan. Has anyone read Margaret Irwin's book "Madame Fears the Dark"? Her story, "Monsieur Seeks a Wife" made a strong impression on me. Anyway, of particular tales, Harvey's "The Beast With Five Fingers" and Metcalfe's "The Bad Lands" are exceptionally excellent. I thought Metcalfe's plots were less interesting than Harvey's overall-- a bit more descriptively effective if less dramatically so. Harvey struck me as a true master. Jacobs is fine of course, but too theatrical for my taste. Comments/reading suggestions appreciated.

jkh

A tough question, I have a lot of favourite 20th Century British authors of weird fiction, other than Arthur Machen, M.R. James, and Algernon Blackwood. For example:

Barry Pain
William Hope Hodgson
H.G. Welles
Walter De La Mare
J.B. Priestley
Oliver Onions
A.C. Doyle

Some stories by Aleister Crowley are quite good (The Soul-Hunter, The Mysterious Malady, The Testament Of Magdalene Blair, The Drug)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 7 Sep 22 | 11:39AM by Minicthulhu.

I rather like E.F. Benson.

Platypus Wrote:
---------------------------
> I rather like E.F. Benson. Yes, and H. Russell Wakefield. What about A.M. Burrage? I noticed he wrote some psychic investigator stories, similar to Hodgson's Carnacki?

jkh

Ramsey Campbell -- although currently contemporary, he started out in the 20th Century; M. P. Shiel -- who was born in the British territory of Montserrat but moved to and wrote mostly in England; and does Lord Dunsany count as "weird"?

"I noticed he wrote some psychic investigator stories."

By the way, is there any difference between "psychic" and "paranormal?"

Minicthulhu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "I noticed he wrote some psychic investigator
> stories."
>
> By the way, is there any difference between
> "psychic" and "paranormal?"


I guess "paranormal" fits for
most of these investigators of supernatural phenomena. One of them, Miles Pennoyer (sp.?), in stories by Margery Lawrence is definitely psychic.
But all of them show intuition to the verge of the psychic.

jkh

Kipling Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Minicthulhu Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "I noticed he wrote some psychic investigator
> > stories."
> >
> > By the way, is there any difference between
> > "psychic" and "paranormal?"
>
>
> I guess "paranormal" fits for
> most of these investigators of supernatural
> phenomena. One of them, Miles Pennoyer (sp.?), in
> stories by Margery Lawrence is definitely psychic.
>
> But all of them show intuition to the verge of the
> psychic.

I can't recall that Carnacki ever showed psychic tendencies