British Authors - 20th Century - Literary Biography, Welsh Authors - Biography, British Authors - General & Miscellaneous - Literary Biography

Arthur Machen

Name: Arthur Machen
Author: Mark Valentine
ISBN: 9781854111265

by Mark Valentine

Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Overview

Arthur Conan Doyle called Machen a genius; Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats and H.G. Wells admired him. His classic horror novel The Great God Pan, which both shocked and delighted contemporary readers with its dark portrayal of sexuality and its alluring villainess, has been favourably compared to Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; his The Secret Glory changed John Betjeman's life; while his masterpiece The Hill of Dreams, located in his beloved Gwent, has been called the most beautiful book in the English language. It is a testimony to his writing skill that through one short story, The Bowmen, he once made thousands believe that angels had appeared at the Battle of Mons, sparking a whole series of myths. Largely neglected by critics and biographers, Machen has remained an inspiration to those readers who have sought him out, and current admirers include cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and TV personality Barry Humphries. Mark Valentine's biography, the first in many decades, provides a much needed re-examination of Machen's varied and fascinating career.