N: In a London suburb, time is warping for one person
Written by Arthur Machen
Narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick
()
About this audiobook
Machen came from a long line of clergymen, and when he was two, his father became vicar of a small parish about five miles north of Caerleon, and Machen was brought up at the rectory there.
In his early years he received an excellent classical education, but family poverty ruled out university, and he was sent to London to sit exams to attend medical school but failed the exams. He did show literary promise with the publication of the poem ‘Eleusinia’ in 1821. But life in London was difficult and it was only in 1884 that he published again and was taken on to translate several French works which thereafter became the standard editions for many years.
In 1887, his father died. That same year he married Amelia Hogg, a maverick music teacher with a passion for the theatre. He also began to receive legacies from Scottish relatives which allowed him to devote more time to writing.
After publishing in literary magazines in 1894 he published his first book ‘The Great God Pan’. Its sexual and horrific content very much helped sales.
Over the next decade or so he wrote some of his best work but was unable to find a publisher mainly due to the collapse of the decadent market over Oscar Wilde’s scandalous trial.
In 1899, his wife died and during his long recovery he took up acting and travelled around the country as part of a travelling company. Three years later he was publishing again and had remarried.
Re-publishing of earlier works helped anchor both his reputation and his income. By the time the Great War opened Europe’s wounds he returned to the public eye with ‘The Bowmen’ helped by the publicity around the ‘Angel of Mons’ episode.
However, by the late 20’s new works had dried up and his back catalogue was no longer a source of regular income.
In 1932 he received a Civil List pension of ₤100 per annum but other work was not forthcoming. His finances finally stabilised with a literary appeal in 1943 for his eightieth birthday and allowed him to live his remaining years in relative comfort.
Arthur Machen died on 15th December 1947 in Beaconsfield. He was 84.
In "N" Machen brilliantly sets up an alternate reality in Stoke Newington, North London. But his characters are not quite so sure which reality they actually inhabit.
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen (1863–1947) was a Welsh author and actor best known for his fantasy and horror fiction. He grew up with intentions of becoming a doctor, but followed a boyhood passion of the supernatural and occult and started to write. In 1890, Machen began publishing short stories in literary magazines. Four years later, he released his breakthrough work, The Great God Pan. Decried upon initial publication for its depictions of sex and violence, the tale has since become a horror classic and has been hailed as “maybe the best [horror story] in the English language” by Stephen King. Machen continued to publish supernatural novels but spent time as actor in a traveling player company after his wife’s death. His literary career revived once more with the publication of his works The House of Souls and The Hill of Dreams. During World War I, Machen became a full-time journalist. Though he rallied for republications of his works, Machen’s literary career ultimately diminished, and he lived much of his life in poor finances.
More audiobooks from Arthur Machen
The Great God Pan and Other Weird Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holy Terrors: Nine Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Doug Bradley's Spinechillers Volume Seven: Classic Horror Short Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The White People Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Top 10 Short Stories - Brtitish Gothic: The ten best gothic short stories of all time by British authors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The White People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ceremony Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to N
Related audiobooks
The Three Impostors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5St. John's Eve (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKashtanka Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMan Overboard: A horror tale set on a ship, full of mystery and twists along the way. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Double Return Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Red Hand Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Upper Berth: A sailor recounts his time on a mysterious ship, unexplained forces and horror awaits. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Novel of the White Powder: An early 20th century tale of drugs and madness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Step Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shunned House Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Case of Charles Dexter Ward Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Sredni Vashtar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Scarlet Plague Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shunned House (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStories of Duels, Trials, Bets and Dares Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Inferno (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Yellow Book - Vol 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Descent into the Maelström (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Philosophy of the Damned (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Classic Ghost Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Very Black Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnatomical Stories: Gruesome Tales of Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Death of Halpin Frayser Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oh Whistle and Ill Come to You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe String Quartet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Creepiest Stories Ever Written: 50 Great Classic Horror Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secret Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Case of Charles Dexter Ward (Ungekürzt) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Fantasy For You
A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fourth Wing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Iron Flame Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Two Towers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Omens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods [TV Tie-In]: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Parable of the Sower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From Blood and Ash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Silver Flames Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warbreaker Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hobbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Neverwhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bookshops & Bonedust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House in the Cerulean Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outlander Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starling House: A Reese's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for N
0 ratings0 reviews