Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century.
In 1864, when Machen was two, his father John Edward Jones, became vicar of the parish of Llanddewi Fach with Llandegveth, about five miles north of Caerleon, and Machen was brought up at the rectory there.
Bewilderments of Vision: Hallucination and Literature, 1880–1914.
Machen, however, showed literary promise, publishing in 1881 a long poem "Eleusinia" on the subject of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
In 1884 he published his second work, the pastiche The Anatomy of Tobacco, and secured work with the publisher and bookseller George Redway as a cataloguer and magazine editor.
In 1887, the year his father died, Machen married Amelia (Amy) Hogg, an unconventional music teacher with a passion for the theatre, who had literary friends in London's bohemian circles.
Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century.
Soon after his marriage, Machen began to receive a series of legacies from Scottish relatives that allowed him to gradually devote more time to writing. ===Literary decadence in the 1890s=== Around 1890 Machen began to publish in literary magazines, writing stories influenced by the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, some of which used gothic or fantastic themes.
His gothic and decadent works of the 1890s concluded that the lifting of this veil could lead to madness, sex, or death, and usually a combination of all three.
Joshi see Machen's works as a significant part of the late Victorian revival of the gothic novel and the decadent movement of the 1890s, bearing direct comparison to the themes found in contemporary works like Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The society was nominated for a Non-Professional in 2006. == Selected works == In approximate order of composition, with date of publication: The Chronicle of Clemendy (1888): fantasy tales within a frame story of a rural Welsh drinking fraternity with mystical roots. "The Lost Club" (1890): short story about a secret London society and its ritual disappearances of members. The Great God Pan (written 1890–1894; published 1894): short horror novel.
"Horror in the 1890s: The Case of Arthur Machen".
His novella The Great God Pan (1890; 1894) has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror, with Stephen King describing it as "Maybe the best story in the English language." He is also well known for "The Bowmen", a short story that was widely read as fact, creating the legend of the Angels of Mons. ==Biography== ===Early years=== Machen was born Arthur Llewelyn Jones in Caerleon, Monmouthshire.
It was published in 1894 by John Lane in the noted Keynotes Series, which was part of the growing aesthetic movement of the time.
The society was nominated for a Non-Professional in 2006. == Selected works == In approximate order of composition, with date of publication: The Chronicle of Clemendy (1888): fantasy tales within a frame story of a rural Welsh drinking fraternity with mystical roots. "The Lost Club" (1890): short story about a secret London society and its ritual disappearances of members. The Great God Pan (written 1890–1894; published 1894): short horror novel.
Machen's story was widely denounced for its sexual and horrific content and consequently sold well, going into a second edition. Machen next produced The Three Impostors, a novel composed of a number of interwoven tales, in 1895.
It focuses on a murder performed with an ancient stone axe. The Hill of Dreams (written 1895–1897; published 1907): novel delineating the dark, mystical spiraling madness, awe, sensuality, horror and ecstasy of an artist.
Generally considered Machen's masterpiece. Ornaments in Jade (written 1897; published 1924): prose poems, some of which hint at dark pagan powers. "The White People" (written 1899; published 1904): short horror story.
These included The Hill of Dreams, Hieroglyphics, A Fragment of Life, the story "The White People", and the stories which make up Ornaments in Jade. ===Tragedy and acting: 1899–1910=== In 1899, Machen's wife Amy died of cancer after a long period of illness.
Generally considered Machen's masterpiece. Ornaments in Jade (written 1897; published 1924): prose poems, some of which hint at dark pagan powers. "The White People" (written 1899; published 1904): short horror story.
Often described as one of the greatest of all horror short stories. Hieroglyphics: A Note upon Ecstasy in Literature (written 1899; published 1902): literary tract detailing Machen's philosophy of literature and its capacity for "ecstasy". A Fragment of Life (written 1899–1904; published 1904): short novel.
Reprinted in an edition of 350 copies by Tartarus Press, 2003): book of coded and mystical correspondence. The Secret Glory (written 1899–1908; published 1922): novel.
It was through Waite's influence that Machen joined at this time the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, though Machen's interest in the organization was not lasting or very deep. Machen's recovery was further helped by his sudden change of career, becoming an actor in 1901 and a member of Frank Benson's company of travelling players, a profession which took him round the country. This led in 1903 to a second marriage, to Dorothie Purefoy Hudleston, which brought Machen much happiness.
Machen managed to find a publisher in 1902 for his earlier written work Hieroglyphics, an analysis of the nature of literature, which concluded that true literature must convey "ecstasy".
Often described as one of the greatest of all horror short stories. Hieroglyphics: A Note upon Ecstasy in Literature (written 1899; published 1902): literary tract detailing Machen's philosophy of literature and its capacity for "ecstasy". A Fragment of Life (written 1899–1904; published 1904): short novel.
It was through Waite's influence that Machen joined at this time the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, though Machen's interest in the organization was not lasting or very deep. Machen's recovery was further helped by his sudden change of career, becoming an actor in 1901 and a member of Frank Benson's company of travelling players, a profession which took him round the country. This led in 1903 to a second marriage, to Dorothie Purefoy Hudleston, which brought Machen much happiness.
Generally considered Machen's masterpiece. Ornaments in Jade (written 1897; published 1924): prose poems, some of which hint at dark pagan powers. "The White People" (written 1899; published 1904): short horror story.
Often described as one of the greatest of all horror short stories. Hieroglyphics: A Note upon Ecstasy in Literature (written 1899; published 1902): literary tract detailing Machen's philosophy of literature and its capacity for "ecstasy". A Fragment of Life (written 1899–1904; published 1904): short novel.
A young couple repudiate the banalities of material life in favour of the spiritual. The House of the Hidden Light (Written in 1904 with Arthur Edward Waite.
In 1906 Machen's literary career began once more to flourish as the book The House of Souls collected his most notable works of the nineties and brought them to a new audience.
In 1907, The Hill of Dreams, generally considered Machen's masterpiece, was finally published, though it was not recognized much at the time. The next few years saw Machen continue with acting in various companies and with journalistic work, but he was finding it increasingly hard to earn a living and his legacies were long exhausted.
It focuses on a murder performed with an ancient stone axe. The Hill of Dreams (written 1895–1897; published 1907): novel delineating the dark, mystical spiraling madness, awe, sensuality, horror and ecstasy of an artist.
Machen was also attending literary gatherings such as the New Bohemians and the Square Club. ===Journalism and the Great War: 1910–1921=== Finally Machen accepted a full-time journalist's job at Alfred Harmsworth's Evening News in 1910.
In February 1912 his son Hilary was born, followed by a daughter Janet in 1917.
The coming of war in 1914 saw Machen return to public prominence for the first time in twenty years due to the publication of "The Bowmen" and the subsequent publicity surrounding the "Angels of Mons" episode.
In February 1912 his son Hilary was born, followed by a daughter Janet in 1917.
The money came in useful, allowing him to move in 1919 to a bigger house with a garden, in St John's Wood, which became a noted location for literary gatherings attended by friends such as the painter Augustus John, D.
Machen, however, was recognized as a great Fleet Street character by his contemporaries, and he remained in demand as an essay writer for much of the twenties. ===The Machen boom of the 1920s=== The year 1922 saw a revival in Machen's literary fortunes.
Lovecraft's reading of Machen in the early 1920s led him away from his earlier Dunsanian writing towards the development of what became the Cthulhu Mythos.
Machen's dismissal from the Evening News in 1921 came as a relief in one sense, though it caused financial problems.
Machen, however, was recognized as a great Fleet Street character by his contemporaries, and he remained in demand as an essay writer for much of the twenties. ===The Machen boom of the 1920s=== The year 1922 saw a revival in Machen's literary fortunes.
Reprinted in an edition of 350 copies by Tartarus Press, 2003): book of coded and mystical correspondence. The Secret Glory (written 1899–1908; published 1922): novel.
Vincent Starrett, James Branch Cabell, and Carl Van Vechten were American Machen devotees who helped in this process. Another sign of his rising fortunes was the publication in 1923 of a collected edition of his works (the "Caerleon Edition") and a bibliography.
That year also saw the publication of a recently completed second volume of autobiography, Things Near and Far—the third and final volume, The London Adventure, being published in 1924.
In 1924 he issued a collection of bad reviews of his own work, with very little commentary, under the title Precious Balms.
Generally considered Machen's masterpiece. Ornaments in Jade (written 1897; published 1924): prose poems, some of which hint at dark pagan powers. "The White People" (written 1899; published 1904): short horror story.
In this period of prosperity Machen's home saw many visitors and social gatherings, and Machen made new friends, such as Oliver Stonor. ===Final years: 1926–1947=== By 1926 the boom in republication was mostly over, and Machen's income dropped.
In 1927, he became a manuscript reader for the publisher Ernest Benn, which brought in a much-needed regular income until 1933. In 1929, Machen and his family moved away from London to Amersham in Buckinghamshire, but they still faced financial hardship.
In 1927, he became a manuscript reader for the publisher Ernest Benn, which brought in a much-needed regular income until 1933. In 1929, Machen and his family moved away from London to Amersham in Buckinghamshire, but they still faced financial hardship.
He received some recognition for his literary work when he received a Civil List pension of £100 per annum in 1932, but the loss of work from Benn's a year later made things difficult once more.
In 1927, he became a manuscript reader for the publisher Ernest Benn, which brought in a much-needed regular income until 1933. In 1929, Machen and his family moved away from London to Amersham in Buckinghamshire, but they still faced financial hardship.
He stated in response to a 1937 questionnaire on the Spanish Civil War in the Left Review, "Mr.
A few more collections of Machen's shorter works were published in the thirties, partially as a result of the championing of Machen by John Gawsworth, who also began work on a biography of Machen that was only published in 2005 thanks to the Friends of Arthur Machen. Machen's financial difficulties were only finally ended by the literary appeal launched in 1943 for his eightieth birthday.
Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century.
The success of the appeal allowed Machen to live the last few years of his life, until 1947, in relative comfort. ==Views== ===Spiritual=== From the beginning of his literary career, Machen espoused a mystical belief that the humdrum ordinary world hid a more mysterious and strange world beyond.
Other notable figures with an enthusiasm for Machen have included Brocard Sewell, Barry Humphries, Stewart Lee and Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. ===Literary societies=== An Arthur Machen Society was established in 1948 in the United States and survived until the 1960s.
Other notable figures with an enthusiasm for Machen have included Brocard Sewell, Barry Humphries, Stewart Lee and Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. ===Literary societies=== An Arthur Machen Society was established in 1948 in the United States and survived until the 1960s.
London: John Baker, 1963.
New York: Twayne Publishers, 1964. Tearle, Oliver.
Mythlore 8.1 (Spring 1981): 41–42. Sweetser, Wesley D.
It was followed by the Arthur Machen Society based in the UK, in 1986, which in turn was replaced by the current literary society, The Friends of Arthur Machen. The Friends of Arthur Machen (FoAM) is a non-profit international literary society founded in 1998 dedicated to supporting interest in Arthur Machen and his work, and to aid research.
Paperback reprint, Oxford: Caermaen Books, 1988. Simons, John.
Austin: U of Texas P, 1990. Reynolds, Aidan; Charlton, William.
New York: Greenwood, 1991.
London: Pluto Press, 1993.
Bridgend: Seren Books, 1995. Wagenknecht, Edward.
It was followed by the Arthur Machen Society based in the UK, in 1986, which in turn was replaced by the current literary society, The Friends of Arthur Machen. The Friends of Arthur Machen (FoAM) is a non-profit international literary society founded in 1998 dedicated to supporting interest in Arthur Machen and his work, and to aid research.
Reprinted in an edition of 350 copies by Tartarus Press, 2003): book of coded and mystical correspondence. The Secret Glory (written 1899–1908; published 1922): novel.
A few more collections of Machen's shorter works were published in the thirties, partially as a result of the championing of Machen by John Gawsworth, who also began work on a biography of Machen that was only published in 2005 thanks to the Friends of Arthur Machen. Machen's financial difficulties were only finally ended by the literary appeal launched in 1943 for his eightieth birthday.
[Leyburn]: Friends of Arthur Machen & Tartarus Press, 2005. Goho, James.
The society was nominated for a Non-Professional in 2006. == Selected works == In approximate order of composition, with date of publication: The Chronicle of Clemendy (1888): fantasy tales within a frame story of a rural Welsh drinking fraternity with mystical roots. "The Lost Club" (1890): short story about a secret London society and its ritual disappearances of members. The Great God Pan (written 1890–1894; published 1894): short horror novel.
"Eureka in Yellow: The Art of Detection in Arthur Machen's Keynote Mysteries." CLUES: A Journal of Detection 25.1 (Fall 2006): 58–69. Games, Gwilym (ed).
Machen concludes that Canning was lying about some or all of her exploits. Dreads and Drolls (1926): essays (expanded edition, Tartarus Press: 2007). Notes and Queries (1926): essays. Tom O'Bedlam and His Song (1930): essays. "Opening the Door" (1931): short story.
Machenology: Tributes to the Master of Mysteries, 2007.
In 2010, to mark the 150 years since Machen's birth, two volumes of Machen's work were republished in the prestigious Library of Wales series. Literary critics such as Wesley D.
"The Laureate of Strange", Rue Morgue #131 (March 2013). Fox, Paul.
New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 2014.
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