The Hill of Dreams Arthur Machen 9781536954777 Books
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Arthur Machen (3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan (1890; 1894) has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language"). He is also well known for his leading role in creating the legend of the Angels of Mons.
The Hill of Dreams Arthur Machen 9781536954777 Books
Arthur Machen, one of the 20th Century's most talented writers of supernatural horror fiction, published Hill of Dreams, his autobiographic novel, in 1907. The novel concerns a gifted young writer, Lucien Taylor, whose calling to write great (not just good) works of literature dooms him to self-destruction.The novel follows Lucien's life from boyhood until his mid-twenties. Lucien grows up in a rural village in Wales near the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress (Machen himself grew up in Caerleon, Wales near the ruins of the Roman citadel, Isca Silurum). While exploring these ruins, Lucien undergoes a mystical awakening and becomes fascinated with ancient Roman culture, paganism and the supernatural. His imagination is so captured, it is only a matter of time until he starts to write fiction with supernatural and pagan themes.
While still in his teens, Lucien sends a manuscript to a publishing firm. The publisher rejects the manuscript. A few months later, Lucien purchases a newly-published novel which contains entire chapters lifted from his "rejected" manuscript. Saddened and angered, Lucien again wanders to the Roman ruins. There, he happens to meet a neighbor girl and has a sexual encounter which he associates with the fauns and nymphs of Roman mythology.
Lucien's imagination is so active that the border between reality and fantasy is sometimes blurred. In an effort to reach new heights of imagination and expression, Lucien begins to induce mystic experiences and trances. He dabbles in the occult, engages in masochistic rituals and starves himself to induce visions. His neighbors and relatives notice the changes in Lucien and encourage him to eat, to get plenty of rest, to give up writing and to pursue a real occupation.
Unexpectedly, Lucien receives an inheritance which enables him to move to London and devote himself to writing full time. By this time, Lucien is caught in a downward spiral of increasingly disturbing visions, induced by a number of unhealthy methods. He manages to completely erase the border between fantasy and reality, but ironically, he has so disabled himself that he can no longer write coherently.
Machen's story reads almost like poetry and is told in an artful, subtle fashion. The imagery of the first chapter is indescribably beautiful. The final four chapters, detailing his character's descent into insanity, are vivid and horrific. Machen describes the final sensations of a dying brain so vividly and in such detail that I cannot help but wonder how close Machen came to the same fate. Hill of Dreams is among the finest portrayals of the self-destructive artist, ranking with Coleridge's Kubla Khan, Mann's Doctor Faustus and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantasique. Through repeated allusions to Poe, Coleridge and DeQuincey, Machen pays tribute to other great writers who have tried the same path to greatness. Although Machen has achieved cult icon status (due, in part, to his role in the creation of the Angel of Mons legend), he is underrated as an author. I am greatly impressed with all of his works that I've read thus far. Hill of Dreams is the most impressive of his works.
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Tags : The Hill of Dreams [Arthur Machen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Arthur Machen (3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural,Arthur Machen,The Hill of Dreams,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1536954772,General,LITERARY COLLECTIONS General,Literary Collections,Literature: Classics
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The Hill of Dreams Arthur Machen 9781536954777 Books Reviews
"The Hill of Dreams" is arguably Machen's finest work, and that is saying something. While there is definitely a story and most especially interesting characterization, the star feature of this jewel of a novel is Machen's rich descriptive prose, virtually prose poetry. It possesses exactly the dreamlike quality the story demands, and becomes a dream itself, a vision of rural beauty, into which the reader may enter. The lush prose, which seems to be supporting the story as a river supports and carries a boat, is eventually seen to have been a necessary tool, and all the elements of story-telling come together at the finale to round off a work of terrible beauty.
The Hill of Dreams, often considered the Welsh Horror author Arthur Machen's masterpiece, is surprisingly not a horror novel but a semi-autobiographical novel about a young man named Lucian Taylor struggling to be a successful writer in 1890's London. While the story is generally not considered as horror, it is indeed quite dark in some places and very psychological in nature. The pages are filled with poetic, visionary prose which describes the misty green hills, rivers, and open fields in very descriptive detail, as well as the simply country folk he is raised amongst in the welsh countryside. During both his childhood and adulthood he is very imaginative and curious about the world and how it works and why things and people are the way they are. He often considers himself an outsider amongst society and often imagines himself living in Ancient Britain during the time of the Romans living in a villa surrounded by pagan deities, beautiful exotic gardens, and clear fountains. It is made clear, especially during his time in a small apartment in London, that he isn't completely "there" as he often wanders around the streets in the dead of winter, spends days working on his manuscript, and exhibits masochistic pleasure at whipping himself with thorns. He is also estranged from his family and friends, refusing or forgetting to visit, even during holidays, which he feels sorry for, but still makes no attempt to contact them, intensely focused on suffering for his work. The Hill of Dreams is not an easy or light read, and it is of course dated, being written at the turn of the century, but if you're a fan of Arthur Machen, and enjoy his more famous horror works, such as The Great God Pan and The White People, then I'm sure you'll love The Hill of Dreams, as it is clearly of the same style and substance, and is truly a masterpiece of literature.
Thought this book was out of print, but was pleasantly surprised that it was available for ordering. Bought as a gift & recipient was elated at my purchase. Packed sufficiently enough & arrived rather quickly. Great job!
I had never read Arthur Machen before. This book lives up to its title. The dreamworld is both dark, vivid, and strange. And the main character is definitely an archetypal tortured artist that most of us creative folk can very much relate to. And I did not expect it to end the way it did. Well worth the read.
it's a wonderful book, but the "original 1907" version has no page numbers, no illustration credit for cover picture, no table of contents...in short, there are some bogus printings out there. exercise caution in buying.
Arthur Machen, one of the 20th Century's most talented writers of supernatural horror fiction, published Hill of Dreams, his autobiographic novel, in 1907. The novel concerns a gifted young writer, Lucien Taylor, whose calling to write great (not just good) works of literature dooms him to self-destruction.
The novel follows Lucien's life from boyhood until his mid-twenties. Lucien grows up in a rural village in Wales near the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress (Machen himself grew up in Caerleon, Wales near the ruins of the Roman citadel, Isca Silurum). While exploring these ruins, Lucien undergoes a mystical awakening and becomes fascinated with ancient Roman culture, paganism and the supernatural. His imagination is so captured, it is only a matter of time until he starts to write fiction with supernatural and pagan themes.
While still in his teens, Lucien sends a manuscript to a publishing firm. The publisher rejects the manuscript. A few months later, Lucien purchases a newly-published novel which contains entire chapters lifted from his "rejected" manuscript. Saddened and angered, Lucien again wanders to the Roman ruins. There, he happens to meet a neighbor girl and has a sexual encounter which he associates with the fauns and nymphs of Roman mythology.
Lucien's imagination is so active that the border between reality and fantasy is sometimes blurred. In an effort to reach new heights of imagination and expression, Lucien begins to induce mystic experiences and trances. He dabbles in the occult, engages in masochistic rituals and starves himself to induce visions. His neighbors and relatives notice the changes in Lucien and encourage him to eat, to get plenty of rest, to give up writing and to pursue a real occupation.
Unexpectedly, Lucien receives an inheritance which enables him to move to London and devote himself to writing full time. By this time, Lucien is caught in a downward spiral of increasingly disturbing visions, induced by a number of unhealthy methods. He manages to completely erase the border between fantasy and reality, but ironically, he has so disabled himself that he can no longer write coherently.
Machen's story reads almost like poetry and is told in an artful, subtle fashion. The imagery of the first chapter is indescribably beautiful. The final four chapters, detailing his character's descent into insanity, are vivid and horrific. Machen describes the final sensations of a dying brain so vividly and in such detail that I cannot help but wonder how close Machen came to the same fate. Hill of Dreams is among the finest portrayals of the self-destructive artist, ranking with Coleridge's Kubla Khan, Mann's Doctor Faustus and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantasique. Through repeated allusions to Poe, Coleridge and DeQuincey, Machen pays tribute to other great writers who have tried the same path to greatness. Although Machen has achieved cult icon status (due, in part, to his role in the creation of the Angel of Mons legend), he is underrated as an author. I am greatly impressed with all of his works that I've read thus far. Hill of Dreams is the most impressive of his works.
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