Tag Archives: Algernon Blackwood

Blackwood

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March 14 (today as I write this) is the birthday of Algernon Blackwood (q869-1951), one of the greatest practitioners of the weird tale. H. P. Lovecraft considered him to be one of the four great living masters of the weird tale. The other three were Arthur Machen, M. R. James, and Lord Dunsay.

It’s been a while (years) since I read any of his work, and I don’t think I’ve read  more than two stories. Those stories are “The Willows” and “The Wendigo”.

My memroy is vauge on the details, but I really liked both of them. Of the two, I remember “The Willows” the best. It concerns a pair of men on a canoe trip who spend the night on an island in the middle of a river. I remember there was a lot of wind, and the willows on the island seemed to move.

My memory of “The Wendigo” is a little fuzzier. I think I read it a couple of years before I read “The Willows”. It’s about a some men who are either hunting for fishing in the wilds of Canada (I think) and experience some strange things.

I apologize for the vagueness of these descriptions. Like I said, it’s been a few years. If I’ve gotten any of those details wrong, I’m sure somone will  correct me in the comments, and that would be appreciated. I’d like to reread both of those stories if I can work them in. Finding time to write this week, much less read, has been a challenge, and it looks like the next few weeks are going to not be much better.

So what other stories by Blackwood should I read? His works are readily available in a variety of formats, from electronic editions to cheap (relatively speaking) paperbacks to high-end collectible volumes.

 

Who Are the Giants?

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So yesterday’s post on Edgar Rice Burroughs and Harold Lamb and the recent post on the canon, coupled with today is the anniversary of the passing of J. R. R. Tolkien and the seventh anniversary of the death of Frederik Pohl, got me to thinking. I referred to Burroughs and Lamb as giants. In the canon post I quoted Newton talking about his achievements being due to his standing on the shoulders of giants.

So who exactly are the giants in the field? Continue reading →

Blackwood’s “The Wendigo”

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British author Algernon Blackwood was born on this date, March 14, in 1869. Blackwood was a major influence on many writers of the weird tale in the early years of the 20th Century, including H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.

Along with “The Willows”, “The Wendigo” is one of Blackwood’s best known tales.

It concerns a group on a moose hunting expedition in the Canadian wilderness.  A psychiatrist, his nephew, two guides, and a cook are having no luck on their hunt, so they decide to split up.  The uncle and his guide go west, the nephew and his guide canoe across the lake they are camped by and hike some distance to another lake, and the cook stays in the base camp await their return. Continue reading →

Algernon Blackwood’s Birthday

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Algernon Blackwood was born on this date, March 14, in the long ago year of 1869. He died December 10, 1951.

Blackwood is best remembered today for his horror and ghost stories.  I’ve not read much of his work.  The only story I’m certain I’ve read is “The Willows”. His complete work is available in an inexpensive electronic edition. I’ve got a copy, and I’ll try to read something of his tonight.