F. Marion Crawford

Today, August 2, marks the birth of Francis Marion Crawford (1854-1909). Although he wrote only a handful of short stories dealing with the supernatural and horror, he is still considered one of the best writers of ghost stories. If he had only written “The Upper Berth”, is place in the literature of the fantastic would be assured. The story was highly regarded by none other than H. P. Lovecraft, M. R. James, and H. Russell Wakefield. Highly regarded.

I’m going to look at one of my personal favorites, “For the Blood is the Life”.

Crawford uses the familiar technique of a tale within a tale. The story opens with an unnamed narrator (presumably Crawford) and an artist friend having dinner and enjoying a smoke on the roof a tower the narrator owns. It’s summer, and they are on the roof to escape the heat.

The artist is looking out over the land, and he sees a mound with what appears to be something on it. When the artist says the mound looks like a grave, the narrator confirms it is. He decides to go down and have a closer look at what’s on it. Continue reading →