Today, November 15, is the birthday of William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918). Hodgson isn’t as well remembered today as he should be, but he isn’t forgotten, either.
Hodgson is best remembered for his tales of Carnacki the Ghost Finder and the novels The Night Land and The House on the Borderland.
He wrote a number of short stories, many of them with nautical themes.
Night Sahde Books did a five volume set of his collected fiction in the early 2000’s. Copies go for a pretty penny these days.
Hodgson came from a time when short fiction markets were much more abundant than they are today. Lately I’ve been finding myself drawn to works from that period. Not that I’ve had a lot of time for reading or writing (Note to self: October Writing report). But the thought of sitting back for a few hours and reading well-written short fiction has been very appealing.
Anyway, if you’re so inclined, raise a glass to Hodgson’s memory tonight, and if you have the time, read something by him.
I love the Carnacki stories! Especially “Horse of the Invisible” and “The Whistling Room.” The latter actually gave me a nightmare!
Hodgson was a brave, fascinating man, as well as being a talented, visionary author. Just ONE of the profound losses of the First World War.