The Cimmerian: Algernon Blackwood Profile

The Cimmerian blog's Al Harron published a superb profile of Algernon Blackwood earlier this week--on the weird author's 141st birthday, no less. In it, Harron ruminates on Blackwood's literary power by looking at its effect on his psyche. Through the personalized camping trip terrors of two stories, "The Willows" and "The Wendigo," Harron identifies a critical segment of Blackwood's weirdness.

The strongest kind of fear labeled by H.P. Lovecraft and many others--fear of the unknown--is herded out into daylight here. This is the secret ingredient in Blackwood's potent cocktails. But, as Harron has found, knowing that this is the case does nothing to resolve or dilute the frightful powers chronicled by the British writer. The motives of his distorted, almighty Nature remain a perpetual mystery in the best of his tales, and thus retain the fullness of their horror.

Harron fleshes out his article with well selected passages from Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Blackwood himself. Though a lot more could be said about the subject than the blogger ventures, posts like this are critical to stimulating the type of thought that will help unravel the greats of weird literature, and help illuminate the trajectory of subsequent authors.

-Grim Blogger