Arthur Machen is a great romantic, one of the founders of the mystical genre. Among the many admirers of his work are Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Jorge Luis Borges, Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro... Arthur Machen was born and raised in Wales, where, according to Lovecraft, he "imbibed the medieval mystery of dark forests and ancient customs". Perhaps this is where the unique atmosphere of mystical awe, present in all the writer's books, comes from, where his heroes confront the grim mysteries of life and death…
This edition includes two of Machen's novels, which can be conditionally described as "autobiographical". Their heroes have felt like outsiders in the bustling world of big cities since childhood. A rich imagination and a gift for writing compel them to seek refuge in dreams, where among idyllic nature strange, whimsical creatures dwell…
