Robert Aickman is an author I’ve had on my mind for years, but until recently I’d read none of his works.
Then I bought one of his books of short stories, The Wine-Dark Sea, and I was hooked. Since then, as an Audible subscriber, I’ve added Cold Hand In Mine as an audiobook.
If you enjoy works by Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft, and I know for sure some of you do, you should try Robert Aickman, if you haven’t already.
credit: Dr Umm |
Aickman (1914 – 1981) produced no novels, but he left us 48 terrific horror short stories, which you might also define as weird fiction or strange tales.
He believed in the supernatural (unlike Lovecraft) and belonged to The Ghost Club, which is still extant. He took part in the famous paranormal investigation of Borley Rectory, dubbed the most haunted house in England.
His obituary writer for the Times wrote this about him: “Aickman’s writings are an acquired taste like fine wines. He wrote what and how he wanted, for expression, not for popularity.”
What strikes me foremost about his stories, apart from his delightful prose and strong sense of detail, is how he inculcates a sense of eeriness in his stories. Aickman understood that the question whether a ghost is a ghost is far more important than the presence of the ghost itself. He succeeds in keeping the reader guessing, and on edge. Many of his characters are so delightfully unhinged they add to the eeriness.
So, Robert Aickman – put him on your TBR list. You will not regret it!
The TV adaption of one of his most famous stories, The Hospice, can also be found on YouTube.