Location: St Mary's Parish Church, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
Photo taken by: Clive and Chris
Buy books by Arthur Machen
Welsh author of supernatural horror and fantasy fiction. Growing up in Gwent he was heavily influenced by the Celtic, Roman and medieval history of the area which is reflected in many of his stories.
After leaving school he was unable to attend University, as his family could not afford it, so instead he moved to London and worked as a journalist and tutor whilst writing in his spare time. In 1887 he married and soon after this Machen received the first of several legacies from Scottish relatives which allowed him to concentrate more on his writing.
In the 1890’s his work began to be published in literary magazines and this led to his first major success with The Great God Pan, which sold well as it was denounced on publication for its sexual content. Machen’s work is seen by literary critics as significant in the late Victorian revival of the gothic novel. As well as his influence on genre fiction Machen also influenced magic realism. Machen’s niece, Sylvia Townsend Warner, was also a novelist.
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