Arthur Machen
Il gran Dio Pan

Arthur Machen (1863-1947), a Welsh writer of horror fiction, is today considered one of the masters of the genre. His decadent and measured prose, far from the overly loaded adjectives and delirious images of his follower H.P. Lovecraft, fully aligns with the tradition of Anglo-Saxon fantastic literature.

He was born in Caerleon-on-Usk, a small village rich in ancient legends, and later moved to London. During his London stay, he did not have an easy life; Machen had an artistic nature that clashed with the chaos and frenetic pace of the metropolis, resulting in considerable financial difficulties. This anecdote from his life can somewhat remind us of the traumatizing experience that Lovecraft had in New York.

Among his various influences are Stevenson, De Quincey, Coleridge, and Poe. The historical and literary context in which he operated rightfully places him within the realm of the fin-de-siècle decadent writers. It is therefore no coincidence that some of his early books were illustrated by the famous Aubrey Beardsley, a key figure alongside Oscar Wilde in English Decadence.

His style and the themes he tackled are nonetheless original, and he can be considered an innovator of the supernatural fiction genre. In fact, despite having written numerous books on historical, philosophical, and theological subjects and also being a member of a Shakespearean theatre company, Machen owes his fame today to his horror tales, particularly The Great God Pan. It is a very powerful and evocative novel that brings to light ancient pagan legends and is based on the concept of “evil” as an integral part of reality.

This is a theme the writer will tackle very effectively at the beginning of the story "The White People," undoubtedly one of his best works thanks also to the wise use of a truly evil atmosphere.

One of the fundamental events in Machen’s life occurred in 1899, when he became part of the esoteric society of the Golden Dawn, a sect inspired by Rosicrucianism. In fact, many intellectuals of the time came into contact with the Golden Dawn, among whom are at least worth mentioning Bulwer-Lytton, Yeats, Bram Stoker, and the famous magician Aleister Crowley who later became its leader.

The most important book by Machen is The Three Impostors, defined by Elemire Zolla, a renowned scholar of esotericism, as “a circular masterpiece.” The title derives from an obscure and ancient medieval legend that narrated the existence of a fabled "De Tribus Impostoribus," a cursed book that claimed humanity had been deceived by the impostors Moses, Jesus Christ, and Mohammed.

Machen was very skilled at creating a literary structure whose symbol is the labyrinth: to fully appreciate the text, the reader must pay great attention to all the details that Machen cleverly scatters throughout the cycle’s tales, which include two of his most famous and anthologized stories, "The Novel of the Black Seal" and "The Novel of the White Powder."

The esoteric theme of The Three Impostors has also been utilized by the modern neo-folk music group Current 93 in their ambitious trilogy The Inmost Light, which is the title of the prologue of the cycle.

The other book for which Machen is still famous today is without a doubt The Hill of Dreams, a kind of initiatory novel that is not lacking in numerous autobiographical references. It is perhaps the text to which Machen gave the most importance and which was defined by the well-known critic Mario Praz as “the most decadent book in English literature”.

The influence he has exerted on fantastic literature is undoubtedly enormous, starting with Lovecraft, who expanded Machen’s concepts of malevolent forces present in reality, transporting them into a cosmic and alien context. Certainly, writers like Fritz Leiber and Ray Bradbury also owe something to the Welsh writer.

It is deplorable that his name is today almost forgotten, apart from some rare exceptions, by publishing and its rigid market rules. It is therefore time to reclaim the fantastic and allusive prose of this author, who will not fail to haunt the nightmares of his readers.

Essential Italian Bibliography

The Three Impostors (1977 – Fanucci)
The Great God Pan (1982 – Oscar Mondadori)
The Hill of Dreams (1988 – Reverdito)
The Great God Pan (2005 – Fanucci)
The Three Impostors (2005 – Fanucci)