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Rating: Dagon Press offers a true gem for enthusiasts of Arthur Machen, an author now considered a cult figure. The booklet is titled Another Reality, containing stories that are mostly unpublished or otherwise rare, and is curated and translated by Pietro Guarriello, while the introduction is competently and passionately written by Marco Maculotti. The timeline of this anthology spans from 1890 (the year of The Great God Pan) to 1937 (when he stopped writing). These are hidden and lesser-known tales but by no means unworthy of interest. Indeed, it is perhaps in these lines that we find the most authentic and genuine Machen. Today, Machen is considered one of the masters of the genre. His decadent and measured prose, far removed from the overly adjective-laden and delirious imagery of his epigone H.P. Lovecraft, firmly places him within the tradition of Anglo-Saxon fantastical literature. He was born in Caerleon-on-Usk, a small village rich in ancient legends, and later moved to London. During his time in London, he did not have an easy life, as Machen had an artistic temperament that clashed with the chaos and frenetic pace of the great metropolis, resulting in significant financial difficulties. This anecdote from his life somewhat echoes the traumatic experience Lovecraft had in New York. Machen owes his fame today to his horror stories, particularly The Great God Pan. This novel is very powerful and evocative, bringing ancient pagan legends to light and is based on the concept of 'evil' as an integral part of reality. This is a theme the writer will effectively tackle at the beginning of the tale The White People, unquestionably one of his best works, also thanks to the skillful use of a truly malevolent atmosphere. A similar story in style and atmosphere can be found in Another Reality, namely Midsummer, which, as Marco Maculotti writes in the introduction, “can be imagined as a delicate and fleeting sequel to The White People”. It is a story of sexual initiation that also reveals Machen's love for the rural landscapes of Welsh scenery. Those who have read and loved The Hill of Dreams, according to Mario Praz “the most decadent book in English literature”, will surely find a little gem. Notable ones also include The Lost Circle, set in a magical London reminiscent of the "circular masterpiece" of Machen The Three Impostors and The Double Return, the latter much appreciated by Oscar Wilde. Personally, I've greatly appreciated “The Pentecost Ghost”, a story where an apocalyptic battle between black and red ants becomes an allegory of the First World War. The delirious finale has a cosmic breath almost Lovecraftian. Another Reality is instead an essay where the Welsh writer questions the existence of the so-called Other World inhabited by gods, demons, and elemental spirits. Montague Rhodes James and Algernon Blackwood are also mentioned. Machen considers many of these spiritual phenomena “the product of real charlatans”. However, he believes there are also particular phenomena not tied to fraud. In fact, he writes literally about “regarding the human cosmos as a world where some regions have not yet been discovered”. Compared to Blackwood himself and other authors of the genre, Machen has had relative fortune in Italy: even recently (I think of The Green Circle published by Providence Press and A Fragment of Life from Hypnos Editions) new and old material continues to be made available as this delightful collection shows. The volume can be purchased at the following Amazon link.
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