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Rating: Edizioni Hypnos, a publisher that is unearthing the most creative and original fantastic literature from oblivion, releases Dark Paths, the first volume of stories by English writer Robert Aickman (1914-1981), considered a master of the “weird tale” of the last century. The book features a foreword by the legendary leader of the music group Current93, David Tibet. Throughout their long career, Current93 has explored themes related to the occult, esotericism, and the supernatural in their albums. Tibet, in particular, has always been a great enthusiast and collector of fantastic literature, and through his publishing house Durtro Press, he has published volumes of Montague Rhodes James. A dark and charismatic figure, in his article he outlines the characteristics of the bizarre universe of Aickman, a writer who rightfully belongs to the great tradition of eccentric English artists. To represent the dreamlike atmosphere of his stories, Tibet uses these words that aptly describe the allure of his art: “I realized that his works were not mere supernatural musings, but studies on alienation and pain, on a lost world that could be captured, and lamented, through writing...it seemed that Aickman had peered into some Nietzschean abyss and was both learned and brave enough to describe how it had changed his life.”
The English writer is thus not your typical ghost-story author; he himself defined his stories as “strange tales”. His prose transports the reader into a disquieting reality, a nightmare dominated by events that are difficult to decipher. The introduction by Andrea Vaccaro ("The Meteorologist of the Unconscious," a title that echoes Fritz Leiber's definition of Aickman) is also excellent and insightful; with expertise and passion, it provides a comprehensive retrospective. A very modern writer, Aickman was influenced by Freud, the surrealists, and Shakespeare. He wrote 48 stories, two novels, and an autobiography, as well as curated anthologies of ghost-stories where he shared his theories on fantastic literature. Aickman's stories start from solid realistic foundations that are undermined by small details.
His entire oeuvre is of high quality as can be seen in this first volume of stories, which includes "The Call of the Bells," one of his masterpieces, a text also adapted for television and radio. It is a nightmare tale in which a couple arrives in a bleak town where all the church bells ring obsessively. The epilogue is chilling as the sound of the bells heralds the awakening of the dead. Another very good story is "The Waiting Room," where an unsuspecting traveler finds himself spending an unsettling night—where he "sees" or believes he sees, as in a dream, bizarre characters—in the waiting room of a station built over a cemetery. In "An Inadequate Answer," a journalist, investigating the mystery of the disappearance of a London artist, goes to interview her in her eccentric castle retreat in Slovenia, where he remains a prisoner. Here, inexplicable events occur that reveal the presence of an unknown and strange reality. Another excellent example of Aickman's art is "The Railway," where two young girls get lost in the English countryside, in what seems like a no man's land, finding lodging in a bizarre inn near the railway. Also interesting is "The School Companion," a strange tale about the physical and psychic “mutation” of a former prodigy student.
Often compared to Walter de la Mare, another great unconventional figure in English ghost-story literature, the legacy of Aickman is currently upheld by Thomas Ligotti. His fortune in Italy was limited to "Suspense," an anthology published by Mondadori edited by Giuseppe Lippi. Therefore, the decision of Edizioni Hypnos to publish all his short works in six volumes is commendable. The book can be purchased directly at the Hypnos store (http://www.edizionihypnos.com/14-biblioteca-dell-immaginario).
Robert Aickman “Dark Paths. All Fantastic Stories Vol. 1” – Edizioni Hypnos – 408 pages – Euro 27.90 – 2012
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