-Author: Arthur MachenAuthor -Legal Name: Jones, Arthur Llewellyn-Birthplace: Caerleon on Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK-Birthdate: 3 March 1863-Deathdate: 15 December 1947-Language: English-Used These Alternate Names: Gervase Perrot-Author Tags: horror (9), fantasy (8), Bleiler78 (6), Librivox (5), weird (2), Horror: 100 Best Books (1), Internet Archive (1), transcendence (1), angels (1), supernatural (1), Witches' Sabbath (1), body degeneration (1), physical horror (1), drug (1), first person point of view (1)Arthur MachenWELSH WRITERArthur Machen, pseudonym of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, (born March 3, 1863, Caerleon, Monmouthshire, Eng.-died Dec. 15, 1947, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire), Welsh novelist and essayist, a forerunner of 20th-century Gothic science fiction.Machen's work was deeply influenced by his childhood in Wales and his readings in the occult and metaphysics. He lived most of his life in poverty as a clerk, teacher, and translator. In 1902 he became an actor with Benson's Shakespearean Repertory Company. And, in 1912, approaching his 50th birthday, he joined the staff of the London Evening News.The quality of Machen's writing was demonstrated early in World War I when the newspaper published the short story "The Angel of Mons" from The Bowmen and Other Legends of War (1915), which circulated widely as a true story and gave hope to thousands of soldiers in battle. Like Thomas Hardy, Machen responded to the spiritual power and antiquity of the British countryside. His fantasies are often set in medieval England or Wales, as in the autobiographical The Hill of Dreams (1907), which evokes ancient Roman forts and Welsh mysteries. Even his stories set in London are deeply romantic and nostalgic for a pre-industrial era. Other works include The Terror (1917), The Great God Pan and the Inmost Light (1894), Far Off Things (1922), and Things Near and Far (1923). Machen also translated Casanova's Memoirs (12 vol., 1930).Lucian Taylor, son of an Anglican rector in a rural parish, was an extraordinary lad, even before he went to school. He was both studious and reflective, so much so that he was not accepted readily by the boys of the neighborhood. When Lucian went away to school, he did very well in his studies, but he formed an acute dislike for athletics and for social life with his fellow students. In his studies, he turned toward the less material and preferred to learn of the dim Celtic and Roman days of Britain, of medieval church history, and of works in magic.Story.Lucian Taylor, son of an Anglican rector in a rural parish, was an extraordinary lad, even before he went to school. He was both studious and reflective, so much so that he was not accepted readily by the boys of the neighborhood. When Lucian went away to school, he did very well in his studies, but he formed an acute dislike for athletics and for social life with his fellow students. In his studies, he turned toward the less material and preferred to learn of the dim Celtic and Roman days of Britain, of medieval church history, and of works in magic.When he was fifteen years old, Lucian returned to his home during the August holidays and found it quite changed. His mother had died during the previous year, and his father's fortunes had sunk lower and lower. As a result, his father had become exceedingly moody, and Lucian spent much of his time away from the house. His habit was to wander through the rolling countryside by himself.One bright summer afternoon, he climbed up a steep hillside to the site of an old Roman fort. The site was at some distance from any human habitation, and Lucian felt quite alone. Because of the heat, he had an impulse to strip off his sweaty clothing and take a nap. He did, only to be awakened by someone kissing him. By the time he had fully regained his senses, the unknown person had disappeared.