The Collected Macabre Stories

by L.P. Hartley, Mark Valentine (Introduction)

Perhaps best known for his 'perfectly realised' novel of Edwardian childhood The Go-Between, L.P. Hartley was also a much admired adept of the macabre short story. Hartley was no dilettante in the genre: he was well-versed in its long and distinguished tradition, and these carefully crafted tales represent some of the most successful attempts to carry the ghost story into the twentieth century.

The Collected Macabre Stories includes thirty-seven of Hartley's best tales, ranging from the well-known, traditional ghost stories 'The Cotillon' and 'Feet Foremost', through the dark humour of 'The Travelling Grave' and 'The Killing Bottle' to the Aickmanesque 'The Pylon'. These encompass a wide range of settings, from English Country Houses to Venetian Palaces. Two accomplished fantasies, 'Conrad and the Dragon' and 'The Crossways' display Hartley's range and versatility. Taken as a whole, the collection represents one of the most impressive achievements of twentieth-century macabre fiction.

Contents:
From the Introduction to Lady Cynthia Asquith’s Third Ghost Book/ A Visitor from Down Under/ Podolo/ Three, or Four, for Dinner/ The Travelling Grave/ Feet Foremost/ The Cotillon/ A Change of Ownership/ The Thought/ Conrad and the Dragon/ The Island/ Night Fears/ The Killing Bottle/ A Summons/ W.S./ The Two Vaynes/ Monkshood Manor/ Two for the River/ Someone in the Lift/ The Face/ The Corner Cupboard/ The Waits/ The Pampas Clump/ The Crossways/ Per Far L’Amore/ Interference/ The Pylon/ Mrs Carteret Receives/ Fall in at the Double/ Paradise Paddock/ Roman Charity/ Pains and Pleasures/ Please Do Not Touch/ Home Sweet Home/ The Shadow on the Wall/ The Sound of Voices/ Mrs G. G./ The Stain on the Chair

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Literature

513 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2001

About the author

Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972) was born in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, and educated at Harrow and Balliol College, Oxford. For more than thirty years from 1923 he was an indefatigable fiction reviewer for periodicals including the Spectator and Saturday Review. His first book, Night Fears (1924) was a collection of short stories; but it was not until the publication of Eustace and Hilda (1947), which won the James Tait Black prize, that Hartley gained widespread recognition as an author. His other novels include The Go-Between (1953), which was adapted into an internationally-successful film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates, and The Hireling (1957), the film version of which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zjlq7

1: Night Fears: A nightwatchman takes on a new job, but is he prepared for anyone he might meet? Read by Robert Lang.

2: The Waits: Mr Mariner is looking forward to Christmas Eve when there's an unexpected knock at the door. Read by Robert Lang.

3: W.S.: Novelist Walter Streeter has devoted admirers, but will he be happy to meet a new one in the flesh? Read by Robert Lang.

4: The Price of the Absolute: A man inherits some objects, but will he be able to control the events they set in motion? Read by Robert Lang.

[Clare Rhoden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classy, classic short stories about weird and scary things, a little old fashioned by very enjoyable to read.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essential if you're a fan of Robert Aickman, M.R. James, Machen, Walter de la Mare or great weird fiction in general. "Podolo" will haunt me forever and "W.S." seems like a precursor to T.E.D. Klein's "Nadelman's God." Hartley's stories often have a dry, morbid sense of humor that is very British.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
1/4: Night Fears
A nightwatchman takes on a new job, but is he prepared for anyone he might meet?

2/4: The Waits
Mr Mariner is looking forward to Christmas Eve when there's an unexpected knock at the door.

3/4: W.S.
Novelist Walter Streeter has devoted admirers, but will he be happy to meet a new one in the flesh?

4/4: The Price of Absolute
A man inherits some objects, but will he be able to control the events they set in motion?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zj...

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read:

The Travelling Grave - 3/5
The Visitor from Down Under - 4/5