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The Secret of the Sangraal & other writing
by Arthur Machen
(Tartarus Press, $65.00, 375 pages, 2007, ISBN: 978-1-872621-18-0.)
Review by William P Simmons
 How
many times do we wish we had greater insight into the personal reflections/opinions
of some of our greater authors of supernatural horror and mystical realism,
feeling the need to go beyond their fiction and see some glimpses into
the processes and philosophies behind their literary creations? While
a sense of autobiography is by no means necessary for the enjoyment
of a good story, nor demanded for a sound understanding of an author's
importance, such impressions as can be gleaned of an author's personal
views on his art and the world are valuable tools for establishing a
context within which to analyze fiction. Autobiography and non-fiction
invites greater understanding of fiction, lending it a cultural and
aesthetic context that makes way for deeper philosophical queries. It
is too bad, then, that so little personal information exists concerning
some of the greatest practitioners of the weird tale. Thankfully, Arthur
Machen doesn't fall into this category, for he was an author whose views
and approach to both life and art may be examined through the several
pieces of journalism, prefaces, and essays that he left behind. The
Secret of the Sangraal & Other Writings is a gift to lovers
of this seer's fictions, examining his mystical approach to life and
art. These essays and article invite analysis, argument, and, perhaps
most importantly, an opportunity to examine how closely (or not) his
personal beliefs matched his imaginative writings.
A generous collection of difficult-to-obtain non-fiction ranges in
scope between personal reflections to journalism discussing issues of
worldwide import. A diverse array of subjects are covered, from recollections
concerning his own early days as a penniless wonderer in London, though
the dark annals of folklore, to the legend of the Holy Grail (the major
theme in The Secret Glory). Among the pieces collected are the
contents from Dog and Duck (1924), Notes and Queries (1926),
Tom O'Bedlam and His Song (1930), Bridles and Spurs
(1951) and A Note on Poetry (1949). A small number of individual
pieces also appear, including, most notably, his short but insightful
"Bibliographical Notes" from Arthur Machen: A Bibliography
(1923).
Publisher Ray Russell acknowledges in his introduction that the volume
in no way claims to be the definitive collected edition of Machen's
non-fiction. Such a book would be costly, and not all of the author's
thoughts are of interest. While not exhaustive, this volume is nevertheless
an indispensable addition to the library of not only the Machen reader
but student of weird fiction in general. Included are some of the author's
most eccentric, brilliant, and at times mystifying musings on art, life,
legends, myths, and the art/craft of writing. From serious to comical,
Machen's biting wit (and sometimes surly nature) is ever present. From
musings on the origins of holidays to lamentations of the passing of
time, this is valuable literature, reflecting not only a writer's evolving
thought but key pieces of personality. Machen is represented here as
mystic, as Occult Christian, as fantasist, and as a caring, sometimes
wounded, often times bold man -- a believer in himself and his
opinions delighting in adversity and injecting obvious enthusiasm into
each essay or remembrance. A sense of pleasure is available in practically
every memory or essay put forth, from the fanciful dreamings of his
esoteric wonderings to the more sensational words of journalism. While
the pleasure and intellectual worth of such a volume as this should
be immediately recognized, one of the chief uses of these writings is
the chance for the curious to draw connections between Machen's fiction
and life.
A storyteller of startling imaginative power and lyrical poetry, Machen
approached weird fiction with a mystic's belief and a craftsman's meticulousness,
weaving fantasies of decrepit pagan influences and the conflict between
external appearance and inner truths into challenging art. These themes
are further explored in his personal queries concerning ancient customs,
superstitions, and religious rites, serving as an appendix, of sorts,
to his stories. Such essays as "The Cult of the Secret," "Superstition
or Instinct," and "Celtic Magic" reflect principal concerns
of his work at the very same time that they show glimpses into his very
personal sense of internal mysticism. We also get Machen as a historian
of customs and traditions in "On Valentines and other Things,"
"'April Fool!" and "July Sport." Essayist, journalist,
actor, occultist: each of Machen's personalities is examined.
A better appreciation of several of Machen's key narratives can be
gleaned within these diverse essays, particularly those dealing with
the Sangraal of the title, Arthurian legend, the Grail legends, and
other explorations of myth and lore. Just as his characters often saw
(or sensed) gleans of the mystical beyond the veil of the everyday (and
terror behind mysteries humanity is neither prepared nor capable of
knowing), so too can we detect several of Machen's fictional obsessions
-- content that was inspired by, and often reflected, his interest in
the deeper truth of symbols. Most fascinating are those pieces that
reaffirm his belief that the world we know (or are taught from birth
to define) is but a curtain of sensory stimuli and intellectual beliefs
beyond which lurk more substantial and terrifying truths. These writings
are further extensions of Machen's art as a storyteller as well as testimonies
of a mythologist, reporter, and man of the world. From the sensationalized
account of the Angels of Mons to his personal write-ups on some of his
key supernatural tales, this carefully assembled collection depicts
various sides of Machen's interests and composition styles in one convenient,
reasonably priced volume.
Elsewhere in infinity plus:
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