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Post by weirdmonger on Jan 12, 2022 20:01:42 GMT
If I may say so, Elizabeth Bowen’s story HUMAN HABITATION is a perfectly Aickmanesque one heavily featuring English canals. A truly great story that is easily and cheaply found in her Vintage book of collected stories. There are many Aickmanesque gems in there. Your relentless campaign finally made me read "Human Habitation." Pleasant as it was, I have to say I found nothing reminiscent of Aickman in it. i am genuinely amazed at your findings. But thanks for trying it. We all see different differences and resemblances in literature. Good to triangulate our personal coordinates of each work.
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Jan 12, 2022 21:39:48 GMT
An interesting feature of the people who lived on the canals is that according to stray references I have come across in various places over the years, some of them were said to carry family traditions of Witchcraft and/or various forms of magic. The one book I saw that was supposed to include a record of material shared by a couple of members of these families--I believe author's name was Tony Steele--was said by another person who seemed to know of what they spoke as having been fabricated. But the form of magic reported was nothing at all like Wicca or grimoire magic so I do wonder. H. Most likely they would be in the "cunning folk" tradition, and were more about providing "lucky charms", folk medicine, "unwitching", etc. "Cunning folk" were also consulted when people were having problems with their animals - and canal boats were pulled by horses well into the mid-20th century in Britain. People sometimes see the brightly painted boats and think they are related to Romany, but they aren't. The Bargees were working men who took there families onto the canal with them as it was more economically viable, rather than have to upkeep a house too, and it was extra hands. They were hoping to increase freight traffic on the canal network in recent years, but I don't know how successful it has been.
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Post by David A. Riley on Jan 24, 2022 14:51:54 GMT
Just received this wonderful, great heavy tome in the post today from Tartarus Press. Should provide many hours of fascinating reading.
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Post by weirdmonger on Jan 24, 2022 18:12:27 GMT
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Post by andydecker on Jan 24, 2022 21:55:27 GMT
This looks really good.
But why an "attempted" biography? Where is the difficulty?
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Post by weirdmonger on Jan 24, 2022 22:04:00 GMT
This looks really good. But why an "attempted" biography? Where is the difficulty?
It’s connected with Aickman’s ‘unreliable ‘ autobiography being in two volumes, one called The Attempted Rescue, the other ‘The River Runs Up Hill’.
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Post by David A. Riley on Jan 24, 2022 22:19:04 GMT
This looks really good. But why an "attempted" biography? Where is the difficulty?
It’s connected with Aickman’s ‘unreliable ‘ autobiography being in two volumes, one called The Attempted Rescue, the other ‘The River Runs Up Hill’. Des is right. A lot of details about his life seem to have been distorted by him in his "recollections" and the biographer's hardest task would seem to be separating fact from fiction or, perhaps more correctly, fact from distortion. Most bizarrely, in his second autobiography Aickman actually makes no mention at all about his failed marriage. His wife became a none person. All through his life his "recollections" seem to have been highly subjective. For instance, when he was invited to the First World Fantasy Convention in the States where he was to be awarded the prize for Best Short Fiction, he told people he had been invited to America for a lecture tour.
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Post by andydecker on Jan 25, 2022 20:08:19 GMT
Des is right. A lot of details about his life seem to have been distorted by him in his "recollections" and the biographer's hardest task would seem to be separating fact from fiction or, perhaps more correctly, fact from distortion. Most bizarrely, in his second autobiography Aickman actually makes no mention at all about his failed marriage. His wife became a none person. All through his life his "recollections" seem to have been highly subjective. For instance, when he was invited to the First World Fantasy Convention in the States where he was to be awarded the prize for Best Short Fiction, he told people he had been invited to America for a lecture tour. Thanks to both of you. I didn't knew much about Aickman. Such a behavior is strange when one is writing his autobiography.
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Post by weirdmonger on Feb 3, 2022 17:09:01 GMT
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 3, 2022 18:14:26 GMT
Oh, so "someone in a forum" asked why Aickman did not write about canals? We do not cite by name the individual who had this important, revolutionary new insight?* *It was me.
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Post by weirdmonger on Feb 3, 2022 23:43:19 GMT
Oh, so "someone in a forum" asked why Aickman did not write about canals? We do not cite by name the individual who had this important, revolutionary new insight?* *It was me. It was indeed. And thanks.
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Post by PeterC on Feb 18, 2022 14:13:27 GMT
Des, there's an Aickman tale in which the protagonist finds himself sailing across an ethereal ocean with many other similar boats in view. Presumably all bound for the Isles of the Dead. Have you any idea which story this is?
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Post by weirdmonger on Feb 18, 2022 17:06:23 GMT
Des, there's an Aickman tale in which the protagonist finds himself sailing across an ethereal ocean with many other similar boats in view. Presumably all bound for the Isles of the Dead. Have you any idea which story this is? That’s defeated me.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 18, 2022 19:12:54 GMT
Des, there's an Aickman tale in which the protagonist finds himself sailing across an ethereal ocean with many other similar boats in view. Presumably all bound for the Isles of the Dead. Have you any idea which story this is? That’s defeated me. Well, "Never Visit Venice" has boats in it, but the rest does not really ring a bell.
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Feb 22, 2022 19:17:22 GMT
I am shocked, though perhaps not entirely surprised, to learn that Aickman never brushed his teeth.
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