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A Sarban Anthology
Feb. 7th, 2007 12:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joysilenceWell, a moderator sometimes has to take a break from making community members jump through promo-related hoops ;) so here are my thoughts on a fantastic book recently reprinted by Tartarus Press,The Doll Maker And Other Tales Of The Uncanny, by the elusive author Sarban. Sarban (real name John William Wall) is a master of the dreamlike supernatural tale with tints of the pagan, who somehow seems to have fallen through the net of public recognition for several decades since his (relative) heyday in the 40s and 50s. However, he has nothing to envy writers like Walpole and even Machen.
This volume contains three pieces - the novella The Doll-Maker, and two shorter works, The Trespassers and A House Of Call. The first tale is definitely the high point of the collection. It tells the story of Clare, a teenage girl forced to spend the Christmas holidays at her boarding school. As if that wasn't bad enough, she also has to spend the time cramming for her University entrance exams without any help, after the tragic death of her assigned tutor. But academic help is at hand when the headmistress arranges for her to visit Mrs Sterne, the chatelaine of the nearby Brackenbine Hall, for some language coaching. However, Mrs Sterne's dashing son Niall soon proves to be something of a distraction. As the bond between the mischevious, enchanting young man and the girl strengthens, Niall introduces Clare to the fruits of his strange hobby - carving lifelike dolls of young women out of a special wood from peculiar dwarf trees...( Read more... )
But what of Sarban himself? The people at Tartarus have cobbled together a nice little mini-site about Mr Wall. He worked as a diplomat, though he came from a working-class background, and constantly felt dogged by feelings of inadequacy in the stifling class-conscious Britain of those days. So no M R James! Other than that he seems to have led an unassuming life, like nearly all the great authors in this field.
Obviously if any of you have read anything else by Sarban, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I think a comparative study between him, Blackwood and Machen would be a lovely thing to read, though I don't think anyone has written one yet :(
This volume contains three pieces - the novella The Doll-Maker, and two shorter works, The Trespassers and A House Of Call. The first tale is definitely the high point of the collection. It tells the story of Clare, a teenage girl forced to spend the Christmas holidays at her boarding school. As if that wasn't bad enough, she also has to spend the time cramming for her University entrance exams without any help, after the tragic death of her assigned tutor. But academic help is at hand when the headmistress arranges for her to visit Mrs Sterne, the chatelaine of the nearby Brackenbine Hall, for some language coaching. However, Mrs Sterne's dashing son Niall soon proves to be something of a distraction. As the bond between the mischevious, enchanting young man and the girl strengthens, Niall introduces Clare to the fruits of his strange hobby - carving lifelike dolls of young women out of a special wood from peculiar dwarf trees...( Read more... )
But what of Sarban himself? The people at Tartarus have cobbled together a nice little mini-site about Mr Wall. He worked as a diplomat, though he came from a working-class background, and constantly felt dogged by feelings of inadequacy in the stifling class-conscious Britain of those days. So no M R James! Other than that he seems to have led an unassuming life, like nearly all the great authors in this field.
Obviously if any of you have read anything else by Sarban, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I think a comparative study between him, Blackwood and Machen would be a lovely thing to read, though I don't think anyone has written one yet :(
