An author’s talents may seem obvious and indisputable as they move words and ideas into gathered phrases and stories.But where do these ideas and stories come from? A lonely thought that suddenly gathers form? An inspiration from a Muse? A suggestion from an everyday event?Perhaps in the case of their darker, more malevolent stories, other forces are at work. They help to nourish single words into sentences and paragraphs that ease themselves from the shadows and are sudden...

This collection, by turns unsettling and darkly comic, was written by Edward Heron-Allen and published in 1921, under the pseudonym 'Christopher Blayre'. The collection consists of fictional papers deposited by members of the University of Cosmopoli, in which are recorded strange and weird phenomena. The title story concerns a cursed diamond, while 'The Thing That Smelt' and 'The Demon' deal with terrifying cases of haunting and possession. 'The Book' is an antiquarian ghost story in the M...

An author’s talents may seem obvious and indisputable as they move words and ideas into gathered phrases and stories.But where do these ideas and stories come from? A lonely thought that suddenly gathers form? An inspiration from a Muse? A suggestion from an everyday event?Perhaps in the case of their darker, more malevolent stories, other forces are at work. They help to nourish single words into sentences and paragraphs that ease themselves from the shadows and are sudden...

Life is to be lived. Experiences gained, pleasures sampled. But, troublingly, when you are a classic author your thoughts sometimes lean towards darker thoughts. Within the space of a few paragraphs these literary masters shape a new world; more difficult experiences, darker pleasures. Life becomes uneasy, a queasy feeling, perhaps a repulsion here, a disgust there and very soon what was cosy, warm and comfortable becomes cold, painful, even horrific.The talents of their pens now f...

The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is Christopher Blayre.

An author’s talents may seem obvious and indisputable as they move words and ideas into gathered phrases and stories.But where do these ideas and stories come from? A lonely thought that suddenly gathers form? An inspiration from a Muse? A suggestion from an everyday event?Perhaps in the case of their darker, more malevolent stories, other forces are at work. They help to nourish single words into sentences and paragraphs that ease themselves from the shadows and are sudden...

The Yellow Wallpaper (original title: "The Yellow Wall-paper. A Story") is a short story by the American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature, illustrating attitudes in the 19th century toward women's health, both physical and mental. Presented in the first person, the story is a collection of journal entries written by a woma...

'Beauty and the Beast' is a magical tale of love, understanding, and triumph. Late one night a merchant becomes lost in the woods and stumbles upon a seemingly deserted castle. Hungry and tired, he enters the castle and finds a feast laid out on a grand table. Finding no one else in the castle, he eats the food himself. In the morning as he leaves he finds a beautiful rose bush in the garden and picks a single flower for his daughter Belle. Suddenly a beast appears and tells him he must di...

By refusing to directly depict its protagonist, this novel revolutionized the art of characterization in the 20th century. The narrative follows the life of Jacob Flanders through the eyes of the women who love him and the letters he leaves behind, creating a silhouette rather than a portrait. Woolf explores the disconnect between how we see ourselves and how we exist in the minds of others, set against the backdrop of a pre-war world hurtling toward destruction. It is an elegiac experimen...

Mr. Chesterton was unquestionably one of the most brilliant essayists of his days. He is startingly original, for his ideas are always in opposition to those commonly held; but no matter how unheard of and startling his hypotheses, he can back them up with subtle arguments, flashes of humor, and sheer cleverness until the reader is wholly fascinated.