Classic Ghost Stories

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier was adapted into the 1963 horror thriller movie The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. Daphne du Maurier wrote horror and mystery and crime stories and the birds can be considered science fiction. She was a master of storytelling and character building in English literature. The Birds concerns a bird attack in a horror story version of the near future when nature has been twisted by humankind – a kind of pandemic.
Her two other most famous stories which were made into films were Rebecca (also directed by Alfred Hitchcock) and Don't Look Now by Nicolas Roeg
This unabridged audio book version is narrated by Tony Walker of The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast with an analysis and summary at the end. #AudioDrama #RadioDrama #TheBirds
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Joseph Payne Brennan (1918-1990) was an American writer renowned for his contributions to horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he nurtured his passion for writing from a young age and later pursued his love for literature at Yale University. Brennan's career as a librarian and researcher allowed him to immerse himself in the world of storytelling. In the 1950s and 1960s, he made a significant impact in the speculative fiction realm with his supernatural and psychologically gripping tales.
Brennan was a prolific writer, known for his association with the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe created by H.P. Lovecraft and others. His works, such as "The Slime," "Levitation," and "The Feaster from Afar," showcased his mastery of eerie atmospheres and profound understanding of the human psyche. As an editor, he co-founded the influential magazine "Macabre" and also pursued his talents in poetry. Even after his passing in 1990, Joseph Payne Brennan's legacy endures, as his vivid storytelling and terrifying narratives continue to captivate and inspire fans of horror and fantasy literature.

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Clark Ashton Smith (1893–1961) was an American writer and artist known for his unique contributions to literature and art.
- Born on January 13, 1893, in Long Valley, California, Smith came from a family of English and New England heritage.
- He spent most of his life in Auburn, California, where he lived in a cabin built by his parents, Fanny and Timeus Smith.
- Due to psychological disorders, Smith's formal education was limited, and he was taught at home after attending eight years of grammar school.
- Smith was an insatiable reader with an extraordinary eidetic memory, and he read voraciously, including works by Edgar Allan Poe, Hans Christian Andersen, and others.
- He even read the entire 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica twice.
- Smith's early literary efforts included fairy tales and imitations of the Arabian Nights, which he began writing at the age of 11.
- He sold several tales to "The Black Cat," a magazine specializing in unusual stories, at the age of 17.
- Smith's poetic talents blossomed, leading to acclaimed volumes like "The Star-Treader and Other Poems" and "Odes and Sonnets."
- He was mentored by San Francisco poet George Sterling and gained international acclaim for his poetry.
**Weird Fiction Phase: 1926–1935**
- Smith transitioned to weird fiction during this period, possibly influenced by H.P. Lovecraft.
- He created a plethora of imaginative creatures and wrote stories set in various fictional lands like Averoigne, Hyperborea, and Zothique.
**Sculpture Period: 1935–1961**
- Smith's interest in fiction waned, and he turned to sculpture, primarily using soft rock materials like soapstone.
**Notable Literary Friendships:**
- Smith was a part of the Lovecraft circle and had a lasting literary friendship with H.P. Lovecraft.
- He corresponded with fellow writers like Robert E. Howard and E. Hoffmann Price.
**Legacy and Unique Contributions:**
- Clark Ashton Smith's work is celebrated for its rich vocabulary, cosmic perspective, and sardonic humor.
- His weird fiction has been compared to the Dying Earth sequence of Jack Vance.
- Smith's writing style aimed to captivate readers by using a variety of stylistic resources, akin to incantations.
**Later Life and Marriage:**
- In 1954, at the age of 61, Smith married Carol(yn) Jones Dorman, a woman with experience in Hollywood and radio public relations.
- They lived in Pacific Grove, California, and Smith continued sculpting during this period.
**Passing and Legacy:**
- In 1961, Smith passed away quietly in his sleep at the age of 68.
- His ashes were buried near his childhood home, and plaques recognizing his contributions have been erected in Auburn, California.
Clark Ashton Smith's life was marked by a fascinating blend of artistic pursuits, from poetry and weird fiction to sculpture. His imaginative worlds and unique style continue to captivate readers and stand as a testament to his enduring legacy in the realms of literature and art.

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Brickett Bottom by Amyas Northcote is about a mysterious house deep in the woods that no one but lonely young girls can see. There is a dark secret to this house in the forest, as you will discover.

Amyas Northcote was the son of an English aristocratic family. This story was published in his one collection of ghost stories: "Ghostly Company". Though it was published in 1921, I think there is something genuinely eerie and even scary about the fate of the girl.

Northcote has been compared to M R James but this story reminded me more of Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood's The Man Whom The Trees Loved.

Brickett Bottom by Amyas Northcote

Jay Rothermel’s blog Easily Distracted

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https://tonywalker.substack.com/about (Subscribe For All Episodes!)Charlotte Perkins Gilman, nee Charlotte Perkins, was born in 1860 in Hartford, Conneticut. Sadly, she committed suicide in 1935 in Pasadena California. Her father’s family was relatively well connected, but her father left the family when she was young, leaving her mother to bring up the two children. Her mother was forced to move around a lot to find work and Charlotte’s education suffered because of that. Perhaps because of her challenging childhood, Charlotte became a social reformer and feminist and was interested in furthering the political interests of women. She founded a feminist journal The Forerunner from 1909.The Yellow Wallpaper is her best known story and was published in 1892. She also wrote non-fiction most notably, Women and Economics which was published in 1898. The Yellow Wallpaper was actually Episode 1 of the Classic Ghost Stories Podcast.Her first marriage was to an artist called Charles Stetson in 1884 at the age of 24. The marriage was not happy and she suffered from depression. It is said that this illness provided much of the material for The Yellow Wallpaper, and if she was suffering from depression with psychotic features, this would tie in very well with the bizzarre delusions about the wallpaper and the things in it. This is reminiscent of The Horla by the French writer Guy de Maupassant, which is Episode 35 of the Classic Ghost Stories Podcast. The Horla was published in 1887, but there is no evidence that Charlotte was familiar with The Horla, and the earliest translation into English that I can find is 1903.She married her cousin George Gilman in 1900 and stayed with him until 1934. In that year she discovered she had terminal breast cancer. She committed suicide after that.The story is a double play: is it the story of a woman going mad, or a woman possessed by something evil? We begin to suspect that the narrator’s apparently caring husband John, may not be as caring as she thinks. Is he trying to control her? We know that Charlotte was much concerned with the emancipation of women and them achieving financial independence, so is the character of John an echo of this?The horror in the story revolves around the Yellow Wallpaper and like many of us, she sees to have seen patterns in the abstract wallpaper that eventually evolve into characters. She ultimately can enter the wallpaper and more disturbingly, the woman from the wallpaper can come out into her room. The bizarreness of the crouching, creeping figures serves to unnerve the reader.MusicMusic is by the marvellous https://theheartwoodinstitute.bandcamp.com/album/witch-phase-four (Heartwood Institute)Download Charles Dickens The Signalman Free Mp3 https://bit.ly/dickenssignalman (Subscribe to our list and keep in touch with the podcast. Learn of new episodes and bonus Content. )Support our work PLUS you get a free story right now!(The Story Link is in the Thank You Email)Show Your Support With A Coffee!https://ko-fi.com/tonywalker (Buy the thirsty podcaster a coffee...)Final Request: The SurveyI want to know what you want. If you have three minutes, I'd be grateful to know what you think of The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast.https://my.captivate.fm/Click%20here%20to%20go%20to%20the%20Survey (Click here to go to the Survey)Support the show

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