The Green Book 8
Published: 20 November 2016
Edited by Brian J. Showers
Looking at this issue’s eclectic contents, I am struck by the richness of Ireland’s varied contributions to genre literature. Though a small island nation, we don’t exist in a hermetically sealed literary bubble. It’s an obvious thing to say, really, but Irish literature has such a strong sense of itself that I sometimes have to remind myself of its kinship with the rest of the literary world.
During one of my expeditions to the National Library, I happened upon a contemporary review of E. R. Eddison’s novel The Worm Ouroboros (1922) written by James Stephens, author of the classic fantasy novel The Crock of Gold. I was thrilled at the idea—though maybe I should not have been surprised—that Stephens was reading other genre writers of the era. We also know he was an admirer of Arthur Machen, but what else had he read? So for this issue I decided to include Stephens’s review of Ouroboros as a reminder of the interconnections between genre fictions (and their writers).
Paperback edition limited to 250 copies.
Cover art by Brian Gallagher
Editor’s Note by Brian J. Showers
ISSN: 2009-6089 (pbk)
Editor’s Note #8
Looking at this issue’s eclectic contents, I am struck by the richness of Ireland’s varied contributions to genre literature. Though a small island nation, we don’t exist in a hermetically sealed literary bubble. It’s an obvious thing to say, really, but Irish literature has such a strong sense of itself that I sometimes have to remind myself of its kinship with the rest of the literary world.
During one of my expeditions to the National Library, I happened upon a contemporary review of E. R. Eddison’s novel The Worm Ouroboros (1922) written by James Stephens, author of the classic fantasy novel The Crock of Gold. I was thrilled at the idea—though maybe I should not have been surprised—that Stephens was reading other genre writers of the era. We also know he was an admirer of Arthur Machen, but what else had he read? So for this issue I decided to include Stephens’s review of Ouroboros as a reminder of the interconnections between genre fictions (and their writers).
I also learned earlier this year that A.E. was an admirer of Algernon Blackwood’s mystical novel The Centaur (1911). I’d always suspected A.E. would find kinship with Blackwood’s more metaphysically themed writing, and I was pleased to discover this intuition was correct. With that in mind, I thought I would also include in this issue another rarity: A.E.’s “The Sunset of Fantasy”—a tantalising fragment if ever there was one—of what might have become the mystic’s memoir, certainly another spiritual exploration. Remember too: April 2017 will be the 150th birth anniversary of A.E. With any luck there will be a small revival of interest in his work.
We also have in this issue David B. Lurie’s excellent essay on the Japanese insect literature of Lafcadio Hearn, and Carol A. Senf’s examination of Bram Stoker’s lesser known works, including my personal favourite The Snake’s Pass.
And for those who wish to delve a little deeper into Irish supernatural and occult literature, we’ve got Terri Neil’s short article on early nineteenth-century writer Henry Ferris, with an accompanying bibliography. Ferris is one of those authors who, like Flann O’Brien, possesses a slippery identity. While Ferris’s contributions to genre fiction might not be as substantial or influential as his contemporary J. S. Le Fanu, they are worth exploring nevertheless.
This issue might at first seem random in its selection of writers covered, but I’d like to think that if we dig deeply enough, we’ll discover even more illuminating connections between them. Which is what The Green Book is all about anyway.
Brian J. Showers
Madison, Wisconsin
Late 2016
Brian J. Showers
Brian J. Showers is originally from Madison, Wisconsin. He has written short stories, articles, and reviews for magazines such as Rue Morgue, Ghosts & Scholars, and Supernatural Tales. His short story collection, The Bleeding Horse, won the Children of the Night Award in 2008. He is also the author of Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin (2006), the co-editor of Reflections in a Glass Darkly: Essays on J. Sheridan Le Fanu (2011), and the editor of The Green Book. Showers also edited the first two volumes of Uncertainties, and co-edited with Jim Rockhill, the Ghost Story Award-winning anthology Dreams of Shadow and Smoke. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Read moreThe Green Book 8 (Samhain 2016) edited by Brian J. Showers. Cover art by Brian Gallagher; cover design by Meggan Kehrli; editor’s note by Brian J. Showers; copyedited by Jim Rockhill; typeset by Ken Mackenzie; published by Swan River Press.
Paperback: Published on 20 November 2016; limited to 250 copies; 108 pages; digitally printed on 80 gsm paper; ISSN: 2009-6089.
About The Green Book
Aimed at a general readership and published twice-yearly, The Green Book is Swan River Press’s house journal that features commentaries, articles, and reviews on Irish Gothic, Supernatural and Fantastic literature.
Certainly favourites such as Bram Stoker and John Connolly will come to mind, but hopefully The Green Book also will serve as a pathway to Ireland’s other notable fantasists: like Fitz-James O’Brien, Charlotte Riddell, Lafcadio Hearn, William Allingham, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Cheiro, Harry Clarke, Dorothy Macardle, Lord Dunsany, Elizabeth Bowen, C. S. Lewis, Mervyn Wall, Conor McPherson . . . and this list is by no means exhaustive.
It should be noted that the word “Irish” in the journal’s title should be understood as inclusive rather than exclusive. The Green Book will also feature essays on Irish themes—even if by non-Irish authors. We hope that you will find something of interest here, for there is much to explore.
The Green Book is open for submissions.
Praise for The Green Book
“A welcome addition to the realm of accessible nonfiction about supernatural horror.” – Ellen Datlow
“Serious aficionados of the weird should also consider subscribing to The Green Book.” – Michael Dirda
“[A] wonderful exploration of a weird little corner of literature, and a great example of how careful editing can make even the most obscure subject fascinating and entertaining beyond all expectations.” – The Agony Column
“Eminently readable . . . [an] engaging little journal that treads the path between accessibility and academic depth with real panache.” – Black Static
“The overall feel here is not of fusty excavation in a small corner of the literary world, but of exploration on a broad front that continues to unearth intriguing finds.” – Supernatural Tales