Arthur Machen Quotes

A collection of quotes by Arthur Machen.

Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic known for his influential works of horror and supernatural fiction. He was born Arthur Llewellyn Jones on March 3, 1863, in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, Wales. Machen showed an early interest in literature and pursued a career as a journalist and writer.

Machen gained recognition through his novella "The Great God Pan" (1890), which explored themes of occultism and the blurred boundaries between reality and the supernatural. His works often depicted a hidden spiritual world lurking beneath the surface of modern life, and he played a crucial role in shaping the development of supernatural horror genres.

While Machen achieved critical acclaim for his literary contributions, he faced financial difficulties throughout his life. Despite this, he continued writing and published numerous short stories and novels, including "The Hill of Dreams" (1907), "The White People" (1904), and "The Three Impostors" (1895).

Machen's writing style was marked by beautiful prose, vivid imagery, and an evocative atmosphere, which blended elements of horror, decadence, and the supernatural. His works influenced notable authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Neil Gaiman, among others.

Arthur Machen passed away on December 15, 1947, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, leaving behind a legacy as one of the pioneers of supernatural fiction and a prominent figure in British fantasy literature.

Here then is the pattern in my carpet, the sense of the eter

Here then is the pattern in my carpet, the sense of the eternal mysteries, the eternal beauty hidden beneath the crust of common and commonplace things; hidden and yet burning and glowing continually if you care to look with purged eyes.

Arthur Machen

Beauty

We both wondered whether these contradictions that one can't

We both wondered whether these contradictions that one can't avoid if one begins to think of time and space may not really be proofs that the whole of life is a dream, and the moon and stars bits of nightmare.

Arthur Machen

Time Reality Moon Space Stars Dream Horror

If a man dreams that he has committed a sin before which the

If a man dreams that he has committed a sin before which the sun hid his face, it is often safe to conjecture that, in sheer forgetfulness, he wore a red tie, or brown boots with evening dress.

Arthur Machen

Dreams

It is all nonsense, to be sure and so much the greater nonse

It is all nonsense, to be sure and so much the greater nonsense inasmuch as the true interpretation of many dreams - not by any means of all dreams - moves, it may be said, in the opposite direction to the method of psycho-analysis.

Arthur Machen

Dreams

Every branch of human knowledge, if traced up to its source

Every branch of human knowledge, if traced up to its source and final principles, vanishes into mystery.

Arthur Machen

Knowledge

Now, everybody, I suppose, is aware that in recent years the

Now, everybody, I suppose, is aware that in recent years the silly business of divination by dreams has ceased to be a joke and has become a very serious science.

Arthur Machen

Dreams