N

A chapbook.

In his short story 'N', Arthur Machen (1863-1947) considers what would happen if the mystical were to intrude upon the everyday world we all take for granted. Borrowing from the writings of William Law the Non-Juror (1686-1761), Machen places a fragment of Paradise, created from a ruined part of primordial creation, in the London suburb of Stoke Newington. In his story those who try to understand what they have seen experience rapture, horror, or both, and they have trouble convincing others of their sanity. For Machen the mystical is so powerful that it cannot be properly comprehended.

2010 is the 75th anniversary of "N" by Arthur Machen. To celebrate this the comedian Stewart Lee will be discussing Machen's short story at the Stoke Newington Literary Festival in June. In conjunction with the Literary Festival and the Friends of Arthur Machen, Tartarus Press is publishing a short run paperback of "N" with illustrations by Stephen J. Clark.