I received an e-mail this week asking which among his many postings, I considered to be rbadac's 10 best. As a relative newcomer, I suspect William Allison, Robert Suggs, paghat and several others might be able to address this question more accurately than I, but at the risk of appearing presumptuous, here is my list of those among johnny's many posts that impressed me most:1. "The Shock of the Numinous: Arthur Machen's 'The White People'"
(Posted in the "Weird Review" at paghat's VIOLET BOOKS)
I have re-read this many times, and it still strikes me as the most insightful, deepest reading of Machen's fiction yet written.2. "The Ninth Fontana: Second-Guessing Aickman"
(Currently posted at almahu's ROBERT AICKMAN: AN APPRECIATION)
I have enjoyed rbadac's fiction, but have been most impressed by his articles. This brilliant piece, seamlessly intertwines a very subtle epistolary ghost story with reflections on authors Aickman should have considered for inclusion in the volumes he edited for Fontana.3. "Rbadac's contributions to the discussion of Robert Aickman tales"
(Currently posted at almahu's ROBERT AICKMAN: AN APPRECIATION)
I realize this is cheating, because this includes many posts. My point in grouping these is that johnny's contributions to the discussions, whether they ran to several pages or a single line, were almost uniformly supportive, insightful, and relevant, leading the way toward paths in interpretation that had been hitherto overlooked or under- appreciated. He even offers an alternative ending for "The Visiting Star".4. Dylan Thomas's Sullen Horrors
(Posted in the "Weird Review" at paghat's VIOLET BOOKS)
A pleasant surprise. Quite frequently, though there are many honorable exceptions, entries by an author normally associated with the "mainstream" into the macabre tend to be either juvenilia or so self- conscious as to be satisfactory to no one. I would not have suspected work of this quality from such a source if rbadac had not pointed it out to me.5. Ilse Aichinger's THE BOUND MAN & OTHER STORIES
(Posted in the "Weird Review" at paghat's VIOLET BOOKS)
Having read the title story in English as a high school freshman decades ago and come across a few other pieces by Aichinger in German only a few years later, I have sought a copy of this book a long time. I suppose I should be peeved at johnny for thus reminding me that I have yet to find these long-sought tales, but the review is so clearly, so cleanly written and he had a knack for so crystallizing the essence of a tale as to make us eager to read it without giving
anything essential away, that he has succeeded in making me even more eager to find this book. [Note: Jim now has a copy of this book.]6. "Jean Ray's MY OWN PRIVATE SPECTRES"
(Posted in the "Weird Review" at paghat's VIOLET BOOKS)
This is a marvel of concision, providing short portrait of the author's personality, an overview to the book's contents, a comparison between this and an earlier translation of "La Ruelle Tenebreuse" and information important to the interpretation of the long tale "St. Judas of the Night", all within the space of a few pages. If I had not already acquired the book prior to reading this review, nothing would have kept me from finding a copy afterward.7. "The Excursion" (Not currently available?) [Note: yes, the Appreciation site has it now.]
This is a very amusing metafictional romp which rbadac characterized as "a literary discussion masquerading as a travelogue", wherein rbadac and a group of British club types out of an alternative rbadacian- cum- Jorkensian universe travel through the even more unusual world of Gogol's fiction.8. Mikhail Bulgakov's Sardonic Fantasy THE MASTER & MARGARITA
(Posted in the "Weird Review" at paghat's VIOLET BOOKS)
As succinct and enticing an introduction to a recognized, but little- read classic as one could reasonably expect.9. "The Elixir of Life" by Honore de Balzac
(Posted in the "Weird Review" at paghat's VIOLET BOOKS)
As with number 8 and countless other examples, the reader familiar with the work under discussion can be as assured of learning something new as can the neophyte.10. "Rbadac's responses to Vernon Lee's A PHANTOM LOVER Reconsidered" (alt.books.ghost-fiction 8/22/00 ff.)
I have long felt that this exchange should have been appended to the piece on A PHANTOM LOVER which elicited it. It is an excellent example of johnny's ability to selflessly promote and deepen the works of others with his own insights and is, as was very frequently the case, a fully-thought-out analysis in its own right. I would hate to see his very intelligent and articulate views on this tale perish as if it were mere banter. And there are I do not know how many other examples of this on usenet.
Alas, those 10 slipped past all too quickly, leaving me no room to cite a number of other rewarding posts, such as "Christmas Ghosts" (alt.books.ghost-fiction 11/29/99, not yet reprinted), my own first introduction to rbadac' erudition and wit, which led to a round of equally enjoyable citations and discussions on a variety of related subjects by divers hands. The keynote in all of these posts is - delight in discovery. You will find no dry catalogs here, no pomposity, no stance taken whereby it should be clear that "the writer wrote this tale so that I alone could interpret it properly." rbadac is intent upon sharing his erudition. Lord, what an editor he would have been; what a writer he was!
Jim