Robert Suggs (May 19, 1998)[John Burke]I haven't posted lately because I've been too busy reading. Every now and then, if I hit a motherlode of several straight good stories, I zone out briefly so that I'm incommunicado with family, co-workers, and online presences. Also, I've been busy at work doing something so organized I can't believe it's me: databasing my anthologies! Yes, you'll be bowing before me in worship now--I've dumped the titles and authors from all the stories in (for now) about 30 of my key story collections. That way, when Thomas Burke is discussed (as he will be presently), I can quickly see which stories I have by him and where they are (Yes! The list is sorted by author's last name!). I have a number of other books to add, but I'm already VERY satisfied with myself. By the way, with any anthologies since 1984, one can pull the contents off the Locus site, then lop off the unwanted details.
Ah, now, Thomas Burke, author of Limehouse Nights and Night-Pieces (both purportedly in print by Ayer; can we trust their website?). I had only read "Yesterday Street" in the Oxford Book of 20th Century Ghost Stories and, just between you and me, not been particularly impressed. But since then there have been other stories--such as "The Hollow Man," in which an old buddy murdered in a forgotten bush of Africa 15 years ago strolls back into the life of his murderer. In "The Bird," a sadistic, perverted sea captain carries an evil bird on his shoulder, and . . . I won't say more. "The Chink and the Child," available at the Gaslight site, is the ultimate in politically incorrect tales, and it's rather decadently, sickly brilliant. And what can one say about "Johnson Looked Back," found in an old Derleth anthology (Sleep No More; Derleth always ripped off his titles, ever notice?). In this story, a man is being pursued through dark alleys by a blind man with no hands. These are dark, nightmarish, gut-wrenching stories. None could have been written by any other author. And once you read one or two, you'll want to read anything else by him, whether it's supernatural or not.
By the way, I'm trying to get to the Bowen story someone has suggested. And I might say a word on behalf of our colleague Rbadac. He seems to be in career transition, and may be uncomputered again. Don't e-mail him at the hotmail address. Just use a ouija. He hears and responds.
Rob
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rbadac (May 27, 1998)
[Chico Kidd wuz a friend of mine...]. . .
Other neglected authors? There's some Machen that could use reprinting, most specifically whatever collection contains 'Out Of The Picture' (THE COSY ROOM, maybe?), Lawrence Houseman, John Pudney, the Uneasy Tales of Violet Hunt, more Marjorie Bowen, that damn story 'The Rocker' of Onions' that was apparently printed in the first edition of WIDDERSHINS but in no other printing(!), Leslie Lewis, Emma Frances Dawson (thanks, Rob!), and of course Jean Ray and most of Aickman's TALES OF LOVE AND DEATH...Sorry I haven't been available lately- I'm getting on my computer-owning friends' nerves...
rbadac
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Robert Suggs (May 20, 1998)
[my thoughts of ghost stories vs others...]>Although I haven't read the works you mention, James Lee Burke is
>getting a lot of press out of "literary" ghosts.
>... ReedJohn Burke lived in the first part of this century, and is not the same as James Lee Burke.
Rob
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Reed Andrus (May 23, 1998)
Sorry Rob, I was posting in response to Randy's comment about the use of "literary" ghosts in the works of Toni Morrison and William Kennedy. James Lee Burke, winner of a couple of Best Novel awards in the mystery genre, has used ghosts extensively as counterpoints for the protagonist's guilt feelings. I defer to your knowledge of John Burke since I am unfamiliar with his work.... Reed
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William Allison (May 23, 1998)
That's ok Reed- Rob's always astounding us with writers we've not heard of like Robert Aickback, H.P. Lovelace, and Paul Fryer Harvey... He's a regular Hugh Dalby Jr... ;-)Bill A
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Robert Suggs (May 25, 1998)
To make everything really confusing, I referred to John Burke instead of Thomas Burke! I must have done that late at night. I imagine there is indeed a John Burke as well, if we dig into our lit textbooks. Oh, well. At the bookstore I looked to refresh my memory on who James Lee Burke is, and now I see who you're talking about--all those bayou novels. Bye, you. . . .
RoboOo
John Pelan (May 21, 1998)
[-snip-]JP
BTW: Does it strike anyone else as odd that no one's ever collected Thomas Burke's more grotesque tales in one volume?
oOo
Robert Suggs (May 22, 1998)
Does Night Pieces not count? I guess not, actually, since it looks like stories like "The Chink and the Child" (I triple wince whenever I type that, not only because of the title but the contents) are found in the Limehouse collections he put together. It does seem that both Night Pieces, which has his horrific tales, and the classic Limehouse Nights, are both in print at Ayer. Catalog shows them, but I haven't verified it with them.
Burke is certainly due for a revival, even with Ayer around. Anyone listening?Rob
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violet (May 22, 1998)
[Thomas Burke]Rob notes: "Burke is certainly due for a revival, even with Ayer around. Anyone listening?"
Both Richard Dalby and myself have been making noises about a "complete" weird tales of Thomas Burke, one of my favorite writers. One of us will eventually put it together for someone, perhaps even co-edit the project. Burke was himself a Limehouse street urchin, and Quong Li was a real person. Though Rob says he winces at titles like "The Chink and the Child" Burke is actually pretty authentic. My late stepmom was Thai & I became very sensitive to Asian racism so that there was a time I couldn't read Burke -- but that's like not being able to read Mark Twain because Huck won't stop saying "nigger" throughout. I was slowly won over utterly. A TEASHOP IN LIMEHOUSE includes three weird tales, the famous crime tale "Hands of Mr. Ottermole," and many other tales so heavily ironic as to seem almost supernatural.
oOo
Christopher Roden (May 22, 1998)
Rob queried whether anyone was listening to his comment about Thomas Burke.Jessica provided the information that both she and Richard Dalby were keen to put together a collection.
And Ash-Tree has listened and is now talking to both of them.
(Just to let you know that we *do* take note of what people say to us)
Christopher Roden
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John Pelan (May 22, 1998)
OK, I'll cross that one off my reprint list... Heh-heh...JP
BTW: Jessica, make sure it includes the bird story!
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Robert Suggs (May 25, 1998)
Wow. Seems like we've got some real clout in this obscure little corner of cyberspace. Mention Nugent Barker or Thomas Burke and we can almost hear the dust flaking off the shelves and the presses gearing up. If every black cloud has a silver lining, the good news around here is that we have Ash-Trees, Ghost Story Presses, Violet Books and even Silver Salamanders giving attention to authors who don't deserve to die. And if only 300 to 500 of us are fortunate enough to come away with copies of these books, we can hope and pray that libraries soon carry new editions of many of these authors, and that some stories can be accurately preserved on the Internet so that we can e-mail wonderful tales to potential connoisseurs and ensure one more generation of life for deserving writers.Thomas Burke is one such deserving soul. From time to time it occurs to you that you'll eagerly read whatever else this particular author has written of, regardless of whether it is supernatural. It's simply powerful wordsmithing and story-telling. "Johnson Looked Back" thrust at me an image I haven't yet exorcised from my head: a man fleeing in terror from a blind pursuer with no hands. The story opens with this image and the assurance that there's no way the fleeing victim can save himself. The power of the story is somewhat mitigated by an ending that shapes it into something close to an allegory, unfortunately, but the thing still works. As for "The Chink and the Child" (which, I'll repeat, you can enjoy online courtesy of our friends at Gaslight (www.mtroyal.ab.ca/programs/arts/english/gaslight/), I'm not personally railing against its political incorrectness, but remarking on how our ears will no longer easily tolerate racial epithets. I recently reread Huck Finn, and love the novel despite the racial language--as with Burke, it's authentic and because it's Mark Twain, works on the basis of its language. To "clean it up" is to emasculate it. It's obvious Burke knew those Limehouse docks. But it wasn't the C-word that I was referring to wincing at as much as the foreground child-beating and pedophilic overtones in the story. As I say, he's simply an uncompromising writer.
RoboOo
[six months later]
rbadac (December 3, 1998)
[John P on Tom B]Robert Suggs wrote:
> Hey, John Pelan, you out there? Your core list of horror essentials bears the
> name of one of my very favorites, John Burke, and the cryptic words, WATCH
> FOR NEWS. Do you have something you'd like to share with the class? Yes, I
> know Limehouse Nights is easy to pick up in one of its many editions but
> somehow I've never gotten around to it. A "Complete Weirds" would be great.
> Rob
Rob of course is referring to Thomas Burke, and yes, we're wondering if JP is going to reprint NIGHT PIECES, which has the bulk of TB's weird shorts; those 'watch for news' stingers were pretty intriguing-- one on Jean Ray caught my eye. His core collection list is quite admirable, and you should all check it out and deluge him with e-mail about authors he left out, though be careful you fall within the specifications he has set (hardcover, $ 50 or less, etc.) and avoid sending him whining notes about people like Gerald Kersh, like I almost did, before I realized Kersh's short stories are probably not and unlikely to be in hardcovers.
rbadac
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paghat (December 3, 1998)
Richard Dalby and I are working on a complete weird tales of Thomas Burke. Richard will do an Introduction, I will do an Afterword. We have all the stories in hand but there are some very difficult biographical bits to track down. Burke was a bit like Ernest Bramah in hiding much of his life, but worse than Bramah in that Burke has the added problem of inventing considerably about himself in what passes for autobiographical essays. The publisher will be Ash-Tree but as the Rodens are very backlogged with books there's been no sense of urgency on wrapping it up.jessica
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Robert Suggs (December 3, 1998)
rbadac wrote:
> Rob of course is referring to Thomas BurkeWhen it comes to names I have a "confusion threshold" I can cross after which it's unlikely I'll EVER get the name write. I've gone back and forth between Thomas and John, and I'd thought there was a John (or Thomas) who was an Enlightenment writer, but the closest I can come up with when I actually check is Edmund Burke. Maybe I was thinking of Thomas Paine. Never mind. Anyway, BURKE is a fine writer, supernatural or otherwise. There's "The Hollow Man," "The Bird," "Johnson Looked Back," "The Chink and the Chinaman" and many more. It's yet more great news that Jessica and R. Dalby, two excellent editors, have that assignment for Ash-Tree. As Bud Voltaire said, "It's the best of all possible worlds!" Thanks, Joe and Myra Roden!
RoboOo
jgilbert (December 3, 1998)
There is a John Burke who wrote some very good supernatural detective novels (set in the Victorian era) about a stage magician called Dr. Caspian. He probably has also written some short stories as well. I think there were 3 or 4 novels although I've only read one--I wouldn't mind seeing them reprinted too. I also look forward to the Thomas Burke collection. -- MaxoOo
[year and a half later]
Bill Barnett (June 22. 2000)
Prompted by the announcement that my favorite factory, Ash-Tree Press (admiration is not necessarily sycophancy), will be publishing a collection of ghost stories by John Burke, I read several of his stories in anthologies to get an idea of what to expect.Burke does not deal in antiquarian horrors, but he does deal in ghosts and personality clashes. Most of the ghosts are fairly conventional (the later ones more so than the earlier ones), and most of the stories end on a down note. Of the three categories of ghost stories as decreed by me (the mere observation, the narrow escape, and doom), most of Burke's stories (based on the nine I've located) fall into the last category. His outlook is not quite as bleak as Birkin's, but he shares his view of evil as being a creation of men and women.
"Casualty" in THE SIXTH GHOST BOOK: As our protagonist wakes up in the hospital and struggles to reconstruct the events which landed him there, he hears nurses surreptitiously discussing the hospital ghost. But if she haunts the maternity ward, as they say, why do they keep worrying about it around him? All this leads to a metaphysical struggle, resulting in...
"Flitting Tenant" in THE SEVENTH GHOST BOOK: the Harpers' daughter has married, and their Victorian house is slated to be pulled down, along with several others on the block, to make room for a new office building, or supermarket, or grade school. So what will become of the ghost of the house, a young woman named Mary Jane, who died of a broken heart in the fashion of the 19th century? And will she finally find true love? And if so, at what terrible price?
"The Loiterers" in THE EIGHTH GHOST BOOK: The constantly bickering Neil and Marion invite Bernard to their house for dinner, against his better judgment, where the other guest is the exquisite but stand-offish Elizabeth. Why do she so coldly resist his advances? (Why does she do *everything* coldly? Without invoking the word Burke explores the meanings of "frigidity".) Surely she can escape her rumored dead-end affair with a (probably) married man... And what of this vision after Bernard's advances are finally rewarded:
"From the sudden sparking darkness the tormented faces rushed in on him. He knew some of them--must have seen, in the square, the features which were now so plain. Elizabeth moaned again, seized with terror. The faces contorted into a new pattern. They could see her every movement in spite of the sudden black-out. Lips drooped; their sigh was a pitiful dying breeze all about the room. They watched because they could not bear not to watch. Their faces, Bernard thought insanely, were like those of starving men pressed to a bakery window."
When Bernard figures out what is going on it is much too late for him.
[This tale and "Casualty" are the weirdest of this small batch, and IMO the best.]
"False Harmonic" in THE NINTH GHOST BOOK: Mark Bickford has landed a job as curator of the home of the late ascetic composer Saul Gregory. The surrounding landscape is flat and featureless, chosen by Gregory as offering no distraction from his work. Bickford yearns to become a vessel for Gregory's spirit to complete his last, unfinished quartet, as is rumored to have happened briefly to a previous curator. But when one becomes a vessel, one loses control over what one does, and it's not necessarily what one expects, and can have tragic results...
[That's all I have time for before work, I hope to get around to the rest tonight.]
Bill B.
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rbadac (June 22, 2000)
Bill Barnett wrote:(clip of great review)
> [That's all I have time for before work, I hope to get around to the
> rest tonight.]My ass. How early did you get up??
rbadac, who takes HOURS for stuff like that
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Robert Suggs (June 22, 2000)
>My ass. How early did you get up??
>
>rbadac, who takes HOURS for stuff like that
I thought I was your ass, rbadac. Never mind.
One shouldn't miss "The Hollow Man," which has a disturbing "is-this-an-allegory" feeling, as well as the unforgettable "The Bird," and "The Chink and the Chinaman" which can be found over at Gaslight. I believe the Oxford Book of 20th Century Ghost Stories has a rather forgettable child-ghost jaunt in it, but everything else I've read by this guy is strong. Wonderful sense of place is the fuel that makes his narratives run.
oOo
Jim Rockhill (June 22, 2000)
Sorry, but aren't these by THOMAS Burke?Jim
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Christopher Roden (June 22, 2000)
Jim is, of course, correct. Rob seems to be confusing John with Thomas (who will have his own Ash-Tree collection next year).John Burke is perhaps best known for three volumes of 'uneasy tales' which he edited: TALES OF UNEASE (1966), MORE TALES OF UNEASE (1969), and NEW TALES OF UNEASE (1976), and for his series of novels featuring occult detective Dr Caspian and his assistant Bronwen Powys: THE DEVIL'S FOOTSTEPS (1976), THE BLACK CHARADE (1977), and LADYGROVE (1978) - what I think I would describe as novels of the supernatural written in the Denis Wheatley tradition.
Burke's literary output began with SWIFT SUMMER (1949), which won a Rockefeller Award in Literature from the Rockefeller Foundation, but he has written widely on topographical subjects, besides novelising many popular films and television programmes, including the Beatles' A HARD DAYS NIGHT, Hammer productions, and, more recently TV's THE BILL.
John, who is now 78, is still writing, and has contributed a brand new story (the title story of the collection: WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. In all, the collection, introduced by Nicholas Royle, has twenty-two 'uneasy tales'. Ramsey Campbell will be reviewing the volume for the October issue of ALL HALLOWS. Usual details will be available in due course.
Ash-Tree supporters may like to know that there is some major coverage of the press by Gahan Wilson in the August REALMS OF FANTASY MAGAZINE (it's been reported to us enthusiastically, though we have yet to see it.) Gahan Wilson and Ramsey Campbell are, of course, on the Ash-Tree payroll, so some of you might like to ignore their coverage.
Christopher Roden
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Robert Suggs (June 23, 2000)
Ahhh, we've done this before. The first time, back a year or so ago, I really did transpose the names--or someone did, it's hard to remember. This time I thought SOMEONE ELSE had it wrong and I didn't want to point it out, especially because my heart was all a-flutter to bring up the titles I'd read. But I must say I didn't know there WAS a John Burke as well. I've read Thomas, not John.I'm swearing off Burke discussion of ANY kind. It's not good for my image.
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Christopher Roden (June 22, 2000)
> But I must say I didn't know there WAS
> a John Burke as well. I've read Thomas, not John.You're in for a treat, Rob!
> I'm swearing off Burke discussion of ANY kind. It's not good for my
> image.Images don't matter on this group, pal!
CR
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rbadac (June 23, 2000)
> Sorry, but aren't these by THOMAS Burke?
>
> JimGet 'im, Jim! Rob tries to kill writers who are still alive, too. He don' mean nuthin' by it, though... he's jes' ornery thet way. We put 'im inna hole an' feed 'im chickens mostly, he likes 'em. Bites dey li'l haids off, spits 'em at company.
unca rbadac
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Bill Barnett (June 23, 2000)
Christopher Roden wrote:
>Gahan Wilson and Ramsey Campbell are, of course, on the Ash-Tree payroll,
>so some of you might like to ignore their coverage.On the payroll-- does this mean we can expect Ash-Tree editions of ALL NEW STORIES from these two?! I wish... (As the fabulous Miss Dazzle's grandmother says, "You got a wish in one hand and a shit in the other, whichever weighs more is the one you get.")
Back to John Burke...
"Leave of Absence" in THE TENTH GHOST BOOK: Angela Cardew was relentless in her support of her husband's municipal activism (and may in fact have instigated it), and carries on his works after he disappears at sea. Now she has died, and is equally relentless in her efforts to locate her dear Colin on the Other Side; when she fails, she badgers the Powers That Be into allowing her to return to our world (perhaps indefinitely), though not as solid as she was before. Those who thought they didn't have to worry about Angela anymore are sorely disappointed, and none so sorely as Colin.
"The Custodian" in THE ELEVENTH GHOST BOOK: People's Revolutions never seem to benefit the People. Our unnamed female protagonist is a tour guide for an unnamed castle in an equally anonymous communist nation. One woman in today's tour group (was she with the group from the start? hmmm...) insists that her version of history, re the Countess who formerly inhabited the castle, is the true one, though it's at odds with the official story. History still repeats itself, even if it's been obliterated and rewritten. What's worse than living under a regime built on lies and murder? Burke has come up with an answer.
"Don't You Dare" in SPLINTERS: Robert's wife Laura is not happy with him, and the more people she can tell, the better. She has already decided to remarry should Robert predecease her, which she is certain he will. Robert speculates that he might remarry if Laura goes first; "Don't you dare," she says. Robert is not very happy, what with working long hours to keep Laura in the lifestyle she demands, then getting bitched at for working long hours, and being humiliated in front of the neighbors in their waterfront community. Unexpectedly, Laura does pass away by drowning; Robert remarries and is finally happy with Janet, until she starts to change... A devastating ending to this one.
"Lucille Would Have Known" in NEW TERRORS II: The widow Lucille arranged an annual minibus trip, for both sightseeing and education, for her social group of five couples and herself. Her death just before this year's trip has cast a pall over the event, though the couples go through with it because they think Lucille would have wanted them to. Madge Wright is now organizing things, and not very well, to the growing dissatisfaction of everyone else. Including Lucille. Another nasty ending and the closest to Birkin in this bunch. This is the third (well, first chronologically) in what I like to call Burke's Marriage from Hell Trilogy.
And finally, "A Comedy of Terrors" in THE NINTH PAN BOOK OF HORROR STORIES. This is the type of story for which this series is infamous. No ghost here, just flesh and blood-- and lots of it! Robbie Sennidge is the creative director for England's classiest and most successful horror films. How is he able to create so convincingly gruesome scenes like, say, a man being drawn and quartered? And after several films, what's left to do? Sennidge learns that what comes around goes around.
Burke's ghosts are all ex-people, i.e. no elementals or occult monsters, and they more often perpetrate injustice rather than avenge it. The stories are perfect if you need a bring-me-down to counteract a pick-me-up. My generalizations are based on just nine stories, though, while the upcoming volume will contain 22. That's at least 13 more for me, and I eagerly await them.
>> > >My ass. How early did you get up??
5:30.
Bill B.
(Looking for rbadac's Cowles and Jean Ray posts so I can quote them and pepper them with "Me too!"'s.)oOo
Christopher Roden (June 22, 2000)
Bill Barnett wrote:
> On the payroll-- does this mean we can expect Ash-Tree editions of ALL
> NEW STORIES from these two?! I wish... (As the fabulous Miss Dazzle's
> grandmother says, "You got a wish in one hand and a shit in the other,
> whichever weighs more is the one you get.")Well, you can expect the forthcoming sequel to MIDNIGHT NEVER COMES to contain a new story from Ramsey; and one from Hugh B. Cave (whose Ash-Tree anthology of Supernatural Feline Stories: THE LADY WORE BLACK is published in August, in as-near-as-we-could-get-to-it a celebration of the great man's 90th birthday on 15 July; and one from Steve Rasnic Tem; and one from Steve Duffy; and Paul Finch; and John Whitbourn; and David Rowlands; and likely Chet Williamson; and . . . and . . . and . . . lots more you won't have heard of, but who have written some excellent chillers for us to use in intimidation and manipulation of our reading public.
And I'm glad to confirm the publication of Chico Kidd's collection, SUMMONING KNELLS AND OTHER INVENTIONS, in November. Forty-seven stories, comprising all of Chico's excellent supernatural output to date. Welcomed today by Rosemary Pardoe's G & S website (thanks, Ro, cheque is in the mail!).
2001 will see collections from Paul Finch, Steve Rasnic Tem, and Chet Williamson, in addition to titles previously announced, and more to follow.
Oh, and Bill, really liked your summing up of the John Burke stories you covered. Isn't that 'LucilleWould Have Known' great?
CR
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Jim Rockhill (June 23, 2000)
You have my mouth watering. Time to start socking more money away. By the way, I am about 2/3 of the way through Weighell's THE IRREGULAR CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and am enjoying every page.Jim
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rbadac (June 24, 2000)
Bill Barnett wrote:(more of a super overview of JB)
> "Don't You Dare" in SPLINTERS: Robert's wife Laura is not happy with him,
> and the more people she can tell, the better. She has already decided to
> remarry should Robert predecease her, which she is certain he will. Robert
> speculates that he might remarry if Laura goes first; "Don't you dare," she says.
> Robert is not very happy, what with working long hours to keep Laura in the
> lifestyle she demands, then getting bitched at for working long hours, and
> being humiliated in front of the neighbors in their waterfront community.
> Unexpectedly, Laura does pass away by drowning; Robert remarries and is
> finally happy with Janet, until she starts to change... A devastating ending to
> this one.God, yes. I forgot that was in SPLINTERS, one of my favorite anthos. It's also in Octopus Books' 65 GREAT TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL, and I just re-read it. Horrible. HORRIBLE! Don't anybody read this if they are unhappily married, it will only make things worse...
The ST. JAMES GUIDE TO HORROR, GHOST, AND GOTHIC WRITERS (My library finally ponied up for a copy-- Yaaaaay!!) has a good John Burke article by Chris Morgan, who compares "The Loiterers" to our old pal Aickman. Says there that Burke also co-wrote the screenplay for *The Sorcerers,* that bizarre Michael Reeves film starring Boris Karloff about the old couple who establish a mental link with a young man and live vicariously through him, sharing his experiences (all of them).
This new Ash-Tree collection is gonna be *so cool.*
rbadac, offering that last bit free for a cover blurb
> >> > >My ass. How early did you get up??
>
> 5:30.Thank you. I feel a little better. Did you drink coffee or orange juice? I may need to change my method.
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rbadac (June 24, 2000)
[Not the blow on the head]> I made a mistake in my post to editors. It's not the Python
> blow-on-the-head sketch that's germane to my questions, it's the
> thrown-from-the-top-of-Beachey-Head sketch. Sorry.
>
> Evelyn
> ("Says elephant")God help us, those Python sketches ARE relevant to us, Evelyn. You are so crazy.
rbadac, laughing his ass off
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Randy Money (June 26, 2000)
But a few threads ago Rob said he was your ...Oh. I hope Rob wasn't hurt in the fall.
Randy
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