Sunday, February 25, 2024

Aleister Crowley on Dunsany

 So, I knew that one of Lord Dunsany's books was reviewed by Aleister Crowley. What I did not know until a few days ago is that Crowley critiques Dunsany in passing, in what might have made for an interesting blurb.

The passage in question comes three-quarters of the way through Crowley's occult novel THE MOON CHILD (1917).  Crowley writes 

Lord Dunsany's stories are 

the perfect prose jewels 

of a master cutter and polisher,

 lit by the rays of an imagination 

that is the godlike son 

of the Father of All Truth and Light;


 [page 209 chapter 18: 

The Dark Side of the Moon]


---John R.

--current reading: THE JOURNAL OF JULIUS RODMAN by Edgar Poe (best described as 'Poe does Lewis & Clark').

1 comment:

Paul W said...

I put some study in to Crowley 15 years or so ago (he had a interesting connection with JFC Fuller, an important figure in military history). But I cannot imagine trying to read The Moon Child, it sounded more painful then reading on of Gygax's novels.

I hope you will share your thoughts on Crowley's work when you are done, he gets far more attention then his limited intellectual stature and charlatanism warrants, but I find it fascinating the way he continually pops up in pop culture.