S. T. Joshi
The sixth issue of Penumbra features a wealth of fiction by leading contemporary writers of weird fiction. Indian writer Aditya Dwarkesh offers a Ligottian tale of psychological aberration, while Australian Dmitri Akers provides a grim wartime story that veers into the supernatural. Other tales, long and short, by Manuel Arenas, Maureen O’Leary, Mark Howard Jones, and Joshua Green enliven the issue.Among the articles, Mario Sánchez Gumiel contributes a profound analysis of the Spanish writer Pompeu Gener, whose work shows analogies with Lovecraft, Machen, and other leading weird writers. John C. Tibbetts supplies a broad overview of the weird work of English writer Saki (H. H. Munro), while John P. Irish continues his study of the work of Fitz-James O’Brien, comparing it with that of Poe and Dickens.This issue incorporates reviews of contemporary weird volumes, including Katherine Kerestman’s sensitive review of Machen’s autobiographical writings, Karen Joan Kohoutek’s assessment of recent books relating to William Hope Hodgson, Kyla Lee Ward’s study of the weird stories of Leigh Blackmore, and Peter Cannon’s judgment on the correspondence of H. P. Lovecraft and Frank Belknap Long. The popular column 'Ramsey’s Rant,' by Ramsey Campbell, is also included.
