Internet Articles

Speculates on the notion that there are some lost, unfinished stories that were possibly stolen and plagiarized. There is, however, no concrete evidence for any of this.

Challinor, Philip. A Fate Worse Than Death: On Robert Aickman's "The Same Dog"

Reacts to my comments about this Aickman story with a close reading of the story, noting its subtle ambiguities, contradictions, and mystery--all ingredients of many of Aickman's works. I have written a response to Challinor below.

Challinor, Philip. How Deep It Goes: On Robert Aickman's "No Stronger Than a Flower"

An excellent study of the irony of this tale. Use of names and a mirror offer an ironic expression of a woman after she is married. Her transformation gives a wonderful ironic commentary on the discord Aickman sees in all relationships, especially between men and women.

Challinor, Philip. Outstaring Time: On Robert Aickman's "Le Miroir"

A superb and well researched study of the complex allusions in the tale. It may be one of the most complex allusion systems in Aickman's fiction. Aickman's work is most rich in allusions, and a study of allusions in his works would be fascinating.

Crawford, Gary William. The Infography about Robert Aickman (1914-1981)

A listing of important sources.

Crawford, Gary William. "A Response to Philip Challinor's 'A Fate Worse Than Death,'" Robert Aickman - An Appreciation

I contend that while Challinor's reading of the tale is excellent, in the final analysis, he agrees with me.

Fonseca, Tony. Master of the Strange.

A review of the Tartarus edition of Aickman's short fiction.

Hood, Robert. Poetics of Horror.

Mentions Aickman and quotes passages from his works.

Jones, Darryl. "Review of Crawford's Book on Aickman." Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies: Book Reviews Issue 3

Joshi, S. T. Rev. of Robert Aickman: An Introduction. Necropsy. Joshi

Kennet, Rick. Fontana's "Great Ghost Stories" Series.

A useful commentary on this series, the first eight of which were edited by Aickman.

Kennet, Rick. The Ghost Book Series.

A bibliography of Cynthia Asquith's Ghost Book anthologies, in which Aickman appeared.

Lavelle, Brian. Robert Aickman » A Pictorial Bibliography

A bibliography with photographs of the covers of the books listed. The secondary bibliography is not annotated.

Ligotti, Thomas. Online discussion of Aickman. Robert Aickman - Page 5 - The Nightmare Network

Rockhill, Jim. Robert Aickman's The Inner Room: A Personal Response

An interesting personal essay that relates a seeming supernatural experience Rockhill's own childhoord and compares it to Aickman's story "The Inner Room." Sees the central character Lene as a victim who is punished for doing nothing wrong, almost as harshly as in the tales of Sheridan Le Fanu.

?Joey??? "The Trains." http://www.talkaboutabook.com/group/alt.books.ghost-fiction/messages/36100.html

An essay posted on the Google Groups discussion pages about "The Trains." A personal appreciation.

Stenfors, Bo. Robert Aickman, artikel på engelska

An online essay about Aickman's works. Mainly gives the plot of "The Wine-Dark Sea." Very little commentary.

Walter, Adam. Robert Aickman's The Visiting Star and Leni Riefenstahl's The Blue Light

Compares and contrasts the Riefenstahl film and Aickman's story "The Visiting Star." Asserts that Aickman drew his idea for the story from the film, but really did not remember the film correctly. Walter contends that this series of events illustrates how works of art can be inter-dependent.

Walter, Adam. The Attempted Rescue: Robert Aickman's Early Years

Draws an interesting comparison between Franz Kafka and Aickman. Like Kafka, Aickman was a pessimist with a small jewel of Romanticism. Walter comments on Aickman's boyhood as it is chronicled in the first volume of his autobiography and draws some useful parallels.

Walter, Adam. The Tao and Aickman and C.S. Lewis

A brief commentary on the similar views of C.S. Lewis and Aickman. While Lewis was more traditionally Christian, their views about the subconscious (here noted in the Tao) and man's dangerous denial of it.

Walter, Adam. Encountering the Unknown in Aickman's 'The Next Glade'

Discusses a common motif in Aickman's tales, the wood as a subconscious expression of the mystery of human creativity in the subconscious. In "The Next Glade" the mysterious man John whom the female narrator meets in travels into a wood, or "glade." John symbolizes creativity amid the mechanistic scientific places in the twentieth century. The narrator never knows or understands John, and this is what Aickman happens to man in the modern age--creativity is misunderstood.

Walter, Adam. Robert Aickman » A Pictorial Bibliography » Mrs. Aickman: Edith Ray Gregorson

A short essay discussing Walter's correspondence with a friend of Aickman's wife, Ray. Discusses the two children's books that Ray authored and mentions Peter Scott and Elizabeth Jane Howard, friends of Aickman and Ray.

Walter, Adam. Sweeney Todd, Chaucer and Mark Ingestre: A Customer's Tale

Brings the reference to Chaucer and Sweeney Todd to light and sheds it on the old man of the story, who is likened to a character in Chaucer in that he takes a one-upmanship over the protagpnist. Remarks that the allusions must be known for the tale to be understood at all.

Warwick, Joey. Robert Aickman's "Wood" - an appreciation of absurdity

Studies Aickman's frequent use of the absurd and in the story "Wood." Brings into play works by Maurice Baring and Edward Fitzgerald--once again the allusions shed light on Aickman's use of the absurd.

Wondolowski, Rupert. "'Somewhere in the Back of Beyond': The Sublimely Strange Stories of Robert Aickman." Imprints Literary Supplement 1999: Imprints Literary Supplement

A good general appreciation that notes the similarities to Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett.

Yanney, Barb. Robert Aickman - An Appreciation

The oldest full site devoted to Aickman, much of which is very entertaining and thought-provoking.