What's Ligotti's prose style like?

[spriggan1]

I've never read anything by Ligotti, but one day someone saw me reading Lovecraft and recommended him to me. The Lovecraftian writers I enjoy the most are the writers who have very poetic styles. I do like that lavish stuff that others may describe as overwrought. Clark Ashton Smith for example is my top. Willum Pugmire I also like, and Algernon Blackwood (though Blackwood is incredibly poetic and evocative with simpler sentences).

My local library has pretty much nothing by Ligotti, so in order for me to read any of his work I'll have to just buy it. But first I'd like a little info on his writing style. Is he more like Stephen King? A good story teller but lacking on the sweetly flowing, and beautiful lyrical prose? Or is he anything like the writers I mentioned above? Or how would you describe his writing style?

Thank you.

[luciferfell]

Thomas Ligotti is the greatest living horror author. He ranks with Poe, Lovecraft, Kafka, Aickman. If you at all claim to be a horror fiction lover or a fan of literature in general you have to read Ligotti. And yes he does write some of the best prose I have ever read. He is a master.

[spriggan1]

Thank you for your prompt reply. I must confess I have no aim to improve my status as a horror fiction or literature lover; nevertheless I will certainly check out Ligotti at some point. Based on some of the reviews I've skimmed he sounds magnificent.

However I remain in the dark about his writing style. I'm looking for a little bit more of a specific description if that can be spared.

Thanks again.

[Joel]

In haste – this site features some chunky Ligotti quotes that are replaced every few hours, so recurrent visits will give you snapshots of his work. Ligotti's prose style has always been 'Gothic' and quite poetic, with Poe, Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and Eastern European writers such as Franz Kafka and Bruno Schulz among his more visible influences. Sometimes his writing has a fevered, bitter energy that is remarkable. Sometimes it can feel rather academic and remote, as if he were writing an academic essay on the themes of his story. At its best, his style echoes classic Gothic fiction while expressing a very personal sense of anger and disillusionment.

[spriggan1]

Perfect. Thanks. The quote on display which I just read from “Allan and Adelaide: An Arabesque” was excellent. I rarely ever buy books but I guess I'll just have to go out and pick one up. I'm thinking Songs of a Dead Dreamer.

[Sand]

Spriggan1, I share your delight in ornate prose. If you haven't already, you might enjoy M P Shiel (Prince Zaleski, Shapes in the Fire), Baron Corvo (Don Tarquinio), and, among moderns, John Gale (Damask of the Dead). I wouldn't say Thomas Ligotti's prose is quite in that neo-decadent, aesthetic tradition: it is bleaker and less mannered. The sensibility is, however, in some ways similar.

[spriggan1]

Thanks Sand. I have not read those writers, but they sound very intriguing, particularly the poetry collection from John Gale. But it looks like it might be difficult to acquire. I'll be sure to check out MP Shiel and Baron Corvo though.

[Sbrain]

There are a couple of Ligotti short pieces right here on the forum which you can read for free:
- THE NIGHTMARE NETWORK
And

- THE NIGHTMARE NETWORK

[spriggan1]

Update. So I purchased Songs of a Dead Dreamer on this "kindle for PC" thing because all the material copies were a little above my price range. I really liked the first three stories I've read, particularly The Frolic, but also Les Fleurs.

However, I'm still sort of hung up on that quote I saw earlier from Allan and Adelaide: An Arabesque; The one that began, "It's presence always permeates the dream..." I thought it was really good and I'm curious to read the full story. However none of Ligotti's collections seem to have this story. I was just wondering if anyone might know how it's possible for one to get their hands on it? Physically or Digitally?

Thanks.

[ramonoski]

Quote Originally Posted by spriggan1

Update. So I purchased Songs of a Dead Dreamer on this "kindle for PC" thing because all the material copies were a little above my price range.

Welcome to the club...

Sadly, most of my Ligotti collection exists only in digital form as I, too, found the average price for second hand copies to be too much for the time being. Every once in a while a great offer pops up—a good book for a good price—but those are far and between. Oh well. As the song goes: "For the sun will rise and the moon will set / and you learn how to settle for what you get."

RE: Allan and Adelaide, from what I know it was published by two zines in the 80's but, unlike other Ligotti stories from the same period, it hasn't been reprinted.

I think I may be able to help you with this matter. And I suppose this is where the conversation turns to private messaging. Unless it's OK for me to post a transcript of the story here or something? I mean, it's a rare uncollected piece one can't buy at Amazon or whatever, and I know there's transcripts of a couple even rarer pieces here in this forum, so...