Colin Wilson RIP

[Malone]

I only found about this a couple of days ago, as the news was completely overshadowed by Mandela, but Colin Wilson, author of the legendary The Outsider, passed away last week.

I daresay like a few others here, Colin's work was an exciting discovery in my youth. Most importantly, he introduced to a lot of people a world of authors and thinkers they had never previously encountered. He was that rarest of things: a British philosopher interested in engaging with European thought and fearless and insistent in doing so.

Thanks for everything, Colin.

Colin Wilson obituary | Books | The Guardian

[Draugen]

I heard about this a few days ago. Colin Wilson was an incredibly influential author for me too (and many others I suspect, as Malone says), especially in introducing works of other authors. His name brings back nostalgic memories of my later teens, the smell of second hand book shops, retro book covers.

I randomly discovered The Outsider in a second hand book shop when I was about 18 and it opened up a whole world of interesting ideas, and authors to investigate. In some sense, it could be said that Wilson got me in to serious reading, as neither of my parents were readers. But I think I’m bookishly inclined anyway, and probably would have got there in the end. I discovered Lovecraft and Machen around the same time, happy days.

I didn’t go with some of his later streams of thought on the paranormal, aliens etc, but he was always an interesting read, even where I disagreed.

I haven’t read much of his fiction (he has a few lovecraftian novels) even though I own much of it. Maybe nows a good time.

[Sam]

I don't think I've read any of his fiction, but as a young adult I did pick up a second-hand copy of THE OCCULT and absolutely devoured it. What an awesome cover:



Sounds like I should add THE OUTSIDER to my To Read list?

[Druidic]

Wilson's best novel, in my opinion, was The Glass Cage, a book that almost certainly influenced Red Dragon.
I saw Wilson speak in the late 60's at Keystone College and it was a memorable experience. I was still in high school but I hitchhiked there and managed to attend.
Unfortunately Wilson always let his philosophy get in the way of his art. He had the necessary tools to be a first-rate novelist but he could never seem to prevent his novels from turning into chunks of philosophical exposition. And what a dubious philosophy of positive thinking. He also seemed to have difficulty with 'proper' endings. The Space Vampires begins brilliantly then just dissipates.

Nevertheless, his best works are worth reading. I'm deeply sorry to hear of his passing.

[trieffiewiles]

Heard about this other day on a blog I frequent too often. Some nice material regarding him to be found therein.

Weekend links 189

[teguififthzeal]

"Religion and the Rebel" still strikes me as near first rate literary criticism. Whatever arcane avenues he may have gone down, Wilson is definitely a sort of hero of my youth.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

https://twitter.com/RemcoStraten/status/1312466940573573124

Watched it last night, I have almost no reservations, I liked the new agey ambience and I could have watched Wilson talk for another hour. He comes across really nice, talks about his life, creativity, other writers and films stars, there are some claims he makes that could sound like wild boastful lying but I believed him because he just doesn't seem overly impressed about any of it. From the way he explained it I thought he was very easily convinced about poltergeists and such things but this was clearly made by occultists. I haven't read any of his books and I'm not sure I've ever heard of Spider World series but it sounds like a major work for him.

[Knygathin]

Can we all agree that Colin Wilson was a focused philosopher, and not a literary artist? And that he accused H. P. Lovecraft of being a "bad writer" simply because he could not understand and appreciate Lovecraft's artistic viewpoint?

Lovecraft was an artist primarily. Not a philosopher (if anything in that direction, he leaned more towards science, social criticism, a small amount of politics).