Looking for some dreamlike stories.

[Druidic]

Thanks for the link, Speaking Mute. Enjoyed the stories, I'm a miniaturist myself.

[luxfugio]

Any story that one finds in Surrealism--The Identity of Things is very dreamlike indeed.

[GirlyGirlMask]

I didn't read every post so forgive me if this has been mentioned. But "Steps" by Jerzy Kosinski might be the kind of thing you're looking for. It's quite dark, but beautifully written and, at least for me, has an undeniable "dream like" quality. I've often wondered why nobody ever mentions Kosinski when naming authors that dwell in the same kind of headspace as Ligotti.

[bendk]

Quote Originally Posted by GirlyGirlMask

I didn't read every post so forgive me if this has been mentioned. But "Steps" by Jerzy Kosinski might be the kind of thing you're looking for. It's quite dark, but beautifully written and, at least for me, has an undeniable "dream like" quality. I've often wondered why nobody ever mentions Kosinski when naming authors that dwell in the same kind of headspace as Ligotti.

I preferred The Painted Bird to Steps, but it is more brutal than dream-like.

Ligotti has mentioned Jean Ferry as having written one of the most memorable stories that he has read. I vaguely recall that it had the word "tiger" in the title. I could be wrong.

Quote Originally Posted by Cnev

borderline incoherent and nightmarish

Les Chants de Maldoror by Comte de Lautréamont (Lykiard transl.)

[GirlyGirlMask]

Quote Originally Posted by bendk

Quote Originally Posted by GirlyGirlMask I didn't read every post so forgive me if this has been mentioned. But "Steps" by Jerzy Kosinski might be the kind of thing you're looking for. It's quite dark, but beautifully written and, at least for me, has an undeniable "dream like" quality. I've often wondered why nobody ever mentions Kosinski when naming authors that dwell in the same kind of headspace as Ligotti. I preferred The Painted Bird to Steps, but it is more brutal than dream-like. Ligotti has mentioned Jean Ferry as having written one of the most memorable stories that he has read. I vaguely recall that it had the word "tiger" in the title. I could be wrong.

I've not read that title. Is that a recommendation, bendk?

[Speaking Mute]

Quote Originally Posted by bendk

Ligotti has mentioned Jean Ferry as having written one of the most memorable stories that he has read. I vaguely recall that it had the word "tiger" in the title. I could be wrong.

"Society Tiger" - Weird Fiction Review has it posted online - with note of Ligotti's comments:

http://weirdfictionreview.com/2013/0...society-tiger/

[In A Dark Light]

Does anybody know of any dreamlike stories which feel particularly nightmarish in their tone? Not necessarily horror fiction, but anything which captures that uncomfortable sense of dislocation which accompanies the most vivid nightmares.

[Gnosticangel]

Several works come to mind, first the violent, surreal epic journey (a short novel rather than a story), "The Other Side of the Mountain," by Michael Bernanos.

https://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Mountain-Michel-Bernanos/dp/0910220476/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1498535095&sr=1-1

 

https://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Mountain-Michel-Bernanos/dp/0910220476/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1498535095&sr=1-1

In the realm of nightmares, many of the short stories of John B. Ford evoke the atmosphere of dark dreams. (I tried to link to Rainfall Books but the site appears to be down at the moment.) These collections struck me as especially dreamlike:

"Dark Shadows On the Moon," and "The Night Eternal."

Much of Clark Ashton Smith's work, especially his prose poems, strongly evokes the experience of dreams. Here's one that some don't consider strictly a prose poem, but for me it seems to fit:

The Abominations of Yondo by Clark Ashton Smith

Likewise, many of the tales/prose poems of Edgar Allan Poe are dreamlike, such as "Silence: A Fable:"

Silence - A Fable by Edgar Allan Poe - Poestories.com

For some lighter fare (lighter in spirit), I've always found Lord Dunsany's fantasy short stories to be especially dreamlike. Here is "The Hashish Man:"

http://www.book-lover.com/lord-dunsa...he_hashish_man

Lastly, I'm a lifelong devotee of David Lindsay's novel "A Voyage to Arcturus," which could easily be described as a Gnostic dream under the guise of sci-fi fantasy. Here's the edition that I first read back in the 70s:

https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Arcturus-David-Lindsay/dp/1545097682/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498536284&sr=1-3&keywords=a+voyage+to+arcturus

 

https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Arcturus-David-Lindsay/dp/1545097682/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498536284&sr=1-3&keywords=a+voyage+to+arcturus

[In A Dark Light]

Thanks for the recommendations GnosticAngel. I'll be sure to give some of them a try.