Showing results by author "Vernon Lee" in All Categories

Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of Violet Paget (1856-1935), a British writer most famous for her supernatural short stories. She was a leading figure in the aesthetic movement. 'Marsyas in Flanders' is a strange tale of an ancient carving of the crucified Christ - minus its arms and cross - which washes up in the 12th century on a beach in Flanders.

A Wicked Voice is the tale of a composer haunted by the music of the 18th century and by the exquisite voice of a singer of that period who reputedly sang so beautifully his songs could (quite literally) kill with their beauty.

Being an English author in a new and different culture seems to work its magic when these two are placed together in the same spot with a rich vocabulary; ideas seem more fully formed and characters have another edge to their existence. For the outsider looking in, more can be revealed and shared with ourselves.

There is something about the number 3. The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two. Whatever history and culture says WE think 3, a hat-trick of stories, is a great number to explore themes and literary avenues that classic authors were so adept at creating.