Arthur Machen /1863–1947/ is an English writer and mystic, a member of the occult society "Order of the Golden Dawn", whose works greatly influenced the formation and development of whimsical and mystical literature. One of the most important motifs in the writer's work is the folklore image of the "little people", the fairies, whom he, contrary to the established tradition, describes as ancient, mysterious and hostile creatures, endowed with supernatural properties and mystical knowledge, as well as other realities hidden behind the bane of everyday life. The way to them is opened through long-forgotten and forbidden rituals - remnants of secret, almost lost knowledge. The publication of Arthur Machen's most famous novel "The Great God Pan" stirred the society of that time, which saw in it hints of ancient mystical rituals and sexual perversions.
Among the supporters of Arthur Machen's work was Howard Phillips Lovecraft, who spoke highly of his work in his famous essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature." It is believed that Machen's texts greatly influenced Lovecraft in the creation of his "Myths of Cthulhu". The works of the writer were also admired by other famous contemporaries - Arthur Conan Doyle, William Butler Yeats, and Oscar Wilde. The famous mystic Aleister Crowley noted the magical veracity of Machen's works, Jorge Luis Borges called Arthur Machen a great writer who predicted the emergence of magical realism with his work, and Stephen King once said in an interview that perhaps "The Great God Pan" is the best work of literature horror ever written in English.
