Born in Liverpool in 1946, Ramsey Campbell had the first of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories published in 1961. He has been described by literary critic Robert Hadji as "perhaps the finest living exponent of the British weird fiction tradition". Campbell fell under the spell of H.P. Lovecraft and Arthur Machen at an early age, while exposure to Vladimir Nabokov in his late teens radically expanded his conception of the possibilities of narrative form. His excellent 2019 trilogy, collectively known as The Three Births Of Daoloth, is a worthy apotheosis to a lengthy career, yet Campbell shows no sign of slowing down. His latest, The Wise Friend, is an understated study in creeping dread and burgeoning magical awareness that takes its time sinking its tendrils into the reader’s psyche in the manner of all of his best work. Most notably, what sets Campbell apart from many other writers of the horror genre is his dedication to the slow-burn supernatural school of storytelling, the wildness of his imagination and the literary quality of his prose. tQ spoke to Campbell about his 13 choices, taking in novels, short stories, films, a poem and even an opera based on a surrealist cinema classic.
Click the image of Ramsey Campbell below to begin reading his selections
