Review of “The Listener” by Algernon Blackwood: Halloween Countdown

For October 17

Plot:

In a series of diary entries, the unnamed narrator tells the reader how he took new rooms in a less-then-affluent part of town. The lodgings lack “modern conveniences,” presumably running water and electricity.

He’s a writer with several irons in the fire, and—whaddya know—he’s poor. Not that he had to be. He’s isolated himself from a sister with a rich husband and friends who are better off than he.

Thus, the poor quarter. The quiet suits him, but he soon finds himself getting irritated easily, almost as if someone were whispering things in his ear. He slacks off on his regular exercise. People stare at him. The cats in the alley eye him.

During the first storm, he realizes how drafty his rooms are and huddles in a greatcoat by the fire while the winds dance through the apartment, almost as if they were beings.

On more than one morning, he wakes to find his clothes strewn about. The landlady—or her assistant—never put his things back where they belong.

He becomes convinced that another man, a former tenant in the building, is following him, listening to him, waiting for the chance to take over his body.

Thoughts:

This is an eerie tale, and the suspense builds nicely. The reader can see the poor main character going to pieces despite some moments of triumph. He sells an article to a magazine, which then invites him to write another. At times, especially when he gets his regular exercise, he feels better and displays optimism. These turns don’t last long, and it’s back to footsteps on the stairs and knocks on the door with no one there.

Underlying all this is the narrator’s knowledge of insanity in his family. Could he be going nuts?

When a well-to-do friend writes that he’s coming for a visit, the narrator expects the no-nonsense friend will tell him his dreams and fears are all poppycock. He’ll be fine—right?

Author Blackwood excels in building suspense. The diary form and the possible insanity of the narrator echo Guy de Maupassant’s “The Horla,” but the stories have little else in common.

The ending is, alas! not the story’s strong point. It resolves little. It’s almost like a cruel joke. Damnit, Algernon. You had me going there for a bit.


Bio: Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was a prolific British writer and broadcaster of mystery, horror, and supernatural tales. Before he turned to writing, he spent time in Canada and the US farming, running a hotel, and gold mining in Alaska. He also worked as a newspaper reporter in New York City. He wrote of this time in a memoir, Episodes Before Thirty (1923/1934).

Many of his writings are atmospheric, heavy with unknown or poorly understood menace, such as “The Willows.”


The story can be read here:

The story can be listened to here:(1:10:43)


Title: “The Listener”
Author: Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951)
First Published: The Listener and Other Stories, 1907