George Oliver Onions (13 November 1873 – 9 April 1961), who published under the name Oliver Onions, was an English writer of short stories and novels. He wrote in various genres, but is perhaps best remembered for his ghost stories, notably the collection ''Widdershins'' and the widely anthologized novella "The Beckoning Fair One". He was married to the novelist Berta Ruck.

Personal life

George Oliver Onions was born on 13 November 1873 in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, Yorkshire, England, to George Frederick Onions, a bank cashier (born 1847, London, England) and Emily Alice Fearnley (born 1850, Scholes, Yorkshire, England). He studied art for three years in London at the National Arts Training Schools (now the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

). In the book ''Twentieth Century Authors'', Onions described his interests as

motoring Motoring may refer to: * ''Motoring'' (film), a 1927 British comedy film * Motoring (TV series), a Canadian automotive television program (1988 to present) * 310 Motoring, an automotive customization garage based in Los Angeles, California * Mot ...

and science; he was also an amateur boxer as a young man. In 1909, Onions married the writer Berta Ruck (1878–1978) and they had two sons: Arthur (born 1912) and William (born 1913). In 1918, he legally changed his name to George Oliver, but continued to publish under the name Oliver Onions. He died on 9 April 1961 in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

, Wales.

Writing career

Originally trained as a commercial artist, he worked as a designer of posters and books and as a magazine illustrator during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

. Encouraged by the American writer

Gelett Burgess Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an American artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. He was an important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his ico ...

, Onions began writing fiction. The first editions of his novels were published with dust jackets bearing full-colour illustrations painted by Onions himself. ''Poor Man's Tapestry'' (1946) and its prequel, ''Arras of Youth'' (1949) are about the adventures of a juggler, Robert Gandelyn, in the 14th century."Recent Fiction by "B.M"" (Review of ''Arras of Youth''), ''The Irish Times'', 23 July 1949. ''The Story of Ragged Robyn'' (1945) focuses on the adventures of the titular stonemason at the end of the 17th century. Onions wrote two detective novels: ''A Case in Camera'' and ''In Accordance with the Evidence''. Two of his works are science fiction novels: ''New Moon'' (1918) about a

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', which describes a fictional island soci ...

Britain, and ''The Tower of Oblivion'' (1921), featuring a middle-aged man who recedes back to his youth. ''A Certain Man'' (1931), about a magical suit of clothes, and ''A Shilling to Spend'' (1965), about a self-perpetuating coin, are fantasy novels. Onions wrote several collections focusing on ghost stories and other

weird fiction Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Weird fiction either eschews or radically reinterprets traditional antagonists of supernatural horror fiction, such as ghosts, vampires, ...

. The best known of these collections is ''Widdershins'' (1911). Keith Neilson, "Collected Ghost Stories of Oliver Onions, The" in Frank N. Magill, ed. ''Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature'', Vol 1. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, Inc., 1983. (pp.294–299). Norman Donaldson, "Oliver Onions", in E. F. Bleiler, ed. ''Supernatural Fiction Writers''. New York: Scribner's, 1985. pp. 505–512 . It includes the novella " The Beckoning Fair One", widely placed among the best in the genre of

horror fiction Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defin ...

, especially

psychological horror Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre freque ...

. On the surface, it is a conventional haunted house story: an unsuccessful writer moves into rooms in an otherwise empty house, in the hope that isolation will help his failing creativity. His sensitivity and imagination are enhanced by his seclusion, but his art, his only friend and his sanity are all destroyed in the process. The story can be read as narrating the gradual possession of the protagonist by a mysterious and possessive feminine spirit, or as a realistic description of a

psychotic In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoher ...

outbreak culminating in

catatonia Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

and murder, told from the psychotic subject's point of view. The precise description of the slow disintegration of the protagonist's mind is terrifying in either case. A theme that "The Beckoning Fair One" shares with others of Onions's stories is a connection between creativity and insanity; here the artist is in danger of withdrawing from the world altogether and losing himself in his creation. Another noted story from ''Widdershins'' is "Rooum", about an engineer pursued by a mysterious entity. Mike Ashley, "Oliver Onions:The Man at the Edge" in

Darrell Schweitzer Darrell Charles Schweitzer (born August 27, 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror, although he does also work in science fiction and fantasy. ...

, ed. ''Discovering Classic Horror Fiction I'', Starmont House, pp. 120–126. Other ghost stories such as "The Cigarette Case", "The Rosewood Door" and "The Rope in the Rafters" involve time and identity shifts.Mike Ashley, "Onions,Oliver ", S. T. Joshi and Dziemianowicz, ed. ''Supernatural Literature of the World: an encyclopedia''. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2005. , pp. 874–875). The title novella of ''The Painted Face'' (1929) concerns a Greek girl's

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

of an ancient spirit; Mike Ashley describes it as "one of the finest works in the genre". The collection also contains "The Master of the House", a story involving a

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...

and

black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

. A long supernatural horror novel is ''The Hand of Kornelius Voyt'', about an isolated boy who falls under the

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

influence of a mysterious man. Onions was awarded the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Un ...

for his 1946 novel ''Poor Man's Tapestry''.

Reception and influence

Onions' work has largely been well received.

Gahan Wilson Gahan Allen Wilson (February 18, 1930 – November 21, 2019) was an American author, cartoonist and illustrator known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy situations. Biography Wilson was born in Evanston, Illinois, and was inspired by th ...

ranked him as "one of the best, if not the best, ghost story writers working in the English language. ... Mr. Onions did as much as anyone to move phantoms and other haunts from dark, Gothic dungeons to the very room in which you presently sit." Discussing ghost stories,

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary cr ...

described "The Beckoning Fair One" as "the most horrible and beautiful ever written on those lines". J. B. Priestley described ''Widdershins'' as a "book of fine creepy stories". Fellow ghost story writer A. M. Burrage said of Onions' work, "There is some hair-raising stuff in ''Widdershins''", and added "there is great literary excellence in this book, besides satisfaction for the mere seeker after thrills."

Robert Aickman Robert Fordyce Aickman (27 June 1914 – 26 February 1981) was an English writer and conservation movement, conservationist. As a conservationist, he co-founded the Inland Waterways Association, a group which has preserved from destruction and r ...

named "The Beckoning Fair One" as "one of the (possibly) six great masterpieces in the field".

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

lauded ''Widdershins'' as "a landmark book in the history of supernatural fiction".

Clemence Dane Winifred Ashton CBE, better known by the pseudonym Clemence Dane (21 February 1888 – 28 March 1965), was an English novelist and playwright. Life and career After completing her education, Dane went to Switzerland to work as a French tutor ...

stated of Onions, "His books have a lasting attraction for a reader who enjoys using his brains and his imagination." An ''Irish Times'' review of ''Arras of Youth'' stated, "Mr. Onions writes limpid and often beautiful prose." Martin Seymour-Smith described Onions's ''Whom God Hath Sundered'' trilogy as a neglected classic: "''In Accordance with the Evidence'' is the masterpiece of the three, but the other sequels in no way disgrace it." Neil Wilson calls Onions' supernatural works "notable for their depth of psychological insight, elegant writing and sophisticated plots". Wilson notes that

'The Beckoning Fair One' (1911) is regarded by many as one of the greatest English tales of the supernatural but has overshadowed Onions' other work in the genre which some consider of equal, if not greater, importance. In fact, the majority of the author's supernatural fiction is of an extremely high standard and is notable for its originality, subtlety and careful characterizations which lift it well above the average.

On the other hand, H.P. Lovecraft's assessment of Onions' work was negative; in a 1936 letter to J. Vernon Shea, Lovecraft stated, "I have Onions' ''Ghosts in Daylight''. ... I didn't care much for the various tales." Karl Edward Wagner's short story "In the Pines" (1973) pays homage to Onions's "The Beckoning Fair One". "The Beckoning Fair One" was also the inspiration for a 1968 Italian/French horror film called '' A Quiet Place in the Country'' by prominent Italian director Elio Petri, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero.

Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in London fro ...

alludes to Onions' work in his books ''Her Name Was Lola'' and ''Amaryllis Night and Day''."He also references Gothic writers who have influenced him, such as Margaret Oliphant and Oliver Onions". Review of ''Her Name Was Lola'' by Russell Hoban. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 8 November 2003, p. 14.

Selected bibliography

Novels

*''The Compleat Bachelor'' (1900) *''Tales from a Far Riding'' (1902) *''The Odd-Job Man'' (1903) *''The Drakestone'' (1906) *''Pedlar's Pack'' (1908) *''The Exception'' (1910) *''In Accordance with the Evidence'' (1910) *''Good Boy Seldom: A Romance of Advertisement'' (1911) *''A Crooked Mile'' (1914) *''The Debit Account'' (1913) *''The Two Kisses: A Tale of a Very Modern Courtship'' (1913) *''The Story of Louie'' (1913) *''Mushroom Town'' (1914) *''The New Moon: A Romance of Reconstruction'' (1918) *''A Case in Camera'' (1920) *''The Tower of Oblivion'' (1921) *''Peace in Our Time'' (1923) *''The Spite of Heaven'' (1926) *''Cut Flowers'' (1927) *''Little Devil Doubt'' (1929) *''The Open Secret'' (1930) *''A Certain Man'' (1932) *''Catalan Circus'' (1934) *''The Hand of Kornelius Voyt'' (1939) *''Cockcrow; or, Anybody's England'' (1940) *''The Story of Ragged Robyn'' (1945) *''Poor Man's Tapestry'' (1946) *''Arras of Youth'' (1949) *''A Penny for the Harp'' (1952) *''A Shilling to Spend'' (1965)

Omnibus collections

*''Admiral Eddy'' (1907) *''Draw in Your Stool'' (1909) *''Gray Youth'' (1913), US omnibus of ''The Two Kisses'' and ''A Crooked Mile'' *''Whom God Hath Sundered'' (1925), omnibus of ''In Accordance with the Evidence'', ''The Debit Account'' and ''The Story of Louie'' *''The Italian Chest'' (1939)

Story collections

*''Back o' the Moon'' (1906): "Back o’ the Moon", "The Pillers", "Skelf-Mary", "Lad-Lass", "The Fairway" *''Widdershins'' (1911): "The Beckoning Fair One", "Phantas", "Rooum", "Benlian", "Io", "The Accident", "The Cigarette Case", "Hic Jacet" *''Ghosts in Daylight'' (1924): "The Ascending Dream", "The Dear Dryad", "The Real People", "The Woman in the Way”, "The Honey in the Wall" *''The Painted Face'' (1929): "The Painted Face", "The Rosewood Door", "The Master of the House" *''The Collected Ghost Stories'' (London: Nicholson & Watson, 1935): Omnibus volume comprising ''Widdershins'', ''Ghosts in Daylight'' and ''The Painted Face'' *''Bells Rung Backward'' (1953): "The Rosewood Door", "The Woman in the Way", "The Honey in the Wall", "John Gladwin Says...", "The Painted Face" *''Ghost Stories'' (2003), introduced by Rosalie Parker: "Credo", "The Beckoning Fair One", "Phantas", "Rooum", "Benlian", "Io" ("The Lost Thyrsus"), "The Accident", "The Cigarette Case", "Hic Jacet", "The Rocker", "The Ascending Dream", "Dear Dryad", "The Real People", "The Woman in the Way", "The Honey in the Wall", "John Gladwin Says...", "The Painted Face", "The Rosewood Door", "The Smile of Karen", "The Out-Sister", "The Rope in the Rafters", "Resurrection in Bronze", "Tragic Casements"

References

Sources

*Leonard R. N. Ashley, "Onions, (George) Oliver (1873–1961)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
Oliver Onions (George Oliver)
at ''Fantasticfiction.com''

External links

* * * * * *
"The Beckoning Fair One"
text available online as part of Nina Auerbach's course reading
Review of ''The Hand of Kornelius Voyt'' by Oliver Onions

Michael Dirda Michael Dirda (born 1948) is an American book critic, working for the '' Washington Post''. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993. Career Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda ea ...

, ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 8 May 2013
"Curiosities: ''The Tower of Oblivion'' by Oliver Onions"
Mike Ashley, ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...

'', May 2001 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Onions, Oliver 1873 births 1961 deaths Writers from Bradford 20th-century English novelists English short story writers English horror writers English historical novelists English crime fiction writers English science fiction writers English fantasy writers British weird fiction writers James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients British ghost story writers English male novelists British male short story writers 20th-century English short story writers 20th-century English male writers Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period