Jimbo: A Fantasy

Description

Jimbo: A Fantasy (1909) is a novel by Algernon Blackwood. Having already established himself as a promising short story writer, Blackwood published his debut novel at the age of 40. A lifelong occultist, Blackwood was interested in the fine line between the human and spiritual realms, often incorporating supernatural elements into his work. Jimbo: A Fantasy is a story of a young boy's out of body experience after sustaining a terrible injury, a narrative that explores the vibrant worlds we wake to in our dreams. "Jimbo had fallen on his head. Inside that head lay the mass of highly sensitive matter called the brain, on which were recorded, of course, the impressions of everything that had yet come to him in life. [...] [H]e would have to wander, lost and lonely, through the comparative chaos of disproportioned visions, generally known as the region of delirium, until the doctor, assisted by mother nature, restored him once more to normal consciousness." Unsupervised, Jimmy wanders into the fields near his home. Charged by an angry bull, he falls and strikes his head, losing consciousness for an indeterminate period of time. As his body struggles to stay alive, his mind creates a world of its own, a haunting realm of dreams both fantastic and somehow realer, more vibrant, then the world he seems to have lost. Jimbo: A Fantasy is a story for children and adults alike, a novel that poses timeless questions regarding the nature of our existence, both upon earth and beyond. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Algernon Blackwood's Jimbo: A Fantasy is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was an English journalist, novelist, and short story writer. Born in Shooter's Hill, he developed an interest in Hinduism and Buddhism at a young age. After a youth spent travelling and taking odd jobs-Canadian dairy farmer, bartender, model, violin teacher-Blackwood returned to England and embarked on a career as a professional writer. Known for his connection to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Blackwood gained a reputation as a master of occult storytelling, publishing such popular horror stories as "The Willows" and "The Wendigo." He also wrote several novels, including Jimbo: A Fantasy (1909) and The Centaur (1911). Throughout his life, Blackwood was a passionate outdoorsman, spending much of his time skiing and mountain climbing. Recognized as a pioneering writer of ghost stories, Blackwood influenced such figures as J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, and Henry Miller.