W. H. Pugmire

Wilum 'Hopfrog' Pugmire

W. H. Pugmire signing books at the World Horror Convention on March 28, 2008
Born May 3, 1951 (1951-05-03) (age 60)
Occupation Short story writer
Nationality American
Genres Horror, Dark fantasy
Literary movement Cosmicism

Wilum 'Hopfrog' Pugmire (born May 3, 1951) is a writer of horror fiction based in Seattle, Washington. His works typically are published as W. H. Pugmire. His adopted middle name derives from the story of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe. Lovecraft scholar and biographer S. T. Joshi has described Pugmire as "the prose-poet of the horror/fantasy field; he may be the best prose-poet we have,"[1] and "perhaps the leading Lovecraftian author writing today"[2].

Strongly influenced by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, many of Pugmire's stories directly reference "Lovecraftian" elements (such as Yog-Sothoth of the Cthulhu Mythos). Pugmire's major original contribution to the Cthulhu Mythos is the Sesqua Valley, a fictional location in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and his equivalent of the Arkham/Dunwich/Innsmouth nexus which features in many of Lovecraft's New England stories. According to his official biography, his "goal as an author is to dwell forevermore within Lovecraft's titan shadow."

Pugmire is a self-proclaimed eccentric recluse, "the Queen of Eldritch Horror, "[3] as well as a self-identified "punk rock queen and street transvestite".[4]. He worked in various theatrical capacities, sometimes appearing at parties as characters including 'Count Pugsley', a vampire.

"Pugmire began to write fiction while serving as a Mormon missionary in Omagh, Northern Ireland, under the inspiration of his friend and correspondent, Robert Bloch. When, upon returning to the States, he discovered Arkham House and the fiction and Selected Letters of H. P. Lovecraft, he became an obsessed Lovecraftian determined to join the ranks of modern Mythos writers, and to that end he has devoted himself as an author. After a brief stint as a male whore, he discovered punk rock, which saved his soul and gave him a new fictive voice."[5]

Pugmire published mainly in the small press and in anthologies until 1997, since when he produced a steady stream of book collections. His stories have appeared in major horror anthologies, and collections of his fiction and poetry have appeared under small press imprints such as Necropolitan Press, Mythos Books, Delirium Books, and Hippocampus Press. His most recent stories were "The House of Idiot Children" (with Maryanne Snyder) in the January/February 2008 issue of Weird Tales magazine and "The Pornography of Puppets" (with Chad Hensley) in Allen Koszowski's Inhuman #4. In October 2010 a major retrospective of his work was published by Centipede Press.

Contents

Bibliography

Anthology appearances

Collections

Title Year Publisher Length Notes ISBN
Tales of Sesqua Valley August 1997 Necropolitan Press 66 Two printings: first printing had a glossy white cover while the second printing had grainy gray cardstock cover. Most of the reprints in this edition were substantially rewritten since their initial publication. ISBN (none)
Contents: "Beyond the Valley of the Damned" [Introduction by Jeffrey Thomas], "Another Flesh" [originally published in The Bone Marrow Review #1], "Beneath the Deepest Wound" [originally published in The End #1], "Apotheosis" [previously unpublished], "Born in Strange Shadow" [originally published in Terminal Fright], "An Image in Chalk" [originally published in World of H. P. Lovecraft #4], "The Imp of Aether" [previously unpublished], "Immortal Remains" [previously published in Cthulhu Codex #6], "The Million-Shadowed One" [previously unpublished], "The Child of Dark Mania" [previously published in The Pnakotic Series], and "The Balm of Nepenthe" [previously unpublished]. 
Dreams of Lovecraftian Horror December 1999 Mythos Books 91 The reprints in this edition were substantially rewritten since their initial publication. ISBN 978-0965943345
Contents: "Beyond the Realm of Dream", "Graffito Flow", "The Hour of Their Appetite", "Cool Mist", "Dust to Dust", "Necronomicon", "Gates Closed by Darkness", "The Baleful God", "Drink the Moon", "The Thing in the Glen", "The Audient Void", "The Hungry Place", "A Piece of Stone", and "The Totem Pole". 
Songs of Sesqua Valley 2000 Imelod Publications 54 Chapbook includes 33 Lovecraftian sonnets, two of which were previously published. Illustrated by Marc A. Damicis and Peter A. Worthy, with an introduction by Peter. A. Worthy. ISBN (none)
Tales of Love and Death May 2001 Delirium Books 72 The reprints in this edition were substantially rewritten since their initial publication. Published in a signed, limited edition of 300 copies. ISBN 978-1929653157
Contents: "The Phantom of Beguilement" [previously unpublished], "An Image in Chalk" [originally published in World of H. P. Lovecraft #4], "The Boy Who Made Me Scream" [originally published in Bizarre Dreams], "The Psychopomp of Irem" [originally published in New Mythos Legends], "The Bloom of Sacrifice" [originally published in The End #3], "The Zanies of Sorrow" [previously unpublished], "The Kiss of Corruption" [originally published in Tales of Lovecraftian Horror #9], "The Boy with the Bloodstained Mouth" [originally published in Nocturne #2], “Pale, Trembling Youth” [co-authored with Jessica Amanda Salmonson, originally published in Cutting Edge], "Cathedral of Death" [originally published in Grue #14], "The Cryptic Power" [originally published in Revelations From Yuggoth #1], "The Garden of Shattered Faces" [originally published in The Urbanite #10], "The Time of Twilight" [originally published in The Urbanite #10], "The Woven Offspring" [originally published in Lore #9], "Wormhead’s Kiss" [originally published in Deathrealm Fll/Win ’91], and "Crippled Love" [originally published in CyberPsychos AOD #5]. 
A Clicking in the Shadows and Other Tales 2002 Undaunted Press 44 Split release with Chad Hensley. Foreword by Robert M. Price. Cover and interior art by Allen Koszowski. ISBN (none)
Contents: "A Clicking in the Shadows" by Chad Hensley and W. H. Pugmire, "Leichenschrei" by Chad Hensley, "Gates Closed by Darkness" by W. H. Pugmire, "Hairs of the Mother" by Chad Hensley, "Ye Phantom of Beguilement" by W. H. Pugmire, "Gutter God" by Chad Hensley, "Ye Sign That Sets The Darkness Free" by W. H. Pugmire. 
Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts July 2003 Delirium Books 242 The reprints in this edition were substantially rewritten since their initial publication. Signed, limited edition; 250 copies. Each story has a new afterword by the author. Cover illustrated by Augie Wiedemann. ISBN 978-1929653379
Contents: "O, Christmas Tree" with Jessica Amanda Salmonson [originally published 1979], "The Ones Who Bow Before Me" [previously unpublished], "Born in Strange Shadows" [originally published 1996], "Another Flesh" [originally published 1992], "Immortal Remains" [originally published 1991], "Selene" [originally published as "Apotheosis", 1997], "The Darkest Star" [originally published 1999], "The Songs of Sesqua Valley" [originally published 1999], "The Heritage of Hunger" [previously unpublished], "The Imp of Aether" [originally published 1997], "The Million-Shadowed One" [originally published 1997], "The Child of Dark Mania" [originally published 1996], "The Hands That Reek and Smoke" [previously unpublished], "The Host of Haunted Air" [previously unpublished], "The Woven Offspring" [originally published 1998], "The Place of Old Insanity" [previously unpublished], "The Zanies of Sorrow" [originally published 2001], "Beneath an Autumn Moon" [previously unpublished]. 
The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams October 2006 Hippocampus Press 179 Most of the reprints in this edition were substantially rewritten since their initial publication. ISBN 978-0977173433
Contents: "An Eidolon of Nothing" [previously unpublished], "Hour of Their Appetite" [originally published in Dreams in Lovecraftian Horror], "The Sign That Sets the Darkness Free" [originally appeared in A Clicking in the Shadows and Other Tales], "Jigsaw Boy" [previously unpublished], "The Fungal Stain" [previously unpublished], "Balm of Nepenthe" [originally published in Tales of Sesqua Valley], "Some Darker Star" [originally appeared in Tales of Lovecraftian Horror #11], "The Saprophytic Fungi" [previously unpublished], "A Phantom of Beguilement" [originally published in Tales of Love and Death], "Stupor Mundi" [originally published as "Graffito Flow"], "Past the Gate of Deepest Slumber" [previously unpublished], "His Splintered Kiss" [originally published in The Urbanite #10], "Oh, Baleful Theophany" [previously unpublished], "The Strange Dark Folk" [previously unpublished], and "Your Metamorphic Moan" [previously unpublished]. 
Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts October 4, 2008 Mythos Books 203 This paperback edition, based on the 2003 hardcover by Delirium Books, includes three new stories ('The Balm of Nepenthe', 'The Phantom of Beguilement', and 'A Vestige of Mirth' which appears for the first time here). A new sonnet, 'The Outre Violinist', replaced 'Phantasm' which was incorporated into the new story 'The Phantom of Beguilement'. Several stories have been slightly revised, especially 'Beneath and Autumn Moon'. Cover illustrated by Augie Wiedemann. ISBN 978-0978991142
Contents: "O, Christmas Tree" with Jessica Amanda Salmonson, "The Ones Who Bow Before Me", "Born in Strange Shadows", "Another Flesh", "Immortal Remains", "Selene", "The Darkest Star", "The Songs of Sesqua Valley" [where 'The Outre Violinist' replaced 'Phantasm' from the hardback edition], "The Heritage of Hunger", "The Imp of Aether", "The Million-Shadowed One", "The Child of Dark Mania", "The Hands That Reek and Smoke", "The Host of Haunted Air", "The Woven Offspring", "The Place of Old Insanity", "The Zanies of Sorrow", "Beneath an Autumn Moon", "The Balm of Nepenthe", "The Phantom of Beguilement", and "A Vestige of Mirth" [previously unpublished]. 
Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley September 14, 2009 Terradan Works 128 This paperback includes five new stories and five heavily rewritten stories. Cover illustrated and introduction by Jeffrey Thomas. ISBN 978-1448699544
Contents: "Some Distant Baying Sound" [previously unpublished], "Totem Pole" [originally published in Fantasy Macabre #7], "Swamp Rising" [originally published in Grue #4], "Into the Depths of Dreams and Madness" [previously unpublished], "An Image in Chalk" [originally published in World of H. P. Lovecraft #4], "The Million-Shadowed One" [originally published in Tales of Sesqua Valley], "And Drink the Moon" [originally published as "Drink the Moon" in Dreams of Lovecraftian Horror], "An Eidolon of Nothingness" [originally published in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams], "One Last Theft" [previously unpublished], "Visions of William Davis Manly" [previously unpublished], "Afterword" [previously unpublished]. 
The Tangled Muse October 2010 Centipede Press 456 Limited to 150 copies for sale, this hardback collection includes 5 new works and 37 heavily rewritten stories. Introduction by S. T. Joshi. Illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley, Hannes Bok, Jean Delville, Virgil Finlay, Gwabryel, Greg Lowney, Harry O. Morris, and Frank Utpatel. ISBN 978-1933618784
Contents: "Some Buried Memory" [previously unpublished], "Totem Pole" [originally appeared in Fantasy Macabre #7, 1985], "Beyond the Realm of Dream: [originally appeared in Carnage Hall #5, 1994], "The Boy with the Bloodstained Mouth" [originally appeared in Nocturne Secondus, 1989], "Dust to Dust" [originally appeared in Midnight Shambler #2, 1988], "Bloom of Sacrifice" [originally appeared in The End #3, 1995], "Time of Twilight" [originally appeared in The Urbanite #10, 1998], "Garden of Shattered Faces" [originally appeared in Sozoryoku #6, 1992], "He Who Made Me Dream" [originally appeared in Bizarre Dreams, Badboy Books, 1994], "Born in Strange Shadow" [originally appeared in Terminal Fright #12, 1996], "The Darkest Star" [originally appeared in Tales of Lovecraftian Horror #11, 1999], "Heritage of Hunger" [originally appeared in Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts, Delirium Books, 2003], "An Imp of Aether" [originally appeared in Tales of Sesqua Valley, Necropolitan Press, 1997], "Child of Dark Mania" [originally appeared in The Pnakotic Series, 1996], "The Hands That Reek and Smoke" [originally appeared in Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts, 2003], "The Host of Haunted Air" [originally appeared in Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts, 2003], "The Woven Offspring" [originally appeared in Lore #9, 1998], "Jigsaw Boy" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, Hippocampus Press, 2006], "The Saprophytic Fungi" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, 2006], "The Zanies of Sorrow" [originally appeared in Tales of Love and Death, Delirium Books, 2001], "Phantom of Beguilement" [originally appeared in Tales of Love and Death, Delirium Books, 2001], "A Vestige of Mirth" [originally appeared in Sesqua Valley & Other Haunts, Mythos Books, 2008], "An Eidolon of Nothing" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, 2006], "The Fungal Stain" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, 2006], "Hour of Their Appetite" [originally appeared in Tiamat, 1991], "The Sign That Sets the Darkness Free" [originally appeared in A Clicking in the Shadows and Other Tales, Undaunted Press, 2002], "Balm of Nepenthe" [originally appeared in Tales of Sesqua Valley, 1997], "Stupor Mundi" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, 2006], "His Splintered Kiss" [originally appeared in The Urbanite #10, 1998], "Your Metamorphic Moan" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, 2006], "In Memoriam: Oscar Wilde" [previously unpublished], "The Tangled Muse" [previously unpublished], "Inhabitants of Wraithwood" [originally appeared in Black Wings, PS Publishing, 2010], "Some Distant Baying Sound"[originally appeared in Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley, Terradan Works, 2009], "One Last Theft" [originally appeared in Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley, Terradan Works, 2009], "Uncommon Places" [previously unpublished], "The House of Idiot Children" [with Maryanne K. Snyder, originally appeared in Weird Tales #348, 2008], "O, Baleful Theophany" [originally appeared in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams, 2006], "Visions of William Davis Manly" [originally appeared in Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley, Terradan Works, 2009], "Pale, Trembling Youth" [with Jessica Amanda Salmonson, originally appeared in Cutting Edge, Doubleday & Company 1986], "Into the Depths of Dreams and Madness" [originally appeared in Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley, Terradan Works, 2009], "In Remembrance: Edgar A. Poe" [previously unpublished], "Necronomicon" [originally appeared in Dreams of Lovecraftian Horror, Mythos Books, 1999] 
Gathered Dust and Others July 2011 Dark Regions Press TBD Originally published in a limited edition of 100 hardcovers and 26 leatherbound slipcased editions, followed by a trade paperback edition. ISBN TBD
Contents: "Gathered Dust" [original, a sequel to J. Vernon Shea's "The Haunter of the Graveyard"], "Depths of Dreams and Madness", "These Deities of Rarest Air" 
Some Unknown Gulf of Night July 2011 Arcane Wisdom Press 150 Published in a limited edition of 100 hardcovers. ISBN none
The Strange Dark One: Tales of Nyarlathotep 2011 Miskatonic River Press TBD TBD ISBN TBD
Contents: "To See Beyond", "The Strange Dark One" 
Uncommon Places late 2011 Hippocampus Press TBD TBD ISBN TBD
Contents: "Uncommon Places" [heavily revised with 10,000 words of new material] 

External links

References

  1. ^ Pugmire, W. H. (April 2011). The Tangled Muse. Forward by S. T. Joshi. Centipede Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-933618-78-4. 
  2. ^ Joshi, S. T. (October 2010). I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H. P. Lovecraft. Hippocampus Press. p. 1043. ISBN 978-0-9824296-7-9. 
  3. ^ "Biographical Material", in The Fungal Stain and Other Dreams by W. H. Pugmire (New York: Hippocampus Press, 2006) ISBN 0-9771734-3-7.
  4. ^ Press Release, W.H. Pugmire, Some Unknown Gulf of Night (Arcane Wisdom press, 2011)
  5. ^ Press Release, W.H. Pugmire, Some Unknown Gulf of Night (Arcane Wisdom press, 2011)