Reggie Oliver (born 1952 in London) is an English playwright, biographer and writer of ghost stories.

Life and career

Reggie Oliver was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

(Newcastle Scholar, 1970, Oppidan Scholar) and

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

(BA Hons 1975), and has been a professional playwright, actor, and theatre director since 1975. He has worked in radio, television, films, and theatre, both in the West End and outside London. He was a founding member of the late Sir

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969). ...

's Compass Theatre, and both played the part of Traverse and understudied Sir Anthony in the tour and West End run of ''The Clandestine Marriage'' in 1984. His plays include ''Imaginary Lines'' (which was first produced and directed by

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of ...

at Scarborough in 1985 and has since been translated into several languages), ''Absolution'' (King's Head, 1983), ''Back Payments'' (King's Head, 1985), ''Taking Liberties'' (Wolsey, Ipswich, 1996), ''Put Some Clothes On, Clarisse!'' (Duchess Theatre, London, 1989), and ''Winner Takes All''—the last described by Michael Billington as "the funniest evening in London" when it was revived at the

Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. Th ...

in 2000. His play ''A Portrait of Two Artists'' was performed on Radio 3 in 1989. Oliver's biography of his aunt

Stella Gibbons Stella Dorothea Gibbons (5 January 1902 – 19 December 1989) was an English writer, journalist, and poet. She established her reputation with her first novel, ''Cold Comfort Farm'' (1932) which has been reprinted many times. Although she ...

, ''Out of the Woodshed'', was published by Bloomsbury in 1998; and he is a contributor to the historical magazine ''History Today''. He has written about ghost stories for such journals as ''Supernatural Tales'', ''All Hallows'', ''Wormwood'' for which he writes the regular ''Under Review'' column, and ''Weirdly Supernatural''. He lives in Suffolk and was married to the artist and actress

Joanna Dunham Joanna Elizabeth Dunham (6 May 1936 – 25 November 2014) was an English actress, best noted for her work on stage and television. She also appeared in several major films. Career Dunham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, the daughter of Peter Bro ...

until her death in 2014.

Horror fiction

Oliver's first horror story appeared in the journal ''Weirdly Supernatural'' under the Haunted River imprint. This was followed by Oliver's first two collections, ''The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini'' and ''The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler'', again under the Haunted River imprint. The former was nominated for an International Horror Guild Award and the latter short-listed by the Dracula Society for a Children of the Night award. Both books received favourable notices from reviewers in such

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

magazines as ''Weird Tales'' and ''All Hallows''. In ''All Hallows'' 34, Jim Rockhill praised Oliver's ''The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini'', noting:

Oliver’s ability to create a sense of time and place in every one of these stories is exemplary.... As a work of spiritual terror it has few peers....
Thomas Ligotti Thomas Ligotti (born July 9, 1953) is an American horror writer. His writings are rooted in several literary genres – most prominently weird fiction – and have been described by critics as works of ''philosophical'' horror, often formed into ...
and
Matt Cardin Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
are the only authors writing today who equal the assurance demonstrated by the author of this tale in ripping away the veil separating mundane reality from the shrieking abyss it conceals.

Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...

has also written positively about the same work: "Oliver’s sharp eye for character and ear for dialogue never desert him.". In his introduction to ''The Folio Book of Horror Stories'' he wrote "I believe Reggie Oliver to be the greatest living British classicist in our field who upholds its highest literary qualities." His experiences in the worlds of

academe An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

, the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, and the arts have all provided inspiration for his work. A number of his stories are set within the rather seedy end of show business, drawing on his background as a playwright, director and actor. Douglas Campbell wrote of one such story, "The Skins", "I find it hard to believe that there wasn't some kind of a dare involved when Oliver set out to write a tale about a haunted pantomime horse, but the story itself is an unforgettable piece, drawing to a grotesque and pathetic climax in a horribly plausible world of down-at-heel theatre folk."Douglas Campbell, rev. of ''The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler'', ''All Hallows'' 41 (February 2006), p. 191. He has

pastiche A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...

d a number of styles and authors, from Restoration comedy and 16th-century mystical texts to

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

and

M. R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, Medieval studies, medievalist scholar and provost (education), provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was List of ...

. A story in

Arthur Machen Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. Hi ...

's style resulted in his winning the Friends of Arthur Machen short story competition in 2005. Oliver's work has appeared in over seventy anthologies, including ''Acquainted with the Night'',''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'', ''Best New Horror'' etc. He has acted as consultant on a project which has seen all of M. R. James's ghost stories released on CD. In April 2010,

Centipede Press Centipede Press is an American independent book and periodical publisher focusing on horror, weird tales, crime narratives, science fiction, gothic novels, fantasy art, and studies of literature, music and film. Its earliest imprints were Cocytus ...

published Oliver's collected short stories in a volume which features many new illustrations. He frequently illustrates his own work, and very occasionally that of others such as Anna Taborska,

Robert Shearman Robert Charles Shearman, sometimes credited as Rob Shearman, is an English television, radio, stage play and short story writer. He is known for his World Fantasy Award-winning short stories, as well as his work for ''Doctor Who'', and his asso ...

and

Susan Hill Dame Susan Hill, Lady Wells, (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include ''The Woman in Black'', '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and ''I'm the King of the Castle'', for which she received th ...

Publications

Plays

*''Imaginary Lines'' (

Samuel French Samuel French (1821–1898) was an American entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays. Biography French founde ...

, 1987) *''Put Some Clothes On, Clarisse!'' (

, 1990) *''The Music Lovers '' (

, 1992) *''Winner Takes All '' (

, 2001) *''Love Unknown'' (in ''Shadow Plays'' Egaeus Press 2012) *''Once Bitten'' (

, 2012)

Biography

*''Out of the Woodshed: The Life of Stella Gibbons'' (Bloomsbury, 1998)

Fiction

*''The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini and Other Strange Stories'' (Haunted River, 2003, reprinted by

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2012) *''The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler'' (Haunted River, 2005, reprinted by

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

2013) *''Masques of Satan: Twelve Tales and a Novella'' (

Ash-Tree Press Ash-Tree Press is a Canadian company that publishes supernatural and horror literature. The press has reprinted notable collections of ghostly stories by such writers as R. H. Malden, A. N. L. Munby, L. T. C. Rolt, Margery Lawrence, and Elea ...

, 2007, reprinted by

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

2016) *''Madder Mysteries'' (Ex Occidente Press, 2009) *''The Wounds of Exile'', novella (Passport Levant 2010) *''The Dracula Papers'', novel (Chomu Press 2011) *''Mrs Midnight and Other Stories'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2011) *''Virtue in Danger'', novel ( Zagava Press/Ex Occidente Press, 2013) *''Flowers of the Sea, Thirteen Stories and Two Novellas'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2013) *''Holidays from Hell, Fourteen Stories'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2017) *''The Boke of the Divill'' (

Dark Regions Press ''Dark Regions Press'' is an independent specialty publisher of horror, dark fiction, fantasy and science fiction, specializing in horror and dark fiction in business since 1985 founded by Joe Morey. They have gained recognition around the world fo ...

, 2017) *''The Ballet of Dr Caligari, and Madder Mysteries'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2018) *''A Maze for the Minotaur, and other strange stories'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2021)

For Children

*''The Hauntings at Tankerton Park'' (Zagava Press 2016)

Collected and Selected editions

*''Dramas from the Depths'' (

, 2010) (omnibus volume containing all stories from ''The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini'', ''The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler'', and ''Masques of Satan'', and several stories from ''Madder Mysteries'') *''Shadow Plays'' (Egaeus Press 2012) *''The Sea of Blood'' (Dark Renaissance 2015) *''Stages of Fear'' (Black Shuck Books 2020)

Plays Performed

*1974 ZULEIKA(musical adaptation of Zuleika Dobson, music by Michael Brand) Oxford Playhouse *1975 NEW YEAR REVOLUTIONS (Revue) Overground Theatre, Kingston *1976 BRITISH BULL (Revue with Jeremy Browne) Overground Theatre, Kingston *1978 YOU MIGHT AS WELL LIVE (Half Moon Theatre, Tramshed etc.)RUDE HEALTH (Revue with Jeremy Browne) Overground Theatre, Kingston *1984 ABSOLUTION, King's Head Theatre, Islington *1985 IMAGINARY LINES, Stephen Joseph, Scarborough BACK PAYMENTS, King's Head Theatre, Islington *1986 A PORTRAIT OF TWO ARTISTS, Royal Academy etc. Subsequently, performed Radio 3 1989 *1989 PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, CLARISSE!, (Feydeau adaptation) Duchess Theatre, London *1991 SUGAR PLUM (Feydeau adaptation) Theatre West Tour *1992 SCOOPING THE POT (Feydeau adaptation) Theatre West Tour, subsequently renamed WINNER TAKES ALL and performed Wolsey Ipswich, 1996 Orange Tree Richmond, 2000 etc. *1993 THE MUSIC LOVERS (Feydeau adaptation) Numerous amateur & student productions *1995 TAKING LIBERTIES (Maupassant adaptation) Wolsey Studio, Ipswich *2010 STAGE FRIGHTS, one man show based on his stories (The Cut, Halesworth, Brighton World Horror Conference etc.) *2010 ONCE BITTEN (Adapted from Hennequin and Delacour's Le Procés Veauradieux) Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. December 2010– February 2011

Stories in anthologies

* "The Devil's Number" in ''Acquainted with the Night'' (

, 2004) * "The Silver Cord" in ''Faunus 12'' (FOAM 2005) * "Among the Tombs" in ''Year's Best Fantasy & Horror 2006'' (St Martin's Press) * "Mr Poo-Poo" in ''At Ease with the Dead'' (

, 2007) and ''Year's Best Fantasy & Horror 2008'' (St Martin's Press) * "Mmm Delicious" in ''Zencore'' (Megazanthus Press 2007) * "The Devil's Funeral" in ''Shades of Darkness'' (

, 2008) * "A Donkey at the Mysteries" in ''

Exotic Gothic ''Exotic Gothic'' is an anthology series of original short fiction and novel excerpts in the gothic, horror and fantasy genres. A recipient of the World Fantasy Award and Shirley Jackson Awards, it is conceptualized and edited by Danel Olson, a pr ...

2'' (

, 2008) and ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 20'' (Robinson 2009) * "The Children of Monte Rosa" in ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 19'' (Robinson 2008) * "Meeting with Mike"in ''

3'' (

, 2009) * "Countess Otho" in ''Strange Tales 3'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

2009) * "The Head" in ''The Fourth Black Book of Horror'' (Mortbury Press 2009) * "Mrs Midnight" in ''The Fifth Black Book of Horror'' (Mortbury Press 2009) ''The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 2'' (Night Shade Books 2010) and ''Ghosts, recent hauntings'' (Prime Books 2012) * "Mr Pigsny"in ''The Sixth Black Book of Horror'' (Mortbury Press 2010) ''The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 3'' (Night Shade Books 2011)and ''Nightmares, a new decade of modern horror'' (Tachyon 2016) * "Puss-Cat" in ''Tails of Wonder and Imagination'' (Nightshade Books 2010) * "The Black Metaphysical" in ''Cinnabar's Gnosis'' (Ex Occidente 2010) * "Beside the Shrill Sea" in ''Brighton Shock'' (PS Publishing 2010) * "You Have Nothing To Fear" in ''Null Immortalis'' (

Nemonymous ''Nemonymous'' was a short fiction publication that labeled itself a "megazanthus" (a portmanteau of magazine and anthology). It was published in the United Kingdom from 2001–2010, and edited by British writer D. F. Lewis. This publication wa ...

10, Megazanthus Press 2010) * "The Game of Bear" (completion of an unfinished M.R.James story) ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 21'' (Robinson 2010) * "Minos or Rhadamanthus" in ''The Seventh Black Book of Horror'' (Mortbury Press 2010) * "Singing Blood" in ''Delicate Toxins'' (Side Real Press 2011) * "Flowers of the Sea" in ''The Horror Anthology of Horror Anthologies'' (Megazanthus Press 2011) and ''The Folio Book of Horror Stories'' (

The Folio Society The Folio Society is a London-based publisher, founded by Charles Ede in 1947 and incorporated in 1971. Formerly privately owned, it operates as an employee ownership trust since 2021. It produces illustrated hardback editions of classic fict ...

2018) * "The Philosophy of the Damned" in ''The Master in Café Morphine'' (Ex Occidente 2011) * "Quieta Non Movere" in ''The Eighth Black Book of Horror'' (Mortbury Press 2011) and ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 23'' (Robinson 2012) * "Baskerville's Midgets" in ''Blood and Other Cravings'' (TOR 2011) * "A Child's Problem" in ''A Book of Horror'' (Jo Fletcher Books 2011) * "Striding Edge" in ''Terror Tales of the Lake District'' (Gray Friar Press 2011) * "Hand to Mouth" in ''Haunts'' (Ulysses Press 2011) and ''Bruin's Midnight Reader'' (Bruin Books 2022) * "The Look" in ''

4'' (PS Publishing, May 2012) * "Charm" in ''Terror Tales of the Cotswolds'' (Gray Friar Press 2012) * "Portrait of a Chair" in ''Dadaoism'' (Chomu Press 2012) * "A Posthumous Messiah" in ''This Hermetic Legislature''(Ex Occidente 2012) * "The Dancer in the Dark" in ''Visions Fading Fast'' (Pendragon Press 2012) * "The Spooks of Shellborough" in ''Terror Tales of East Anglia'' (Gray Friar Press 2012) * "Lord of the Fleas" in ''Zombie Apocalypse Fightback'' (Robinson 2012) * "What Shall We Do About Barker?" in ''The Screaming Book of Horror'' (Screaming Dreams 2012) * "Between Four Yews" in ''The Ghosts and Scholars Book of Shadows'' (Sarob Press 2012) and ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 24'' (Robinson 2013) * "Didman's Corner" in ''Shadows and Tall Trees 4. Autumn 2012'' (Undertow Publications 2012) * "Come into My Parlour in ''Dark World'' (

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

2013) and ''Best British Horror 2014'' (

Salt Publishing Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...

2014) and ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 25'' (Robinson 2014) * "He Who Beheld the Darkness" in ''

5'', Vol. II (

PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

2020) * "Monkey's" in ''Terror Tales of the Home Counties'' (Telos Publishing 2020) * "The Wet Woman" in ''Infra Noir 2020'' (Zagava 2021) * "Grey Glass" in ''December Tales'' (Curious Blue Press 2021) * "Drumglass Chapel" in ''Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands'' (Telos Publishing 2021) * "The Ninth Curtain" in ''Grotesqueries'' (Zagava 2022)

Criticism

* "Are they all Horrid? Diane Setterfield's ''The Thirteenth Tale'' and the validity of Gothic Fiction" in ''21st Century Gothic – Great Gothic Novels since 2000'' (The Scarecrow Press 2011) * Introduction to ''Intrusions'' by

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

(

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

2012) * Epithalamion in ''Booklore, a passion for books.'' (Zagava 2016) * Introduction to ''Victorian Ghost Stories'' (Flame Tree Press 2022)

Awards

* Children of the Night Award 2011 (best work of supernatural fiction 2011) for "Mrs Midnight" (Tartarus Press) * Arthur Machen Short Story Prize 2005 for "The Silver Cord" in ''Faunus 12'' (FOAM 2005) Numerous nominations for World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Stoker, International Horror Guild and Shirley Jackson awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Reggie 1952 births English dramatists and playwrights English short story writers English horror writers Ghost story writers People educated at Eton College Alumni of University College, Oxford English biographers Living people Writers from London English male dramatists and playwrights English male short story writers English male non-fiction writers Male biographers