Episode 17: 'Negotium Perambulans' by E.F. Benson
Another E.F. Benson story turns up for episode 17 of the podcast, and, while this has long been a favourite of mine, reading it for the podcast heightened my appreciation of Benson as a writer. Some of the writing in Negotium Perambulans is so evocative and beautiful. Evocative of a place - Benson's descriptions of the fictional Cornish fishing village of Polearn are obviously drawn from actual visits to the area and fully capture the beauty and, yes, the strangeness of out-of-the-way places. And, horror fans rest assured, this is essentially a short story about a giant slug monster, but it is also a story about what it is to grow up somewhere and collect memories, and to return, after having moved away. About this, Benson writes quite movingly. As for the giant slug business, one wonders whether H.P. Lovecraft (a Benson admirer, as well as an admirer of this particular story) drew inspiration on Negotium Perambulans for his own stories. Is Benson's drunken, corrupted artist...