Perpetual myth…
It is a play that will make you quite mad should you read or
see it…The King in Yellow is its name, and it features prominently in this
groundbreaking work of supernatural fiction. Robert W. Chambers crafted this
strange book of stories around a supposed tome that is supposedly real, a book
that does not exist…and begs its characters these questions, have they found
it?..have they read it?..are they mad?..
Chambers’ The King in Yellow is his most
recognizable and famous work, and what makes it really special and long-lived
is the way he left his mythical creation shrouded and vague. This
inspired H.P. Lovecraft, who read the book in 1927, to borrow Chambers’
literary method and apply it to his made-up book which he entitled The
Necronomicon. Lovecraft even makes mention of Chambers’ creation
in the “official” history of his occult creation…
…It was from rumor of this book (of which relatively few
of the general public know) that R.W. Chambers is said to have derived the idea
of his early novel The King in Yellow.
