Cut Collective Recommends: MR James

Chances are, if you’re reading or watching a ghost story at this time of year, it’s very likely to be the work of one of Cut’s favourite authors, M R James. Straddling the world of Victorian and pre-First World War Britain, and the post-1918 world which was irrevocably changed, it’s fitting perhaps that James’s work represented a fresh take on the traditional ghost story by placing it in contemporary, everyday settings, while at once retaining a strong sense of a past (many of the stories involve ancient books, archaeological finds and artefacts) which is both mystical and deeply sinister. Stealthily compelling and all the more unsettling for their subterfuge of normality, adaptations of these stories became a staple of the 1970s BBC TV Christmas schedules, with a revival of the strand from 2005 bringing James’s very particular brand of terror to a new audience. Whether it’s revisiting the texts themselves or settling down (with a cushion to hand!) to watch the latest tv adaption (The Mezzotint, written by Mark Gatiss) we’ll be lighting a few candles and celebrating James’s writing this week. Dare you to join us!

A J Moore