DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Variant, v. 1, issue 2, whole no. 2, May 1947

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Variant, v. 1, issue 2, whole no. 2, May 1947

Page 14

May 1947   VARIANT   Page 14

originally written in 1934, then reworked in 1936 into what I believe to be a literary masterpiece.

It is a tale of Philip Buzzard, an Englishman, who upon the receipt of a small inheritance changed his name to Christopher Wren, and on the counsel of his attorney, reopened a store that had formerly been a grocery store in Arcadia. He could not think of anything to sell, so he put his library of books on his shelves, including a uniform set of bound volumes of his own works entitled, Wanders in Spain, Shadows and Realities, The Adorable Fool, The Passionate Lover, etc., etc. Examination revealed these volumes to be composed of blank pages which the young Christopher Wren intended to fill as the years progressed between the time taken up by business and living and the reading of the Spectator in the sun outside the door of his shop, which was called The Sign of the Burning Hart. Each of these volumes had a fictitious history.

Into the door of The Sign of the Burning Hare come all manner of men and women, all types of human problems and all human emotions -- love, hate, joy, despair, hope.

But as Dr. Keller said, you cannot dissect this story. You cannot tell the plot, for the motivating factors tell a story of all things basic in mankind.

David H. Keller is himself more fascinating than any author of fantastic fiction who ever lived. His autobiographical sketches may be found in Fantasy Commentator and elsewhere, and we strongly recommend that you read them, for, like a study of another fine author, H. P. Lovecraft, they are essential to the full appreciation of the story.

David H. Keller has written himself into every story he has ever written. His life, his personality and own experiences form the framework of his entire work and lend to them an authenticity possessed by no other writer of fantastic fiction, and few other writers of any brand of literature.

For instance, Philip Buzzard is the name of one of Dr. Keller's ancestors, one of the early settlers in his traditional hometown of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

The titles of the unwritten books on the shelves of The Sign of the Burning Hart are actually titles of, or corruptions of titles of Dr. Keller's own novels and short stories, published and unpublished.

Dr. Keller mentions in his novel a book titled Songs of a Spanish Lover. This is an actual book of poetry written by Dr. Keller and published in a limited edition of 50 copies, on fine quality paper and bound in stiff paper. The title, The Cecils of Cecil Borough may be corrected to the Kellers of Hamilton Township, an actual book written by Col. Keller and published in a limited edition of 500 copies tracing the genealogy of the Keller clan since the first Keller settled the town of Stroudsburg. A suburb of Stroudsburg is today named Kellersville, and another Buzzardsville, after the two sides of the Keller Clan.

As you read through the novel, you again and again identify the Keller personality. In this novel he is at least two of the important characters, Christopher Wren, whose habits approximate many of Col. Keller's, and who is easily tagged by the obvious book titles, and then there is the Banker of Arcadia whose daughter Christopher Wren marries. The Banker, in telling the tale of his rise refers to his contraction of Tuberculosis through privation. A similar episode also forms a chapter in the history of the author's life. In the story the Banker is shot in the arm and goes through life with a permanently impaired limb, as does Col. Keller to this day.

The story which apparently takes place sometime at the end of the eighteenth century (but the period cannot be precisely placed) tells in one section of Christopher Wren befriending in his own home a prostitute dying of venereal disease, and spending his accumulated fortune trying to get some doctor of the time to treat the woman. In essence this approximates Col. Keller's own battle as a Dr. in mental institutions to get the authorities in particular, and the world in general to recognize that the mentally ill, are, after all, human beings and that some intelligence and heart should also be employed in their treatment.

You have never read a story where an author so completely imprisoned you in his moods.

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May 1947 VARIANT Page 14 originally written in 1934, then reworked in 1936 into what I believe to be a literary masterpiece. It is a tale of Philip Buzzard, an Englishman, who upon the receipt of a small inheritance changed his name to Christopher Wren, and on the counsel of his attorney, reopened a store that had formerly been a grocery store in Arcadia. He could not think of anything to sell, so he put his library of books on his shelves, including a uniform set of bound volumes of his own works entitled, Wanders in Spain, Shadows and Realities, The Adorable Fool, The Passionate Lover, etc., etc. Examination revealed these volumes to be composed of blank pages which the young Christopher Wren intended to fill as the years progressed between the time taken up by business and living and the reading of the Spectator in the sun outside the door of his shop, which was called The Sign of the Burning Hart. Each of these volumes had a fictitious history. Into the door of The Sign of the Burning Hare come all manner of men and women, all types of human problems and all human emotions -- love, hate, joy, despair, hope. But as Dr. Keller said, you cannot dissect this story. You cannot tell the plot, for the motivating factors tell a story of all things basic in mankind. David H. Keller is himself more fascinating than any author of fantastic fiction who ever lived. His autobiographical sketches may be found in Fantasy Commentator and elsewhere, and we strongly recommend that you read them, for, like a study of another fine author, H. P. Lovecraft, they are essential to the full appreciation of the story. David H. Keller has written himself into every story he has ever written. His life, his personality and own experiences form the framework of his entire work and lend to them an authenticity possessed by no other writer of fantastic fiction, and few other writers of any brand of literature. For instance, Philip Buzzard is the name of one of Dr. Keller's ancestors, one of the early settlers in his traditional hometown of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The titles of the unwritten books on the shelves of The Sign of the Burning Hart are actually titles of, or corruptions of titles of Dr. Keller's own novels and short stories, published and unpublished. Dr. Keller mentions in his novel a book titled Songs of a Spanish Lover. This is an actual book of poetry written by Dr. Keller and published in a limited edition of 50 copies, on fine quality paper and bound in stiff paper. The title, The Cecils of Cecil Borough may be corrected to the Kellers of Hamilton Township, an actual book written by Col. Keller and published in a limited edition of 500 copies tracing the genealogy of the Keller clan since the first Keller settled the town of Stroudsburg. A suburb of Stroudsburg is today named Kellersville, and another Buzzardsville, after the two sides of the Keller Clan. As you read through the novel, you again and again identify the Keller personality. In this novel he is at least two of the important characters, Christopher Wren, whose habits approximate many of Col. Keller's, and who is easily tagged by the obvious book titles, and then there is the Banker of Arcadia whose daughter Christopher Wren marries. The Banker, in telling the tale of his rise refers to his contraction of Tuberculosis through privation. A similar episode also forms a chapter in the history of the author's life. In the story the Banker is shot in the arm and goes through life with a permanently impaired limb, as does Col. Keller to this day. The story which apparently takes place sometime at the end of the eighteenth century (but the period cannot be precisely placed) tells in one section of Christopher Wren befriending in his own home a prostitute dying of venereal disease, and spending his accumulated fortune trying to get some doctor of the time to treat the woman. In essence this approximates Col. Keller's own battle as a Dr. in mental institutions to get the authorities in particular, and the world in general to recognize that the mentally ill, are, after all, human beings and that some intelligence and heart should also be employed in their treatment. You have never read a story where an author so completely imprisoned you in his moods.