Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life

December 16, 2016 | Andrea

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It is blisteringly icy outside, which means 'tis the season to curl up with a hot drink and a book. Looking for a different type of chills and shivers than the ones offered by the wintry weather? Alternatively, would you like to be warmed by the unexpected domestic comfort of a charming memoir? Shirley Jackson is just the ticket!

Best known as the author of the short story "The Lottery" and the classic haunted house spookfest The Haunting of Hill House, Jackson was a prolific writer and icon of gothic fiction who influenced novelists such as Donna Tartt, Neil Gaiman and Stephen King. Her work has been experiencing a well-deserved revival, with her grandson Miles Hyman adapting "The Lottery" into a new graphic novel, following on the heels of a biography published in October. This week marked the centenary of Jackson's birth — she was born in San Francisco on December 14, 1916 — and renewed reader interest promises to continue next year with an upcoming movie adaptation of We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson - A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin   The Lottery - The Authorized Graphic Adaptation by Miles Hyman

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery": The Authorized Graphic Adaptation by Miles Hyman

Take Jackson's oeuvre with you into hibernation during the winter!

The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson   Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson   The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson   The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson   We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson   Come Along with Me by Shirley Jackson   Just An Ordinary Day by Shirley Jackson

Let Me Tell You by Shirley Jackson   The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson   Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson   Raising Demons by Shirley Jackson

The Bird's Nest

Before The Three Faces of Eve and Sybil, there was Elizabeth Richmond and her different identities.

Hangsaman

A surreal and sinister coming-of-age tale. 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 

A group of paranormal investigators decide to spend their summer in a haunted house. What could go wrong?

The Road Through the Wall

Jackson's first novel explored the ignorance and evil festering in suburbia.

 

The Sundial

A family reunion at a funeral is interrupted by an impending apocalypse.

 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Two sisters who reside in a mansion with their sick uncle find their isolated world upset by the sudden arrival of cousin Charles. 

 

Anthologies:

Come Along with Me

Just An Ordinary Day

Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings

The Lottery and Other Stories

 

Non-fiction:

Life Among the Savages

Raising Demons

Jackson was a master of creeping horror, but she also brought small-town domestic drama to life with warmth and humour. Her memoirs are one hilarious escapade after another, featuring her adventures in parenting four children.

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