Mansion of Gloom: Poe’s Legacy - With author Antony Clayton (IN PERSON)

Join writer and cultural historian Antony Clayton for an illustrated talk exploring the eerie legacy of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic Gothic tale, The Fall of the House of Usher. Based on his richly illustrated new book Mansion of Gloom, Clayton delves into the story’s lasting influence on literature, film, art and music - tracing how Poe’s themes of madness, decay and premature burial have echoed through over 170 years of dark imagination.

From silent-era cinema and expressionist horror to operas, stage plays and modern television adaptations - including the recent Netflix reimagining — The Fall of the House of Usher has proven to be one of the most enduring and fertile works in the Gothic tradition. Clayton examines not only these reinterpretations but also the psychological and cultural resonance that continues to make Poe's work relevant today.

With his characteristic wit and depth of research, Antony guides audiences through the haunted corridors of Poe’s legacy, revealing the strange and sometimes surprising ways it has seeped into popular and underground culture alike.

Come along, enjoy a glass of wine or juice, a great talk and a chat with the author. Copies of Mansion of Gloom will be available for purchase at the event, with an opportunity to have them signed by the author.

About the author:

Antony Clayton is a writer and researcher with a deep interest in the strange, the obscure and the esoteric corners of British history and culture. He is the author of Decadent London, The Folklore of London, Secret Tunnels of England: Folklore & Fact, and Netherwood: Last Resort of Aleister Crowley, which explores the final years of the notorious occultist. Clayton also co-edited, with Phil Baker, Lord of Strange Deaths: The Fiendish World of Sax Rohmer, a critical look at the creator of Fu Manchu. His work often explores the intersection of myth, urban legend and the darker sides of literary and cultural history. His latest book, Mansion of Gloom, continues this tradition by examining the haunting legacy of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.

He lives in Hastings.

Please note that this talk will be presented as a hybrid event.

To join us in person at the Central Library’s Lecture Theatre for refreshments, the talk and a book signing session afterward, please book through this listing. A £3 booking fee applies, which includes a complimentary drink and is refundable upon attendance/ request (minus the Eventbrite fee).

If you’re unable to attend in person, you can join the event online by booking via THIS LINK.

For those joining us in person - please see below for the directions to the entrance to Kensington Central Library's lecture theatre: