Vernon Blake
Encyclopedia
Vernon Theodorus Blake was an US author and occultist based in New Orleans, Louisiana
. He began his career as a war correspondent
for various tabloid newspapers in the American South during World War I. He later achieved a degree of notoriety for a series of extremely violent short stories and novels published between 1919 and 1936.
, a small community in St. Helena Parish. His parents perished within a year of each other, while Blake himself was 17; his father Theo Blake died in 1906 in a violent skirmish during the Moro Rebellion
on the Philippine island of Mindanao
, while his mother Henrietta succumbed to yellow fever one year earlier. Having abruptly lost his entire family, Blake abandoned his home in Greensburg and embarked upon a series of journeys throughout the West Indies, particularly Haiti
, Cuba
, and Bermuda
.
s of the author's actual name, such as "Karl von Eben" or "LaVern Nobek." More often, however, the names he utilized were utterly prosaic and apparently chosen at random ("Dexter Drake," for instance). Thus it is difficult to determine just how many stories Blake actually penned. Confusing the issue further is the fact that much of Blake's published fiction was purchased or commissioned by European magazines and translated into foreign languages by local editors.
In the English language, Blake's best-known works are the novels Mortuus, Pieces of Eight, Thanatos and Jungle Drums, followed by his longest and most notorious book, Mortal Remains. Original hardcover editions have been known to surface occasionally (during personal estate sale
s, for example), but while they are extremely scarce, their actual monetary worth is difficult to assess due to the relative obscurity of the author. Thus, a book for which a knowledgeable collector would pay upwards of $1000 may be sold for less than $20 by a seller who is unfamiliar with Blake's body of work.
One established fact is that Blake struck up - through a mutual acquaintance named Louis de Tessier - a lasting friendship with theatrical writer André de Lorde
during a 1919 stay in Paris. The author stated in personal correspondence that de Lorde expressed interest in adapting some of Blake's fiction for use in the Theatre du Grand Guignol
, for which de Lorde was a frequent contributor.
touring car, which at the time of the single-car collision contained four passengers including Blake himself. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune on July 28, "identification was not possible due to the severe degree of bodily damage sustained by the passengers involved," though Blake was finally declared deceased by virtue of the testimony of several "reliable witnesses" who placed him in the vehicle prior to the accident.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He began his career as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
for various tabloid newspapers in the American South during World War I. He later achieved a degree of notoriety for a series of extremely violent short stories and novels published between 1919 and 1936.
Early life
Blake was born in GreensburgGreensburg, Louisiana
Greensburg is a town in and the parish seat of St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 631 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. Greensburg is one of the oldest towns in Louisiana....
, a small community in St. Helena Parish. His parents perished within a year of each other, while Blake himself was 17; his father Theo Blake died in 1906 in a violent skirmish during the Moro Rebellion
Moro Rebellion
The Moro Rebellion was an armed military conflict between Moro revolutionary groups in the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan and the United States military which took place in the Philippines as early as between 1899 to 1913, following the Spanish-American War in 1898...
on the Philippine island of Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, while his mother Henrietta succumbed to yellow fever one year earlier. Having abruptly lost his entire family, Blake abandoned his home in Greensburg and embarked upon a series of journeys throughout the West Indies, particularly Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
Fiction
Blake's works are extremely rare due to limited publication; an average run sometimes consisted of no more than 50 copies of a particular work, though production numbers modestly increased as his works became more popular. Many short stories exist, though Blake's constant use of pseudonyms makes identifying a story as his extremely difficult. In some cases these pseudonyms are anagramAnagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
s of the author's actual name, such as "Karl von Eben" or "LaVern Nobek." More often, however, the names he utilized were utterly prosaic and apparently chosen at random ("Dexter Drake," for instance). Thus it is difficult to determine just how many stories Blake actually penned. Confusing the issue further is the fact that much of Blake's published fiction was purchased or commissioned by European magazines and translated into foreign languages by local editors.
In the English language, Blake's best-known works are the novels Mortuus, Pieces of Eight, Thanatos and Jungle Drums, followed by his longest and most notorious book, Mortal Remains. Original hardcover editions have been known to surface occasionally (during personal estate sale
Estate sale
An estate sale or estate liquidation is a sale or auction to dispose of a substantial portion of the materials owned by a person who is recently deceased or who must dispose of his personal property to facilitate a move.-Reasons for an estate sale:...
s, for example), but while they are extremely scarce, their actual monetary worth is difficult to assess due to the relative obscurity of the author. Thus, a book for which a knowledgeable collector would pay upwards of $1000 may be sold for less than $20 by a seller who is unfamiliar with Blake's body of work.
One established fact is that Blake struck up - through a mutual acquaintance named Louis de Tessier - a lasting friendship with theatrical writer André de Lorde
André de Lorde
André de Latour, comte de Lorde was a French playwright, the main author of the Grand Guignol plays from 1901-1926. His evening career was as a dramatist of terror; during daytimes he worked as a librarian in the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal. He wrote 150 plays, all of them devoted mainly to the...
during a 1919 stay in Paris. The author stated in personal correspondence that de Lorde expressed interest in adapting some of Blake's fiction for use in the Theatre du Grand Guignol
Grand Guignol
Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol — known as the Grand Guignol — was a theatre in the Pigalle area of Paris . From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962 it specialized in naturalistic horror shows...
, for which de Lorde was a frequent contributor.
Death
Blake's death was apparently never officially recorded, though he was presumed dead following a violent automobile accident near his New Orleans residence in July 1937. The auto involved was Blake's own Nash MotorsNash Motors
Also see: Kelvinator and American Motors CorporationNash Motors was an automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1938. From 1938 to 1954, Nash was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation...
touring car, which at the time of the single-car collision contained four passengers including Blake himself. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune on July 28, "identification was not possible due to the severe degree of bodily damage sustained by the passengers involved," though Blake was finally declared deceased by virtue of the testimony of several "reliable witnesses" who placed him in the vehicle prior to the accident.
Books
- Mortuus (1919)
- Green Hell (1920)
- Pieces of Eight (1921)
- Jungle Drums (1923)
- Thanatos (1925)
- Mortal Remains (1926)
Short stories
- The Chinaman (published as Le Chinois) (1918)
- Goblins (1920)
- Night Chills (1921)
- Long Pork (1923)
- The Grisly Thing (1925)
- Memento Mori (1927)
- So Below (1927)
- Hunter's Moon (1930)
- The Fever (1932)
- Demogorgon (1933)