Rafael Llopis
Encyclopedia
Rafael Llopis Paret Spanish
psychiatrist
, essayist and translator, specializing in fantasy
and horror fiction
.
He studied medicine at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid
. As a psychiatrist, worked in various health centers in the Comunidad de Madrid until his retirement, in 1998.
Since his high school years he was interested in fantasy, that in the absence of publications in Castilian read fluently in French
. With the English
of the high school and a dictionary began to read Sheridan Le Fanu
, one of the authors of his choice, and other writers of fantastic literature not available in French. He is considered, along with the translator Francisco Torres Oliver
, one of the best introducers of the genre of mystery and macabre in Spanish.
Llopis is an authority in H. P. Lovecraft
, an author barely known in Spain until his publication of the famous anthology Los mitos de Cthulhu (1969) (see Cthulhu Mythos
), collecting for the first time many stories of authors called of the Lovecraft Circle, as Robert E. Howard
, Frank Belknap Long
, Clark Ashton Smith
, etc., as well as his direct literary heirs: Robert Bloch
, Ramsey Campbell
and August Derleth
, among others.
Llopis was also responsible for Cuentos de terror (Editorial Taurus, 1963), the extensive study Esbozo de una historia natural de los cuentos de miedo (Editorial Júcar, 1974) and the three-volume edition of the Antología de cuentos de terror (Alianza Editorial, 1981).
He is also the author of the collection El novísimo Algazife o Libro de las Postrimerías, "unclassifiable book that proposes a new reading of the myth of Cthulhu and of the Egyptians, who matches between vampires, aliens and haunted Moors, in a dance macabre as those of the last millennium" (from back cover).
In the 1985 Siruela book Literatura fantástica, he published one of his essays: El cuento de terror y el instinto de la muerte, along with other texts of Jorge Luis Borges
, Italo Calvino
, Carlos García Gual, etc. In this essay, Llopis defined the weird tale as that genre «whose primary purpose is to produce, such as Walter Scott said, "a nice shiver of supernatural terror". I refer to a type of story whose raw material is not so much death itself as what it has or may have after death: the supernatural, the living from the beyond».
At present, Llopis prepare a study, long delayed, of A Fragment of Life, by Arthur Machen
, novel translated by himself in the 80s.
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, essayist and translator, specializing in fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
.
He studied medicine at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. As a psychiatrist, worked in various health centers in the Comunidad de Madrid until his retirement, in 1998.
Since his high school years he was interested in fantasy, that in the absence of publications in Castilian read fluently in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. With the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
of the high school and a dictionary began to read Sheridan Le Fanu
Sheridan Le Fanu
Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era....
, one of the authors of his choice, and other writers of fantastic literature not available in French. He is considered, along with the translator Francisco Torres Oliver
Francisco Torres Oliver
The article below was translated from the Spanish Wikipedia ArticleFrancisco Torres Oliver is one of the most important Spanish translators. He studied “Filosofía y letras”, in the branch of Philosophy, at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid.He specializes in Anglo-Saxon fantastic Literature...
, one of the best introducers of the genre of mystery and macabre in Spanish.
Llopis is an authority in H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, an author barely known in Spain until his publication of the famous anthology Los mitos de Cthulhu (1969) (see Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
), collecting for the first time many stories of authors called of the Lovecraft Circle, as Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
, Frank Belknap Long
Frank Belknap Long
Frank Belknap Long was a prolific American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and science fiction short stories, including early contributions to...
, Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne...
, etc., as well as his direct literary heirs: Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
, Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell
John Ramsey Campbell is an English horror fiction author.Since he first came to prominence in the mid-1960s, critics have cited Campbell as one of the leading writers in his field: T. E. D. Klein has written that "Campbell reigns supreme in the field today", while S. T...
and August Derleth
August Derleth
August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
, among others.
Llopis was also responsible for Cuentos de terror (Editorial Taurus, 1963), the extensive study Esbozo de una historia natural de los cuentos de miedo (Editorial Júcar, 1974) and the three-volume edition of the Antología de cuentos de terror (Alianza Editorial, 1981).
He is also the author of the collection El novísimo Algazife o Libro de las Postrimerías, "unclassifiable book that proposes a new reading of the myth of Cthulhu and of the Egyptians, who matches between vampires, aliens and haunted Moors, in a dance macabre as those of the last millennium" (from back cover).
In the 1985 Siruela book Literatura fantástica, he published one of his essays: El cuento de terror y el instinto de la muerte, along with other texts of Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino was an Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels. His best known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy , the Cosmicomics collection of short stories , and the novels Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler .Lionised in Britain and the United States,...
, Carlos García Gual, etc. In this essay, Llopis defined the weird tale as that genre «whose primary purpose is to produce, such as Walter Scott said, "a nice shiver of supernatural terror". I refer to a type of story whose raw material is not so much death itself as what it has or may have after death: the supernatural, the living from the beyond».
At present, Llopis prepare a study, long delayed, of A Fragment of Life, by Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
, novel translated by himself in the 80s.