[PW] ?short story id

[Dennis Lien]

I ran the query past another of my lists, where two people
(Andy Robertson and Mark Owings) suggested it may be
"The Seed from the Sepulchre" by Clark Ashton Smith.

No Hitchcock connection I know of, but several other
reprints, and a rereading/skim suggests to me that
they're probably right.

Otherwise, if patron is certain of a Hitchcock connection,
my best (far-fetched) guest may be that s/he's mentally
conflating two stories which were both reprinted in
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: TALES THEY WOULDN'T LET ME
DO ON TV.  One of them, "The Voice in the Night" by
William Hope Hodgson, has already been suggested; it
involves a couple of castaways on a fungus-covered Pacific
island who themselves turn into living funi (but no
jungles involved); the other, "Lukundoo" by Edward
Lucas White, involves a single jungle explorer,
cursed by a witchdoctor, who does find himself
with strange growths beginning to cover his body
(but the growths are not plant- or fungus-based,
and it's just the one person).

Both stories are out of copyright and can be
read online:

http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/voicenig.htm

http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a1499.pdf

The Smith story is (I think) still in copyright,
which is not to say someone may not have posted
it online anyway...


Dennis Lien / U of Minnesota Libraries // d-lien at umn.edu


Dennis Lien / U of Minnesota Libraries // d-lien at umn.edu




At 09:22 AM 1/29/2007, you wrote:
>This question was given to me by another staff member:
>
>
>
>A patron asked after a short story by Alfred Hitchcock that involves
>people in a jungle, and the plants start growing on them.  That's all
>I've got to go on; the patron has been searching through anthologies,
>but doesn't have a title.  I poked around on the internet without any
>luck, but also found that Hitchcock compiled a bunch of short story
>collections--so I wonder if he's even the author at all.  Does this ring
>any bells with either of you?  Thanks for wracking your brains along
>with me.
>
>
>
>This sounds vaguely familiar, but I'm thinking a horror or fantasy
>writer.
>
>
>
>Ideas?
>
>
>
>Pam McLaughlin
>
>Fremont Public Library
>
>1170 N. Midlothian
>
>Mundelein, IL  60060
>
>www.fremontlibrary.org <http://www.fremontlibrary.org/>
>
>
>
>
>
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