The Man Whom the Trees Loved
1912
The Man Whom the Trees Loved, a supernatural novella by Algernon Blackwood published in 1912, follows David Bittacy, an aging painter with a unique ability to capture the essence of trees in his art. His profound connection to nature creates tension with his wife, Sophia, who fears the mystical bond he forms with the woods. As David's perception of trees as sentient beings deepens, the couple's differing views on nature lead to supernatural implications that challenge their relationship and beliefs.
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“The impulse came to her clairvoyantly, and she obeyed without a sign of hesitation. Deeper comprehension would come to her of the whole awful puzzle. And come it did, yet not in the way she imagined and expected.””
— Algernon Blackwood
“And, with the dark, the Forest came up boldly and pressed against the very walls and windows, peering in upon them, joining hands above the slates and chimneys.””
— Algernon Blackwood
“That horror which stalks in the stillness of the noonday, when the glare of an artificial sunshine lights up the motionless trees, moved all about her. In front and behind she was aware of it. Beyond this stealthy silence, just within the edge of it, the things of another world were passing. But she could not know them. Her husband knew them, knew their beauty and their awe, yes, but for her they were out of reach. She might not share with him the very least of them. It seemed that behind and through the glare of this wintry noonday in the heart of the woods there brooded another universe of life and passion, for her all unexpressed. The silence veiled it, the stillness hid it; but he moved with it all and understood. His love interpreted it.””
— Algernon Blackwood
“[S]he realized quite abruptly that this thing which took him off, which kept him out so many hours day after day, this thing that was against her own little will and instincts”
— Algernon Blackwood
“…love reveals life everywhere.””
— Algernon Blackwood
“She feared long words she did not understand. Beelzebub lay hid among too many syllables.””
— Algernon Blackwood
