Brian McNaughton
Brian McNaughton was an American writer born in Red Bank, New Jersey, who significantly contributed to the horror genre over a thirty-year career. He attended Harvard University and initially worked as a reporter for the Newark Evening News for a decade before pursuing writing full-time, often taking on various jobs to support himself. Notably, he had a memorable encounter with his musical idol, Warren Zevon, during his time as a night manager at a seaside hotel. McNaughton authored over two hundred short stories, characterized by themes of murder, death, and the macabre, often featuring flawed and unconventional characters. His writing style is reminiscent of horror greats like H. P. Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti. Among his works, "The Throne of Bones," published in 1987, stands out, and he received critical acclaim with the Bram Stoker Award and a World Fantasy Award for his collection of stories in 1998. Despite not being widely known, McNaughton is respected within the horror community for his contributions and the unique atmosphere of his storytelling.
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Subject Terms
Brian McNaughton
Writer
- Born: 1935
- Birthplace: Red Bank, New Jersey
- Died: May 13, 2004
Biography
Brian McNaughton was born in the small town of Red Bank, New Jersey. Later in life he attended Harvard University. For ten years, he worked as an reporter for the Newark Evening News, and after that, he held a variety of odd jobs to support his writing career. One of these jobs was as the night manager of a rundown seaside hotel where he once had the dubious honor of assisting his musical hero, Warren Zevon, vandalize a soda machine.
McNaughton wrote more than two hundred short horror and fantasy short stories over the course of his thirty-year writing career. Although his name is not well known, he is considered a master of the horror genre. All of his stories contain some combination of murder, death, ghouls, necromancy, necrophilia, and sex. His characters are often flawed and quirky, and not particularly likeable. His writing style is loosely similar to the great masters of horror H. P. Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti.
McNaughton’s short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Lovecraft’s Legacy. Also, he edited several two horror anthologies. During his lifetime, McNaughton also wrote ten novels. His best-known work is The Throne of Bones, published in 1987. In 1998, McNaughton won both the Bram Stoker Award and a World Fantasy Award for this collection of stories.