To the fans of pulp and genre fiction, Robert Bloch is known as the author of the classic, “Your’s Truly, Jack the Ripper,” the Lefty Feep stories for FANTASTIC ADVENTURES, his Lovecraft-inspired tales such as “The Shambler from the Stars” and “The Shadow from the Steeple,” and “That Hell-Bound Train,” a short story for which he received a Hugo Award in 1959. Mr. Bloch also served as a Pulpcon guest of honor in 1983.
To the world at large, Robert Bloch is best known as the author of PSYCHO, the novel that became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film of the same name. And so, to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Bloch, PulpFest has asked author Chet Williamson to read from his novel, PSYCHO: SANITARIUM.
“The original PSYCHO novel by Robert Bloch was published in 1959 and became an instant hit, leading to the smash movie only a year later. It brought Norman Bates’s terrifying story into the public consciousness, where it still remains (proved by the success of the TV series BATES MOTEL). It took Bloch twenty-three years to write another PSYCHO novel, revealing that Norman had been in a mental institution the entire time. In that sequel, Norman quickly escapes the sanitarium and goes on a killing spree in Hollywood.
But what happened in that asylum during those two decades? Until now no one has known.
Chet Williamson’s parents took him to see the film of Robert Bloch’s PSYCHO when he was twelve, and he has been a reader and disciple of Bloch ever since. His stories have appeared in THE NEW YORKER, PLAYBOY, and many other magazines and anthologies. A collection of his stories received the International Horror Guild Award. He has twice been a final nominee for the World Fantasy Award and the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award, and six times for the Horror Writers of America’s Stoker Award. A professional writer and actor, he has narrated more than thirty audiobooks.”
On Thursday, July 27, at 9:10 PM, Chet Williamson will read from his novel, PSYCHO: SANITARIUM at PulpFest 2017. It’s part of our salute to the life and work of Robert Bloch.
Join us July 27 – 30 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, just north of Pennsylvania’s “Steel City” of Pittsburgh. To register for PulpFest 2017, please click the Register for 2017 button just below the PulpFest home page banner. To book a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton — our host hotel — click one of the Book a Room buttons likewise located on the PulpFest home page.
Start planning now to attend PulpFest 2017 and join hundreds of pulp and genre fiction fans and art lovers at the pop-culture center of the universe. You’ll have a maddening time, especially if you’re planning to stay at the DoubleTree! We look forward to seeing you.
(The quotes used in this post come from the dust jacket to PSYCHO: SANITARIUM, published in 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. The jack was designed by Ervin Serrano.)
