City of Dreadful Night and Other Poems

While primarily known for being pessimistic, the poetry of James Thomson (1834-1882) is also beautiful and psychologically complex. This 1903 edition, varying as it does in selection from the edition of the same name published during his lifetime, provides a representative look at what has come to be known as his best works. The title poem is a horror-laced journey through depths that are surface level supernatural and at their heart an exploration of depression and atheist existential crisis. Subsequent works turn personal struggles (such as chronic insomnia) into pure art and praise poets that have gone before. - Summary by MoonLylith