The novel The Hill of Dreams (1907) is laden with autobiographical elements from Arthur Machen's life.
It is the story of Lucian Taylor, with a focus on a childhood in rural Wales. The fictional town is based upon the actual town of Caerleon where Machen was born. Like Caerleon, the fictitious down has an old Roman fort called The Hill of Dreams (the fort provides the title of the novel). At the fort, Lucian is visited with mystical, supernatural visions and imagery, including historic visions of what life was like when the town was inhabited by the Romans. With a strong imagination and artistic passions, an older Lucian moves to London to become a writer and the story recounts an artist's struggle with poverty and the trials of his art.
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