The Wrong Turning: Encounters with Ghosts — Ed. Stephen Johnson

Why do people love ghost stories, even when they don’t believe (or say they don’t believe) in ghosts? Is it simply the adrenaline rush that comes from being terrified by a great storyteller? Or is it that such tales give form to our own inner demons?

‘Looking  back  over  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  serious  therapeutic  work,’ writes Stephen Johnson, ‘I’m  struck  by  how  often,  in  trying  to  explain  my  own  terrifying  mental  states  to  psychotherapists,  I’ve  resorted  to  images or turns of phrase in some of my own favourite ghost stories.’

With contributions from Alexander Pushkin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Tove Jansson, Penelope Lively, Flann O’Brien and more, The Wrong Turning brings together some of the most chilling – and enigmatic – stories from around the world.

Stephen Johnson has taken part in several hundred radio programmes and documentaries, including Radio 3’s weekly Discovering Music series. He is also presenter on the Classic Arts Podcast series Archive Classics. Stephen has made numerous appearances on TV, contributing as guest interviewee on BBC4 coverage of The Proms, ITV’s The South Bank Show, and more recently on BBC1’s The One Show.

Besides The Wrong Turning, Stephen Johnson is also the author of the bestselling How Shostakovich Changed My Mind, also published by Notting Hill Editions.