A SOLO performance will be part of the largest arts festival in the world.

A Robinson Crusoe of the Soul tells the story of horror writer, Arthur Machen, who journeyed from his hometown in Caerleon to the dark heart of Victorian London. The Welsh author wrote The Great Good Pan, which has been described by Stephen King as: "Maybe the best horror story in the English language."

His story will now be retold in a 45 minute performance, produced and presented by Andrew Strong from Newport.

Mr Strong was born in Newport, but left in his late teens, moving to the same part of west London that Arthur Machen once lived.

"I discovered Arthur Machen's writing a few years after moving to London, and I felt I was following in his footsteps," explained My Strong.

"I began working on this project almost 30 years ago. It started as almost a musical, then became more of an opera, but after taking advice from various professionals, I realised it would be far too expensive to produce, so shelved it.

"I was a headteacher, but after taking an early retirement, decided I needed a new challenge so pulled the show back out.

"I rewrote it, cutting it down from two hours to 45 minutes, then sought out technology to enable me to perform it live. I use a variety of pedals, gizmos and gadgets to trigger various weird sounds - I also play a few instruments live, and do a bit of singing. I wrote it, perform it, have produced and funded it.

"The opera combines a fragmented and unreliable lecture on the history of Wales with Arthur’s quest to discover hidden realities beneath the surface of the everyday world."

The solo performance will be available for people to watch at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which starts today and will go on until August 27.

Last year the festival hosted 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows in 300 venues, with thousands of performances taking place this year.

There will be 12 dates to see A Robinson Crusoe of the Soul at Sweet Novotel Hotel, with tickets costing £5.

"I’m planning to perform the show somewhere in south Wales in the autumn," added Mr Strong.

"So Edinburgh, I hope, is just the beginning."