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Нови хиляда и една нощ
New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1882, is a collection of short stories previously published in magazines between 1877 and 1880. The collection contains Stevenson's first published fiction, and a few of the stories are considered by some critics to be his best work, as well as pioneering works in the English short story tradition.
The title is an allusion to the collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights, which Stevenson had read and liked. Although Stevenson's stories were set in modern Europe, he was stylistically drawing a connection to the nested structure of the Arabian tales.
New Arabian Nights is divided into two volumes.
Volume 1 - The first volume contains seven stories originally called Later-day Arabian Nights and published by London Magazine in serial format from June to October 1878. It is composed of two story groups, or cycles:
The Suicide Club
The Rajah's Diamond
Volume 2 - The second volume is a collection of four unconnected (standalone) stories that were previously published in magazines:
The Pavilion on the Links (1880), told in 9 mini-chapters
A Lodging for the Night (1877)
The Sire De Malétroits Door (1877)
"Providence and the Guitar (1878)
The title is an allusion to the collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights, which Stevenson had read and liked. Although Stevenson's stories were set in modern Europe, he was stylistically drawing a connection to the nested structure of the Arabian tales.
New Arabian Nights is divided into two volumes.
Volume 1 - The first volume contains seven stories originally called Later-day Arabian Nights and published by London Magazine in serial format from June to October 1878. It is composed of two story groups, or cycles:
The Suicide Club
The Rajah's Diamond
Volume 2 - The second volume is a collection of four unconnected (standalone) stories that were previously published in magazines:
The Pavilion on the Links (1880), told in 9 mini-chapters
A Lodging for the Night (1877)
The Sire De Malétroits Door (1877)
"Providence and the Guitar (1878)
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1882
188 people are currently reading
1560 people want to read
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,836 books6,946 followersRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
March 16, 2021
روبرت لويس ستيفنسون الكاتب المشهور بروايات المغامرات والتشويق يسير على نهج ألف ليلة وليلة ويقدم لنا قصتين قصيرتين تحت عنوان الليالي العربية الجديدة، والليالي العربية هو الاسم الذي اشتهر به الكتاب في الغرب عند ترجمته
القصص لا بأس بها، تميل إلى جانب التشويق وكل قصة مقسمة إلى أجزاء قصيرة يجمعها خيط واحد في النهاية وتنتهي دوما بنهاية محببة للقارئ
القصص لا بأس بها، تميل إلى جانب التشويق وكل قصة مقسمة إلى أجزاء قصيرة يجمعها خيط واحد في النهاية وتنتهي دوما بنهاية محببة للقارئ
November 5, 2012
Swithering between 4 and 5 stars for this. Objectively, it's probably a 4; but subjectively, I found a new author I really love and I'm going to start collecting in earnest, so this gets a 5.
This isn't a translation of Arabian Nights, but a new (in the 1870s) collection of linked short stories, taking thematic inspiration very loosely from the original. There's no Scheherazade framing story—a sad loss—but Stevenson replaces that formal trick with another: a sequence of self-contained short stories with different viewpoint characters that fit together into a larger plot. This is such a great device that it's surprising that it isn't used more today. Stevenson not only invented it for this collection, he practically invented the English short story itself. It's wonderful to see a new medium spring full-formed into life.
The first set of stories ("The Suicide Club") borrows another trick from Arabian Nights—the caliph and his vizier who explore their city in disguise are here translated into the Prince of Bohemia and his trusted horse-master, and their secret adventures in Victorian London and Paris. This also strikes me as an early appearance of the "Magical London" that has become such a common trope in modern fantasy; there's no literal magic here, but the delicate atmosphere of mystery and romance hints at unlimited possibilities just out of sight.
I'm not hugely well-read in Victorian literature, but I've suddenly hit a point where I can see connections between different works, and the whole cultural texture of the time is starting to become tangible. Which is exciting! Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, one of my very favourite books, clearly made a big impression on Stevenson too, as the second set of stories ("The Rajah's Diamond") similarly revolves around a diamond that passes from hand to hand, corrupting all who come in contact with it. Under the thin veneer of a story of crime and detection, Stevenson (like Collins) is more interested in drawing a series of colourful character portraits. Later in the book, "A Lodging for the Night" is practically historical fanfic about rogue-poet François Villon—also a favourite subject of Don Marquis in archy and mehitabel.
Above all else, it's Stevenson's way with language that draws me in—the dry ironic tone, the pleasure he clearly takes in picking tasty words and gluing them into a phrase that quietly sings. Some sentences remind me amazingly of Jack Vance, one of my favourite SF authors, such as the first description of the Prince's disguise: "the Prince had, as usual, travestied his appearance by the addition of false whiskers and a pair of large adhesive eyebrows. These lent him a shaggy and weather-beaten air, which, for one of his urbanity, formed the most impenetrable disguise. Thus equipped, the commander and his satellite sipped their brandy and soda in security." Isn't that wonderful? If the placing of "travestied", "adhesive", "urbanity", the mock-formality of "thus equipped"—if none of that tickles you in the slightest, well, you might as well ignore this review.
More favourites: a character introduced as "an elderly young man"; or the priest consulting his books on what to do with the Rajah's Diamond:
This isn't a translation of Arabian Nights, but a new (in the 1870s) collection of linked short stories, taking thematic inspiration very loosely from the original. There's no Scheherazade framing story—a sad loss—but Stevenson replaces that formal trick with another: a sequence of self-contained short stories with different viewpoint characters that fit together into a larger plot. This is such a great device that it's surprising that it isn't used more today. Stevenson not only invented it for this collection, he practically invented the English short story itself. It's wonderful to see a new medium spring full-formed into life.
The first set of stories ("The Suicide Club") borrows another trick from Arabian Nights—the caliph and his vizier who explore their city in disguise are here translated into the Prince of Bohemia and his trusted horse-master, and their secret adventures in Victorian London and Paris. This also strikes me as an early appearance of the "Magical London" that has become such a common trope in modern fantasy; there's no literal magic here, but the delicate atmosphere of mystery and romance hints at unlimited possibilities just out of sight.
I'm not hugely well-read in Victorian literature, but I've suddenly hit a point where I can see connections between different works, and the whole cultural texture of the time is starting to become tangible. Which is exciting! Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, one of my very favourite books, clearly made a big impression on Stevenson too, as the second set of stories ("The Rajah's Diamond") similarly revolves around a diamond that passes from hand to hand, corrupting all who come in contact with it. Under the thin veneer of a story of crime and detection, Stevenson (like Collins) is more interested in drawing a series of colourful character portraits. Later in the book, "A Lodging for the Night" is practically historical fanfic about rogue-poet François Villon—also a favourite subject of Don Marquis in archy and mehitabel.
Above all else, it's Stevenson's way with language that draws me in—the dry ironic tone, the pleasure he clearly takes in picking tasty words and gluing them into a phrase that quietly sings. Some sentences remind me amazingly of Jack Vance, one of my favourite SF authors, such as the first description of the Prince's disguise: "the Prince had, as usual, travestied his appearance by the addition of false whiskers and a pair of large adhesive eyebrows. These lent him a shaggy and weather-beaten air, which, for one of his urbanity, formed the most impenetrable disguise. Thus equipped, the commander and his satellite sipped their brandy and soda in security." Isn't that wonderful? If the placing of "travestied", "adhesive", "urbanity", the mock-formality of "thus equipped"—if none of that tickles you in the slightest, well, you might as well ignore this review.
More favourites: a character introduced as "an elderly young man"; or the priest consulting his books on what to do with the Rajah's Diamond:
"These old gentlemen," thought he, "are no doubt very valuable writers, but they seem to me conspicuously ignorant of life. Here am I, with learning enough to be a Bishop, and I positively do not know how to dispose of a stolen diamond. I glean a hint from a common policeman, and, with all my folios, I cannot so much as put it into execution. This inspires me with very low ideas of University training."Or a debate in the final story on the value of art:
"The art of Monsieur, however," said Elvira, breaking the silence, "is not wanting in distinction."Okay, okay, enough quoting. This is either up your street or it isn't. Worth a try, I'd say, if you think of Victorian writing as stuffy and heavy, and haven't learned that it can be not only funny but light, airy, witty, fantastical."It has this distinction," said the wife, "that nobody will buy it."
November 12, 2018
Leggerezza e avventura
(o Come si impara a vivere)
(«he was certainly on the edge of an exciting mystery»... «What absurd or tragical adventure had befallen him?»...).
Il primo libro strettamente narrativo di Stevenson, pubblicato nel 1882, arriva dopo non pochi volumi di viaggi, saggi e vagabondaggi. Il titolo (Le nuove Mille e una notte) proviene da un leggero gioco sul ruolo del narratore: Stevenson finge infatti che le prime due parti, legate al personaggio di Florizel principe di Boemia, ossia The Suicide Club e The Rajah’s Diamond, siano traduzioni da un non meglio specificato originale arabo («my Arabian author»... un po’ come il Turpino dei romanzi cavallereschi). La cosa suona assai paradossale, perché i vari racconti sono di ambientazione estremamente “occidentale” e cittadina, inconcepibili lontano dal clima della metropoli europea moderna di fine Ottocento. Si passa continuamente da Londra a Parigi; a volte anche con particolari topografici: Eaton Place, Kensington Gardens, Bayswater Road. Strade notturne, folla di sconosciuti, stravaganti ricchi, furfanti, bande di fuorilegge e club con regole particolari. Cadaveri in grandi valigie, duelli, inganni complicati, strade poco illuminate, carrozze pubbliche.
Ma non è questo il punto: l’omaggio alle Mille e una notte è nel segno del puro piacere della narrazione, tutto in funzione della trama; e nella revisione delle forme di incastro tra i vari racconti (anzi, si può parlare proprio per questo di novelle).
Tutte le vicende finiscono per ruotare intorno al principe di Boemia Florizel, personaggio romanzesco, nobile e magnanimo, onorevole e in cerca di distrazioni, lontano dalla patria e dal suo ruolo politico , che però non è praticamente mai il protagonista e il punto di vista dei singoli racconti. Ne è invece il deus ex machina, risolutore e giudice anche morale degli intrighi. Non a caso una volta si dice che, come un dio, sembrava «to know all things and to have suffered nothing».
I singoli racconti, però, hanno spesso come protagonisti dei giovani sprovveduti (l’americano del New England a Parigi, il laureato in teologia che non ha ancora assunto il primo incarico pastorale…), che permettono di introdurre il lettore nel mistero lasciandolo il più a lungo possibile all’oscuro di ciò che sta veramente succedendo, prima di riconnettere il singolo pezzo all’insieme.
La consapevole e divertita presa di distanza dal realismo e dalla profondità psicologica dei personaggi, pura funzione della trama, non potrebbe essere più evidente.
Come l'abbraccio del romanzesco: il giovane teologo, non appena scopre il preziosissimo diamante, vuole improvvisamente capire la vera vita: «“By life”, he added, “I do not mean Thackeray’s novels; but the crimes and secret possibilities of our society, and the principles of wise conduct among exceptional events.»
E la risposta del principe, incontrato del tutto casualmente, è di leggere Gaboriau (uno dei primissimi autori di romanzi polizieschi)!
Molto spesso notturni anche gli altri racconti, che accompagnano il nucleo principale. Anzi il motivo più ricorrente è proprio la ricerca di un soggiorno per la notte e c'è spesso qualcuno che entra in una casa sconosciuta e che fa incontri inattesi di notte.
In The Pavilion on the Links (Il padiglione sulle dune), all'inizio sembra di essere tornati ai primi libri di viaggio (e la cosa non mi dispiace!) ma presto anche qui il gusto della narrazione pura e il senso del mistero prevalgono.
A Lodging for the Night è ambientato nel Quattrocento, e ha come protagonista Villon: è stato scritto infatti nello stesso periodo in cui Stevenson scriveva un saggio sul poeta.
Alla fine, con Providence and the guitar, si ironizza sulla vocazione per “l’arte”, che porta con sé innanzi tutto povertà e difficoltà di vita. Ma nel complesso lo sguardo è affettuosamente positivo su questi giramondo tendenzialmente disprezzati dalla buona società.
Leggerezza e avventura anche nella vita d'artista.
(o Come si impara a vivere)
(«he was certainly on the edge of an exciting mystery»... «What absurd or tragical adventure had befallen him?»...).
Il primo libro strettamente narrativo di Stevenson, pubblicato nel 1882, arriva dopo non pochi volumi di viaggi, saggi e vagabondaggi. Il titolo (Le nuove Mille e una notte) proviene da un leggero gioco sul ruolo del narratore: Stevenson finge infatti che le prime due parti, legate al personaggio di Florizel principe di Boemia, ossia The Suicide Club e The Rajah’s Diamond, siano traduzioni da un non meglio specificato originale arabo («my Arabian author»... un po’ come il Turpino dei romanzi cavallereschi). La cosa suona assai paradossale, perché i vari racconti sono di ambientazione estremamente “occidentale” e cittadina, inconcepibili lontano dal clima della metropoli europea moderna di fine Ottocento. Si passa continuamente da Londra a Parigi; a volte anche con particolari topografici: Eaton Place, Kensington Gardens, Bayswater Road. Strade notturne, folla di sconosciuti, stravaganti ricchi, furfanti, bande di fuorilegge e club con regole particolari. Cadaveri in grandi valigie, duelli, inganni complicati, strade poco illuminate, carrozze pubbliche.
Ma non è questo il punto: l’omaggio alle Mille e una notte è nel segno del puro piacere della narrazione, tutto in funzione della trama; e nella revisione delle forme di incastro tra i vari racconti (anzi, si può parlare proprio per questo di novelle).
Tutte le vicende finiscono per ruotare intorno al principe di Boemia Florizel, personaggio romanzesco, nobile e magnanimo, onorevole e in cerca di distrazioni, lontano dalla patria e dal suo ruolo politico , che però non è praticamente mai il protagonista e il punto di vista dei singoli racconti. Ne è invece il deus ex machina, risolutore e giudice anche morale degli intrighi. Non a caso una volta si dice che, come un dio, sembrava «to know all things and to have suffered nothing».
I singoli racconti, però, hanno spesso come protagonisti dei giovani sprovveduti (l’americano del New England a Parigi, il laureato in teologia che non ha ancora assunto il primo incarico pastorale…), che permettono di introdurre il lettore nel mistero lasciandolo il più a lungo possibile all’oscuro di ciò che sta veramente succedendo, prima di riconnettere il singolo pezzo all’insieme.
La consapevole e divertita presa di distanza dal realismo e dalla profondità psicologica dei personaggi, pura funzione della trama, non potrebbe essere più evidente.
Come l'abbraccio del romanzesco: il giovane teologo, non appena scopre il preziosissimo diamante, vuole improvvisamente capire la vera vita: «“By life”, he added, “I do not mean Thackeray’s novels; but the crimes and secret possibilities of our society, and the principles of wise conduct among exceptional events.»
E la risposta del principe, incontrato del tutto casualmente, è di leggere Gaboriau (uno dei primissimi autori di romanzi polizieschi)!
Molto spesso notturni anche gli altri racconti, che accompagnano il nucleo principale. Anzi il motivo più ricorrente è proprio la ricerca di un soggiorno per la notte e c'è spesso qualcuno che entra in una casa sconosciuta e che fa incontri inattesi di notte.
In The Pavilion on the Links (Il padiglione sulle dune), all'inizio sembra di essere tornati ai primi libri di viaggio (e la cosa non mi dispiace!) ma presto anche qui il gusto della narrazione pura e il senso del mistero prevalgono.
A Lodging for the Night è ambientato nel Quattrocento, e ha come protagonista Villon: è stato scritto infatti nello stesso periodo in cui Stevenson scriveva un saggio sul poeta.
Alla fine, con Providence and the guitar, si ironizza sulla vocazione per “l’arte”, che porta con sé innanzi tutto povertà e difficoltà di vita. Ma nel complesso lo sguardo è affettuosamente positivo su questi giramondo tendenzialmente disprezzati dalla buona società.
Leggerezza e avventura anche nella vita d'artista.
April 6, 2023
The stories ranged from interesting to downright boring with most just being mildly amusing.
August 27, 2021
ENGLISH: This collection contains several sets of stories:
a) The Suicide Club, 3 stories about Prince Florizel.
b) The Rajah's Diamond, 4 stories involving Prince Florizel.
c) The Pavilion on the Links, a novella whose structure and style reminded me of "The strange case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde." The subject matter, of course, is totally different, a dangerous intrigue in the Scottish links (an area of coastal sand dunes).
d) Two short stories in a French medieval atmosphere (XV century), one of them with François Villon as the main character. The other one ("The Sire de Maletroit's door") is an interesting, thrilling, original love story.
e) A slightly longer story called "Providence & the guitar" about an eccentric couple of artists.
The only relationship with the Arabian Nights is because the narrator is supposed to have got some of his stories (those about Prince Florizel) from an Arabian source, a trick used by many other authors, notably Cervantes in Don Quixote.
ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene varios conjuntos de historias:
a) El Club de los Suicidas, 3 historias sobre el príncipe Florizel.
b) El diamante del Rajá, 4 historias que involucran al príncipe Florizel.
c) The Pavilion on the Links, una novela cuya estructura y estilo me recordó "El extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde". El tema, por supuesto, es totalmente diferente, una intriga peligrosa en las dunas costeras escocesas.
d) Dos cuentos en ambiente medieval francés (siglo XV), uno de ellos con François Villon como protagonista. El otro ("La puerta del Señor de Maletroit") es una historia de amor original, emocionante e interesante.
e) Una historia un poco más larga llamada "Providence & the guitar" sobre una excéntrica pareja de artistas.
La única relación con Las mil y una noches se debe a que se supone que el narrador obtuvo algunas de sus historias (las del príncipe Florizel) de una fuente árabe, un truco utilizado por muchos otros autores, en particular Cervantes en Don Quijote.
a) The Suicide Club, 3 stories about Prince Florizel.
b) The Rajah's Diamond, 4 stories involving Prince Florizel.
c) The Pavilion on the Links, a novella whose structure and style reminded me of "The strange case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde." The subject matter, of course, is totally different, a dangerous intrigue in the Scottish links (an area of coastal sand dunes).
d) Two short stories in a French medieval atmosphere (XV century), one of them with François Villon as the main character. The other one ("The Sire de Maletroit's door") is an interesting, thrilling, original love story.
e) A slightly longer story called "Providence & the guitar" about an eccentric couple of artists.
The only relationship with the Arabian Nights is because the narrator is supposed to have got some of his stories (those about Prince Florizel) from an Arabian source, a trick used by many other authors, notably Cervantes in Don Quixote.
ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene varios conjuntos de historias:
a) El Club de los Suicidas, 3 historias sobre el príncipe Florizel.
b) El diamante del Rajá, 4 historias que involucran al príncipe Florizel.
c) The Pavilion on the Links, una novela cuya estructura y estilo me recordó "El extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde". El tema, por supuesto, es totalmente diferente, una intriga peligrosa en las dunas costeras escocesas.
d) Dos cuentos en ambiente medieval francés (siglo XV), uno de ellos con François Villon como protagonista. El otro ("La puerta del Señor de Maletroit") es una historia de amor original, emocionante e interesante.
e) Una historia un poco más larga llamada "Providence & the guitar" sobre una excéntrica pareja de artistas.
La única relación con Las mil y una noches se debe a que se supone que el narrador obtuvo algunas de sus historias (las del príncipe Florizel) de una fuente árabe, un truco utilizado por muchos otros autores, en particular Cervantes en Don Quijote.
January 12, 2023
Hace un par de años había leído las aventuras del príncipe Florizel de Bohemia, que amé intensamente y tenía ganas de releer. En aquel entonces, sin embargo, tenía un ejemplar de una editorial un poco rara llamada Abraxas y, aunque me pareció —sin saber de lo que hablo— que la traducción era buena, siempre desconfié y pensé que tenía que recurrir a una un poco más fresca. La de Perla Ediciones me pareció excelente y disfruté mucho hacer esta lectura. Y no sólo por Nuevas noches árabes, que está llena de personajes increíbles, pasteles de crema, baúles, conspiraciones y grandes aventuras, sino porque acá se incluyen también otros relatos que no conocía: uno sobre una casa en medio de mortíferas dunas de arena y asediada por italianos honorables; dos historias medievales que ocurren durante las oscuras horas de la noche en que las calles se llenan de malandrines o poetas, y una historia sobre el amor y el espíritu artístico.
Robert Louis Stevenson es un autor al que siempre regresaré (ojalá pronto) porque me recuerda por qué me gusta leer, porque me ayuda a escapar del mundo, porque asombra con su aparente sencillez, su exactitud, sus hermosas descripciones entre solemnes y directamente cómicas. Me hace reír mucho, me conmueve y me da un entusiasmo por la literatura que se siente muy primigenio.
Si alguien por acá le ha sacado la vuelta a este autor porque suena a muy clásico o de hueva, le recomiendo que desempolve su viejo ejemplar y le dé un chance. De verdad es de lo más bonito que se puede leer jamás.
Robert Louis Stevenson es un autor al que siempre regresaré (ojalá pronto) porque me recuerda por qué me gusta leer, porque me ayuda a escapar del mundo, porque asombra con su aparente sencillez, su exactitud, sus hermosas descripciones entre solemnes y directamente cómicas. Me hace reír mucho, me conmueve y me da un entusiasmo por la literatura que se siente muy primigenio.
Si alguien por acá le ha sacado la vuelta a este autor porque suena a muy clásico o de hueva, le recomiendo que desempolve su viejo ejemplar y le dé un chance. De verdad es de lo más bonito que se puede leer jamás.
December 31, 2023
واحدة من تلك القصص اللي متأكدة إني هنسى كل تفاصيلها بمجرد ما أقلب آخر صفحة فيها، بس طريقة السرد حلوة وشكرًا.
October 23, 2007
I am beginning a Stevenson kick. Hopefully, it will last.
Appropriately, I started with the first volume of the set published by Scribner in 1903. Suicide Club, starring prince Florizel of Bohemia. ( At the end, as a result of revolution in his native land, he becomes a tobacconist.)The Russian film version starred Oleg Dal', a great Soviet actor, and Donatas Banionis (Kris in Tarkovsky's Solaris). The middle story, Pavillion of the Links, a lighter remake of Doppelganger motif, foreshadows something in Kaverin's Two Captains.
The final three stories are a neat revelation: a tale of Francois Villon, another - of a medieval romance, something in the manner of Oscar Wilde, and lastly, a naturalistic romance, set in contemporary France - misadventures of traveling actors and a future banker, a young Englishman on a Tour of France.
I've read most of these as a kid, without however noticing a pervasive theme - difficulties of social mobility in a class society unhinged by monetary greed.
Next on - Treasure Island.
Appropriately, I started with the first volume of the set published by Scribner in 1903. Suicide Club, starring prince Florizel of Bohemia. ( At the end, as a result of revolution in his native land, he becomes a tobacconist.)The Russian film version starred Oleg Dal', a great Soviet actor, and Donatas Banionis (Kris in Tarkovsky's Solaris). The middle story, Pavillion of the Links, a lighter remake of Doppelganger motif, foreshadows something in Kaverin's Two Captains.
The final three stories are a neat revelation: a tale of Francois Villon, another - of a medieval romance, something in the manner of Oscar Wilde, and lastly, a naturalistic romance, set in contemporary France - misadventures of traveling actors and a future banker, a young Englishman on a Tour of France.
I've read most of these as a kid, without however noticing a pervasive theme - difficulties of social mobility in a class society unhinged by monetary greed.
Next on - Treasure Island.
May 17, 2022
" في مطعم صغير في حي (سوهو) راح الرجال الثلاثة يلتهمون عشاءً فاخرًا مع كثير من الشمبانيا.. كان الفتى مرحا لكن ضحكاته كانت أعلى مما ينبغي.. ثم إن يديه كانتا ترتجفان..
سأله الأمير وقد أشعل كل منهم سيجارا:
- أمقت أن أبدو متطفلا.. إلا أنني وصاحبي لخليقان بأن نحفظ السر.. فإذا كانت حكايتك سخيفة فاطمئن.. فإننا من أسخف رجال (انجلترا).. إن اسمي هو (جودول) وصاحبي هو الميجور (ألفريد هامرسميث).. وقد كرسنا جل حيتنا للبحث عن كل ما هو شاذ وغريب.
قال الشاب، وقد بدأ يتحمس:
- سأروي القصة كي لا أخيب أملكما.. لكن اسمي سيظل سرا.. إنني ورثت عن جدودي مبلغ ثلاثمائة جنيه كل عام، وبيتا جميلا، ومعهما ورثت شغفا هائلا بالمرح.. إنني أجيد لعب الورق بما يسمح بأن أخسر مائة جنيه سنويا.. وأجيد الفرنسية بما يسمح لي بأن أضيع مالي في باريس كما أضيعه هنا.. ثم إنني مارست المبارزة مرارا!
لقد بددت مالي تبديدا مرعبا.. حتى لم يعد في ثروتي سوى ثمانين جنيها لا أكثر! فأبقيت أربعين لغرض ما.. وبددت اليوم أربعين في مرح ومزاح.. آخره دعابة الكعك المغطى بالقشدة هذه..
كنت عازما على أن أنهي حياتي الحمقاء بنهاية سخيفة.. والآن أنا مفلس أخرق تماما.. فقد انتهى آخر جنيه معي"
سأله الأمير وقد أشعل كل منهم سيجارا:
- أمقت أن أبدو متطفلا.. إلا أنني وصاحبي لخليقان بأن نحفظ السر.. فإذا كانت حكايتك سخيفة فاطمئن.. فإننا من أسخف رجال (انجلترا).. إن اسمي هو (جودول) وصاحبي هو الميجور (ألفريد هامرسميث).. وقد كرسنا جل حيتنا للبحث عن كل ما هو شاذ وغريب.
قال الشاب، وقد بدأ يتحمس:
- سأروي القصة كي لا أخيب أملكما.. لكن اسمي سيظل سرا.. إنني ورثت عن جدودي مبلغ ثلاثمائة جنيه كل عام، وبيتا جميلا، ومعهما ورثت شغفا هائلا بالمرح.. إنني أجيد لعب الورق بما يسمح بأن أخسر مائة جنيه سنويا.. وأجيد الفرنسية بما يسمح لي بأن أضيع مالي في باريس كما أضيعه هنا.. ثم إنني مارست المبارزة مرارا!
لقد بددت مالي تبديدا مرعبا.. حتى لم يعد في ثروتي سوى ثمانين جنيها لا أكثر! فأبقيت أربعين لغرض ما.. وبددت اليوم أربعين في مرح ومزاح.. آخره دعابة الكعك المغطى بالقشدة هذه..
كنت عازما على أن أنهي حياتي الحمقاء بنهاية سخيفة.. والآن أنا مفلس أخرق تماما.. فقد انتهى آخر جنيه معي"
July 10, 2020
Nunca he leído nada de Stevenson que no me haya fascinado. Disfruto tanto el acto de leerlo como la manera en que se queda en mi cabeza por semanas (y días y meses y años), con pequeñas postales, imágenes, fragmentos de diálogo, breves anécdotas. Todo en Stevenson está bien; éste es mi mundo literario por elección. Desde que terminé el libro, por ejemplo, sigo pensando en el momento en que un sujeto llega a su hostal y obsesivamente huele entre la tapa y el cuerpo del baúl mundo para asegurarse de que su secreto sigue a salvo, y luego pasa la noche sólo observándolo. Es increíble.
Borges tiene varios textos justamente sobre esta colección de cuentos. He estado leyéndolos, aunque algunos no los he conseguido. Pero en el fondo lo que quizás quiero es sólo seguir leyendo a Stevenson y que no se acabe nunca.
Borges tiene varios textos justamente sobre esta colección de cuentos. He estado leyéndolos, aunque algunos no los he conseguido. Pero en el fondo lo que quizás quiero es sólo seguir leyendo a Stevenson y que no se acabe nunca.
December 19, 2021
Shorts. Most complicate ideas of honor and morality.
October 17, 2015
Дали хиляда и една нощи могат да стигнат да се опише душата на едно поколение, една ера, един свят, какъвто никога няма да успеем да си го спомним? Ако в оригиналната смесица от екзотични истории – къде зловещи, къде забавни, или мелодраматични, но великолепни в своята разхитителна източна красота и необичайност, където основната сюжетна линия се виеше около заплашената от мъчителна смърт везирска дъщеря, опитваща се да заглавичка леко лудичкия си падишах с дългогодишна фройдистко-фромска терапия; то Стивънсън ни отвежда в уж познатите тъмни улички на стара Англия, във време напоено с мистерии, лъжи и много скука, сковаващо душата възпитание и някое и друго престъпление, намиращо своите причини в прозаичността на битието.
Запознайте с британския, е, почти, Харун Ал Рашид, именуващ се съвсем мъничко помпозно Флозирел принц Бохемски – интелектуалец и приключенец, в последствие прокуден от поста си поради същата си тази жажда за различности, поправяне на световните неволи и прочие други развлечения за богаташи. Странно замесвайки събитията около себе си, в една непрестанна нишка от съвпадения, или ако щете нечие много активно работещо провидение, където хора от всякакви прослойки на това парализирано от самоналожените си порядки общество, се борят да намерят поредната пролука в лепкавия сивия смог на Лондон и покрайнините, ставащ сцена на множество пиеси, достойни дори за високобюджетно самостоятелно екранизиране. А принц Флоризел се появява на финалната права като изключително елегантен деус екс макина и внася яснота в бездиханния хаос наоколо.
Дали ще сме по следите на откраднат – неколкократно – гигантски камък от злокобен индийски раджа, като част от плана му за дестабилизиране на великата британска нация; или ще разнасяме вкочанен труп на красавец в транспортен сандък из половин Европа, а може би ще се отбием за по чашка, евентуално последна, шери в клуба на самоубийците, където всеки може да е и жертва, и палач едновременно и последователно – абсурдни и комични на моменти ситуации бързо достигат до зловещата си точка, в която засмяното допреди секунда лице като същински Доктор Джекил и Мистър Хайд се обръща в бясно озъбена физиономия. Една красива дама с три самоличности, и нито една доказана идентичност; трима младежи без пукната пара, но с огромни перспективи да бъдат свръх нахитрели малки лайненца до живот, ако им се предостави дом, богата наследница и стабилна рента, готова да бъде пропиляна за модерните гаджети на времето си; и паякови мрежи, спускащи се над главите на десетки персонажи, за да могат същите да се сберат в нестабилната протоматерия на живота, изкована от желязна английска логика и ефекта на пеперудата в едно.
В никакъв случай не говорим за приказки, а за изключително добре изработен многофасетен роман, с разкази и откровения преливащи едно в друго, разкриващи пестеливо парченцата на всевечния пъзел на битието от няколко милиарда съвсем еднакви наглед части. Стивънсън е неподозиран майстор на макабре нюансите, и не бива да бъде свързван само с детски приключенийца на дребно – това тук е висш пилотаж в завладяващата ума и галещата фантастичната брънка в мозъците ни литература. Криминалните нюанси се надпреварват с мистериозните такива, на ръба на невъзможното, и все пак – винаги окичено със съвсем хладнокръвно обяснение в последната секунда на многобоя. Едно от онези приятно гъделичкащи гънчиците ви интелектуални разхищения на талант, насочен в неочаквана посока, от което се чуствате толкова умни и извисени четци, че неусетно си търсите порцелановата чаша чай и сандвича със свежа краставичка около пет всеки следобед. Съвсем невиновно удоволствие.
Запознайте с британския, е, почти, Харун Ал Рашид, именуващ се съвсем мъничко помпозно Флозирел принц Бохемски – интелектуалец и приключенец, в последствие прокуден от поста си поради същата си тази жажда за различности, поправяне на световните неволи и прочие други развлечения за богаташи. Странно замесвайки събитията около себе си, в една непрестанна нишка от съвпадения, или ако щете нечие много активно работещо провидение, където хора от всякакви прослойки на това парализирано от самоналожените си порядки общество, се борят да намерят поредната пролука в лепкавия сивия смог на Лондон и покрайнините, ставащ сцена на множество пиеси, достойни дори за високобюджетно самостоятелно екранизиране. А принц Флоризел се появява на финалната права като изключително елегантен деус екс макина и внася яснота в бездиханния хаос наоколо.
Дали ще сме по следите на откраднат – неколкократно – гигантски камък от злокобен индийски раджа, като част от плана му за дестабилизиране на великата британска нация; или ще разнасяме вкочанен труп на красавец в транспортен сандък из половин Европа, а може би ще се отбием за по чашка, евентуално последна, шери в клуба на самоубийците, където всеки може да е и жертва, и палач едновременно и последователно – абсурдни и комични на моменти ситуации бързо достигат до зловещата си точка, в която засмяното допреди секунда лице като същински Доктор Джекил и Мистър Хайд се обръща в бясно озъбена физиономия. Една красива дама с три самоличности, и нито една доказана идентичност; трима младежи без пукната пара, но с огромни перспективи да бъдат свръх нахитрели малки лайненца до живот, ако им се предостави дом, богата наследница и стабилна рента, готова да бъде пропиляна за модерните гаджети на времето си; и паякови мрежи, спускащи се над главите на десетки персонажи, за да могат същите да се сберат в нестабилната протоматерия на живота, изкована от желязна английска логика и ефекта на пеперудата в едно.
В никакъв случай не говорим за приказки, а за изключително добре изработен многофасетен роман, с разкази и откровения преливащи едно в друго, разкриващи пестеливо парченцата на всевечния пъзел на битието от няколко милиарда съвсем еднакви наглед части. Стивънсън е неподозиран майстор на макабре нюансите, и не бива да бъде свързван само с детски приключенийца на дребно – това тук е висш пилотаж в завладяващата ума и галещата фантастичната брънка в мозъците ни литература. Криминалните нюанси се надпреварват с мистериозните такива, на ръба на невъзможното, и все пак – винаги окичено със съвсем хладнокръвно обяснение в последната секунда на многобоя. Едно от онези приятно гъделичкащи гънчиците ви интелектуални разхищения на талант, насочен в неочаквана посока, от което се чуствате толкова умни и извисени четци, че неусетно си търсите порцелановата чаша чай и сандвича със свежа краставичка около пет всеки следобед. Съвсем невиновно удоволствие.
January 16, 2025
4.5 stars. (1882, but the stories had been previously published). These are Stevenson’s first works, written in his late 20s.
The collection is rather confusingly grouped into two volumes, the first containing two different story “cycles,” or sets of linked tales, though even these are connected. Basically what you have are two very wild novellas in which a Prince Florizel figures more or less prominently. Taken together it’s like a mini Monte Cristo. The rest is just regular short stories. I’ve never read Arabian Nights so am probably missing out on a lot of homages. The quality peters out towards the end but overall the book is fast, entertaining, and has a youthful love of the outrageous.
———————————————-
(1878) The Suicide Club
—Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts.
Dark and campy in a good way. Does a nice job conveying the gambler’s rush of this unusual Russian roulette, with the deck of cards going round the table once, then twice. Stevenson astutely makes the second meeting even smaller than the first, increasing the fatal odds.
—Story of the Physician and the Saratoga Trunk.
Another whirlwind nightmare. The best part is when the American tries to get rid of the trunk but keeps making more and more a spectacle of himself, first before a pack of hooting onlookers and then a porter, who starts eyeing the case as if it might contain money, and not a body.
—The Adventure of the Hansom Cab
Again a story where the protagonist is more acted upon than acting, a very pleasant form of storytelling if you ask me—the way the characters are carried away, often literally, into mysterious adventures.
(1878) The Rajah’s Diamond
—Story of the Bandbox
“The din at the door, so far from abating, continued to increase in volume, and at each blow the unhappy secretary was shaken to the heart. "What is your name?" asked the girl. "Harry Hartley," he replied. “Mine," she went on, "is Prudence. Do you like it?" "Very much," said Harry. "But hear for a moment how the General beats upon the door. He will certainly break it in, and then, in heaven's name, what have I to look for but death?" "You put yourself very much about with no occasion," answered Prudence. "Let your General knock, he will do no more than blister his hands. Do you think I would keep you here if I were not sure to save you? Oh, no, I am a good friend to those that please me! and we have a back door upon another lane. But," she added, checking him, for he had got upon his feet immediately on this welcome news, "but I will not show where it is unless you kiss me. Will you, Harry?" "That I will," he cried, remembering his gallantry, "not for your back door, but because you are good and pretty.”
Funny character, this cowardly yet gorgeous dandy.
Stevenson is really good at taking outlandish situations and making them more and more insane. It’s that same giddy feeling you find in later pulp novels or Tarantino (in fact one scene where the main character, fleeing the villains, runs straight into the premises of an even freakier villain reminded me of Pulp Fiction).
—Story of the Young Man in Holy Orders
After all the mayhem, a bookish young clergyman happens upon the rajah’s diamond and is instantly corrupted. This proliferation of crime stories feels like another modern trope. Also now I know what American Dad was playing off of with “The Golden Turd.”
—Story of the House with the Green Blinds
Full of dramatic action.
Here we have another story of a seemingly good person turning bad. If I may psychoanalyze: after glancing through Stevenson’s bio it was hard not to read the previous story, about a wayward clergyman, as the author’s guilt over his own atheism, which, however brief, broke his parents’ heart.
"O Lord, what a pleasant thing it is", Stevenson once wrote, "to have just damned the happiness of (probably) the only two people who care a damn about you in the world."
Moreover this tale, about a devoted son suddenly renouncing his father and embracing a vain existence in Paris, also felt like a transmuted reflection.
—The Adventure of Prince Florizel and a Detective
“His mind was full of concern; what to do with the diamond, whether to return it to its owner, whom he judged unworthy of this rare possession, or to take some sweeping and courageous measure and put it out of the reach of all mankind at once and for ever, was a problem too grave to be decided in a moment. The manner in which it had come into his hands appeared manifestly providential; and as he took out the jewel and looked at it under the street lamps, its size and surprising brilliancy inclined him more and more to think of it as of an unmixed and dangerous evil for the world. "God help me!" he thought; "if I look at it much oftener, I shall begin to grow covetous myself.”
I think it’s safe to say Tolkien read this.
“As for the Prince, that sublime person, having now served his turn, may go, along with the ARABIAN AUTHOR, topsy-turvy into space.”
Wonderful denouement.
“…and although a sedentary life is beginning to tell upon his waistcoat, he is probably, take him for all in all, the handsomest tobacconist in London.”
————————————————-
(1880) The Pavilion on the Links
“‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
“I only said one word: ‘Italians.’”
Foreign spies in the Scottish countryside, 35 years before The 39 Steps.
This could be called a novella too. As seen in the quote above, the mafia makes an appearance. Great atmosphere but I’m honestly stumped why Arthur Conan Doyle rated the story so highly (Note that he was disappointed by the version here: “There have been changes, and all for the worse, between the story as it originally appeared in Cornhill and as it reappeared in "The New Arabian Nights, but even as it stands it is a piece of work of extraordinary merit.”)
Another quote from the story:
“‘Leave that to Clara,’ returned Northmour.
“I could have struck him in the face for this coarse familiarity…”
Adorable time period.
(1877) A Lodging for the Night
The author’s first published work. Historical fiction about a medieval French poet named Francois Villon. I guess he was known for criminal behavior. Stevenson wrote about him further in a collection of nonfiction. Here the literary rogue gets mixed up with murder.
This is a sort of philosophical one-act play examining the nature of honor, morality and poverty. I liked how Stevenson lets things end unresolved. Villon is truly a worm, yet he is allowed the last word.
(1877) The Sire De Malétroits Door
A man trying to elude some soldiers at night leans against a house door and falls through, getting trapped inside, Poe-like. I really can’t get enough of this effect—one adventure leading to another, stranger one, the sudden change of genres. This one winds up being a transparent fantasy—not the first in this collection—where a helpless maiden has almost no choice but to fall in love with the hero. Important to remember, plot-wise, what unnatural pains Brits took, even at this late stage, to dance around talk of sex.
(1878) Providence and the Guitar
“…indeed there must be something permanently mercantile in the female nature.”
Like A Lodging for the Night, this is also a rambling tale (and tale of rambling) that turns into a story of ideas, the different positions embodied by the interlocutors.
“Frankly, how would you advise me?"
"Frankly, I would let my husband do what he wished. He is obviously a very loving painter; you have not yet tried him as a clerk.”
How could I not be won over with this?
The collection is rather confusingly grouped into two volumes, the first containing two different story “cycles,” or sets of linked tales, though even these are connected. Basically what you have are two very wild novellas in which a Prince Florizel figures more or less prominently. Taken together it’s like a mini Monte Cristo. The rest is just regular short stories. I’ve never read Arabian Nights so am probably missing out on a lot of homages. The quality peters out towards the end but overall the book is fast, entertaining, and has a youthful love of the outrageous.
———————————————-
(1878) The Suicide Club
—Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts.
Dark and campy in a good way. Does a nice job conveying the gambler’s rush of this unusual Russian roulette, with the deck of cards going round the table once, then twice. Stevenson astutely makes the second meeting even smaller than the first, increasing the fatal odds.
—Story of the Physician and the Saratoga Trunk.
Another whirlwind nightmare. The best part is when the American tries to get rid of the trunk but keeps making more and more a spectacle of himself, first before a pack of hooting onlookers and then a porter, who starts eyeing the case as if it might contain money, and not a body.
—The Adventure of the Hansom Cab
Again a story where the protagonist is more acted upon than acting, a very pleasant form of storytelling if you ask me—the way the characters are carried away, often literally, into mysterious adventures.
(1878) The Rajah’s Diamond
—Story of the Bandbox
“The din at the door, so far from abating, continued to increase in volume, and at each blow the unhappy secretary was shaken to the heart. "What is your name?" asked the girl. "Harry Hartley," he replied. “Mine," she went on, "is Prudence. Do you like it?" "Very much," said Harry. "But hear for a moment how the General beats upon the door. He will certainly break it in, and then, in heaven's name, what have I to look for but death?" "You put yourself very much about with no occasion," answered Prudence. "Let your General knock, he will do no more than blister his hands. Do you think I would keep you here if I were not sure to save you? Oh, no, I am a good friend to those that please me! and we have a back door upon another lane. But," she added, checking him, for he had got upon his feet immediately on this welcome news, "but I will not show where it is unless you kiss me. Will you, Harry?" "That I will," he cried, remembering his gallantry, "not for your back door, but because you are good and pretty.”
Funny character, this cowardly yet gorgeous dandy.
Stevenson is really good at taking outlandish situations and making them more and more insane. It’s that same giddy feeling you find in later pulp novels or Tarantino (in fact one scene where the main character, fleeing the villains, runs straight into the premises of an even freakier villain reminded me of Pulp Fiction).
—Story of the Young Man in Holy Orders
After all the mayhem, a bookish young clergyman happens upon the rajah’s diamond and is instantly corrupted. This proliferation of crime stories feels like another modern trope. Also now I know what American Dad was playing off of with “The Golden Turd.”
—Story of the House with the Green Blinds
Full of dramatic action.
Here we have another story of a seemingly good person turning bad. If I may psychoanalyze: after glancing through Stevenson’s bio it was hard not to read the previous story, about a wayward clergyman, as the author’s guilt over his own atheism, which, however brief, broke his parents’ heart.
"O Lord, what a pleasant thing it is", Stevenson once wrote, "to have just damned the happiness of (probably) the only two people who care a damn about you in the world."
Moreover this tale, about a devoted son suddenly renouncing his father and embracing a vain existence in Paris, also felt like a transmuted reflection.
—The Adventure of Prince Florizel and a Detective
“His mind was full of concern; what to do with the diamond, whether to return it to its owner, whom he judged unworthy of this rare possession, or to take some sweeping and courageous measure and put it out of the reach of all mankind at once and for ever, was a problem too grave to be decided in a moment. The manner in which it had come into his hands appeared manifestly providential; and as he took out the jewel and looked at it under the street lamps, its size and surprising brilliancy inclined him more and more to think of it as of an unmixed and dangerous evil for the world. "God help me!" he thought; "if I look at it much oftener, I shall begin to grow covetous myself.”
I think it’s safe to say Tolkien read this.
“As for the Prince, that sublime person, having now served his turn, may go, along with the ARABIAN AUTHOR, topsy-turvy into space.”
Wonderful denouement.
“…and although a sedentary life is beginning to tell upon his waistcoat, he is probably, take him for all in all, the handsomest tobacconist in London.”
————————————————-
(1880) The Pavilion on the Links
“‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
“I only said one word: ‘Italians.’”
Foreign spies in the Scottish countryside, 35 years before The 39 Steps.
This could be called a novella too. As seen in the quote above, the mafia makes an appearance. Great atmosphere but I’m honestly stumped why Arthur Conan Doyle rated the story so highly (Note that he was disappointed by the version here: “There have been changes, and all for the worse, between the story as it originally appeared in Cornhill and as it reappeared in "The New Arabian Nights, but even as it stands it is a piece of work of extraordinary merit.”)
Another quote from the story:
“‘Leave that to Clara,’ returned Northmour.
“I could have struck him in the face for this coarse familiarity…”
Adorable time period.
(1877) A Lodging for the Night
The author’s first published work. Historical fiction about a medieval French poet named Francois Villon. I guess he was known for criminal behavior. Stevenson wrote about him further in a collection of nonfiction. Here the literary rogue gets mixed up with murder.
This is a sort of philosophical one-act play examining the nature of honor, morality and poverty. I liked how Stevenson lets things end unresolved. Villon is truly a worm, yet he is allowed the last word.
(1877) The Sire De Malétroits Door
A man trying to elude some soldiers at night leans against a house door and falls through, getting trapped inside, Poe-like. I really can’t get enough of this effect—one adventure leading to another, stranger one, the sudden change of genres. This one winds up being a transparent fantasy—not the first in this collection—where a helpless maiden has almost no choice but to fall in love with the hero. Important to remember, plot-wise, what unnatural pains Brits took, even at this late stage, to dance around talk of sex.
(1878) Providence and the Guitar
“…indeed there must be something permanently mercantile in the female nature.”
Like A Lodging for the Night, this is also a rambling tale (and tale of rambling) that turns into a story of ideas, the different positions embodied by the interlocutors.
“Frankly, how would you advise me?"
"Frankly, I would let my husband do what he wished. He is obviously a very loving painter; you have not yet tried him as a clerk.”
How could I not be won over with this?
June 24, 2021
Beautiful way with language (despite being written about two centuries ago, it doesn’t seem dated) and expression.
What makes one like or dislike a book? More often than not, it’s dependent on the degree to which you relate to what’s being written, or that you agree with or approve of the table the author has set.
Now Robert Louis Stevenson had a knack of being able to let his ideas play devil’s advocate to yours (or even his own), and still not ruffle your feathers in a confrontational way; rather, it’s as if he’s waiting for you to join in the discussion and throw in your own two pennies’ worth.
What makes one like or dislike a book? More often than not, it’s dependent on the degree to which you relate to what’s being written, or that you agree with or approve of the table the author has set.
Now Robert Louis Stevenson had a knack of being able to let his ideas play devil’s advocate to yours (or even his own), and still not ruffle your feathers in a confrontational way; rather, it’s as if he’s waiting for you to join in the discussion and throw in your own two pennies’ worth.
August 25, 2020
Thrilling set of short stories, of which the crown jewels are the two featuring Prince Florizel, “The Suicide Club” and “The Rajah’s Diamond.” If not necessarily outright mysteries, certainly mystery-adjacent, and the adventure component is strongly reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes story. Coincidentally, a different story in this collection, “The Pavilion on the Links,” was described by Conan Doyle as "the high-water mark of Stevenson's genius"
January 7, 2022
An enjoyable collection of Stevenson’s short stories, including some of his earliest published work.
January 6, 2014
(I've read this as part of a collected works volume, so this review is not specific to any individual edition of New Arabian Nights.)
New Arabian Nights may be a bit of a misnomer (there's none of the fantasy and magic associated with the original Arabian Nights/1001 Nights, nor is any of it set in an 'Arab' country...or even outside of Europe), but this collection of six tales from Stevenson is still a pleasing set of small adventures told with a light voice and humourous tone.
First up was 'The Suicide Club,' which comes closest in its telling to any of the Arabian Nights stories: it tells of a misadventure of a king-in-disguise (a la Haroun al Rashid) and his faithful companion (a la any of the handful of compatriots Rashid tended to run with). Though the subject of the tale is a dark one (as one might suspect, it's a club one joins to commit suicide via homicide by another member), the presence of Prince Florizel keeps the tone light and it never feels as though there's any real threat of danger.
Next, we get a bit of a peripheral story called 'The Rajah's Diamond,' wherein we eventually meet again with Florizel but the majority of the tale is concerned with the loss and pursuit of a fabulous gem.
The Prince is left behind for possibly the strongest story in the book, 'The Pavilion on the Links.' This piece of mystery, murder, theft and espionage sits comfortably alongside Stevenson's later, longer works like Treasure Island or Master of Ballantrae. It is (as were those) a fairly English story in locale, characters and sensibility. It sets and maintains a dark mood of fear and paranoia for most of its duration, and nicely bundles the tale into a perfect short-story package.
'A Lodging for the Night' is a peculiar story, dealing early on as it does with a vicious murder and a callous theft on a frigid night in a den of thieves. We follow the victim of the latter (a poor poet and balladeer called Villon) as he leaves in fear and nervousness of detection and association with the former, until he eventually finds sanctuary and shelter with a remonstrative old knight. It ends suddenly and with little satisfaction, so may be the weakest link in this chain.
In 'The Sire de Maletroit's Door,' we are given what seems to be a 'tiger or lady' sort of situation, when a young Frenchman finds himself locked inside a mysterious home and confronted by a strange situation which has nothing to do with him but will drastically alter his future. It is a fun little tale which does a fine job transmitting its feelings of claustrophobia, paranoia, mild panic, fear and finally romance.
The last story, 'Providence and the Guitar,' is a very pretty, atmospheric tale of a roaming performer and his beloved wife falling afoul of an unpleasant town. These two characters are offered in such fashion as to make them loveable and pitiable, so the reader roots for them in their seemingly hopeless situation. It comes to a droll conclusion, if not an entirely satisfactory one.
The introduction to my volume claims all these tales were written by Stevenson before he'd had any real success, and they do feel very like a writer who is working toward finding his true voice. They're not bad stories at all, and it's understandable that they worked a good deal toward his eventual recognition, but I can't imagine any one of them could be considered essential.
New Arabian Nights may be a bit of a misnomer (there's none of the fantasy and magic associated with the original Arabian Nights/1001 Nights, nor is any of it set in an 'Arab' country...or even outside of Europe), but this collection of six tales from Stevenson is still a pleasing set of small adventures told with a light voice and humourous tone.
First up was 'The Suicide Club,' which comes closest in its telling to any of the Arabian Nights stories: it tells of a misadventure of a king-in-disguise (a la Haroun al Rashid) and his faithful companion (a la any of the handful of compatriots Rashid tended to run with). Though the subject of the tale is a dark one (as one might suspect, it's a club one joins to commit suicide via homicide by another member), the presence of Prince Florizel keeps the tone light and it never feels as though there's any real threat of danger.
Next, we get a bit of a peripheral story called 'The Rajah's Diamond,' wherein we eventually meet again with Florizel but the majority of the tale is concerned with the loss and pursuit of a fabulous gem.
The Prince is left behind for possibly the strongest story in the book, 'The Pavilion on the Links.' This piece of mystery, murder, theft and espionage sits comfortably alongside Stevenson's later, longer works like Treasure Island or Master of Ballantrae. It is (as were those) a fairly English story in locale, characters and sensibility. It sets and maintains a dark mood of fear and paranoia for most of its duration, and nicely bundles the tale into a perfect short-story package.
'A Lodging for the Night' is a peculiar story, dealing early on as it does with a vicious murder and a callous theft on a frigid night in a den of thieves. We follow the victim of the latter (a poor poet and balladeer called Villon) as he leaves in fear and nervousness of detection and association with the former, until he eventually finds sanctuary and shelter with a remonstrative old knight. It ends suddenly and with little satisfaction, so may be the weakest link in this chain.
In 'The Sire de Maletroit's Door,' we are given what seems to be a 'tiger or lady' sort of situation, when a young Frenchman finds himself locked inside a mysterious home and confronted by a strange situation which has nothing to do with him but will drastically alter his future. It is a fun little tale which does a fine job transmitting its feelings of claustrophobia, paranoia, mild panic, fear and finally romance.
The last story, 'Providence and the Guitar,' is a very pretty, atmospheric tale of a roaming performer and his beloved wife falling afoul of an unpleasant town. These two characters are offered in such fashion as to make them loveable and pitiable, so the reader roots for them in their seemingly hopeless situation. It comes to a droll conclusion, if not an entirely satisfactory one.
The introduction to my volume claims all these tales were written by Stevenson before he'd had any real success, and they do feel very like a writer who is working toward finding his true voice. They're not bad stories at all, and it's understandable that they worked a good deal toward his eventual recognition, but I can't imagine any one of them could be considered essential.
August 31, 2016
Erroneously titled first collection of short stories from Stevenson, though Scheherazade would have approved.
'The Suicide Club', three separate tales which follow the same larger story, was conceived a full decade before Sherlock Holmes was introduced to the world and you can be sure that Conan Doyle was paying attention.
Prince Florizel, a debonair and dangerously curious aristocrat, becomes intrigued by a curious young man distributing custard tarts with liberal aplomb, leading to his introduction to the eponymous club, where broken men stake their lives on a game of cards.
The good prince survives that caper to play a supporting role in a deadly game of pass the parcel as a precious jewel goes walkabouts in 'The Rajah's Diamond', which features an impressive cast of rogues and weaklings.
'The Pavilion on the Links' is a suspenseful extended short story of rivalry and implacable revenge, well worth reading on its own even if you don't fancy trawling through the entire collection.
The next two stories offered a change in scenery and indeed in century, strange scenes from 15th century France.
The first of these, 'A Lodging for the Night - A Story of Francis Villon' was my favourite of the lot, following the fortunes of the villainess poet during a particularly shameful evening. This tale had the same kind of celebratory approach to vice that Poe was so good at.
'The Sire De Malétroits Door' also used some genuinely historical characters to tell a singular tale of a medieval take on a shotgun wedding.
Rounding things out in a more jovial tone was 'Providence and the Guitar', where a husband and wife team of traveling entertainers suffer an impecunious night in small town but still manage to spread some light.
Stevenson shot to fame on the strength of these stories and you can tell why.
Just don't expect any genies or flying carpets.
'The Suicide Club', three separate tales which follow the same larger story, was conceived a full decade before Sherlock Holmes was introduced to the world and you can be sure that Conan Doyle was paying attention.
Prince Florizel, a debonair and dangerously curious aristocrat, becomes intrigued by a curious young man distributing custard tarts with liberal aplomb, leading to his introduction to the eponymous club, where broken men stake their lives on a game of cards.
The good prince survives that caper to play a supporting role in a deadly game of pass the parcel as a precious jewel goes walkabouts in 'The Rajah's Diamond', which features an impressive cast of rogues and weaklings.
'The Pavilion on the Links' is a suspenseful extended short story of rivalry and implacable revenge, well worth reading on its own even if you don't fancy trawling through the entire collection.
The next two stories offered a change in scenery and indeed in century, strange scenes from 15th century France.
The first of these, 'A Lodging for the Night - A Story of Francis Villon' was my favourite of the lot, following the fortunes of the villainess poet during a particularly shameful evening. This tale had the same kind of celebratory approach to vice that Poe was so good at.
'The Sire De Malétroits Door' also used some genuinely historical characters to tell a singular tale of a medieval take on a shotgun wedding.
Rounding things out in a more jovial tone was 'Providence and the Guitar', where a husband and wife team of traveling entertainers suffer an impecunious night in small town but still manage to spread some light.
Stevenson shot to fame on the strength of these stories and you can tell why.
Just don't expect any genies or flying carpets.
Want to read
November 23, 2021Read so far:
*The Suicide Club:
The Story of the young man with the cream tarts--
The Story of the physician and the Saratoga trunk--
The adventure of the hansom cab--
The rajah's diamond:
The Story of the bandbox--
The Story of the young man in holy orders--
The Story of the house with the green blinds--
The Adventure of Prince Florizel and the detective--
*The Pavilion on the Links --
A lodging for the night : a story of Francis Villon --3
The Sire de Maletroit's door --3
Providence and the guitar--
*The Suicide Club:
The Story of the young man with the cream tarts--
The Story of the physician and the Saratoga trunk--
The adventure of the hansom cab--
The rajah's diamond:
The Story of the bandbox--
The Story of the young man in holy orders--
The Story of the house with the green blinds--
The Adventure of Prince Florizel and the detective--
*The Pavilion on the Links --
A lodging for the night : a story of Francis Villon --3
The Sire de Maletroit's door --3
Providence and the guitar--
January 21, 2015
بقالى كتير ما قرتش رواية من روايات عالمية للجيب و هنا ديه مش رواية بالمعنى المعروف ولكنها مجموعةمن القصص القصيرة اللى بتربطها رابطة واحدة وهى جوهرة معينة خاصة بأحد أمراء الهند وبتنتقل من واحد للتانى وكل واحد له قصة بس الكاتب بيتبع أسلوب ألف ليلة وليلة عشان كده القصص مسلسلة ،
الصراحة حسيت ان فيه قصص مبتورة او بالاصح الحكى فيها حلو لكن مفيش نهاية او وظيفة للقصة غير انها تسلمك للقصة اللى بعدها ، الصراحة ما استمتعش اوى ولو حد ما قرهاش مش هيخسر كتير
طبعا مفيش داعى اكرر ان اللى خلانى اقراها هو من باب الفضول و ان احمد خالد توفيق هو اللى ترجمها و كتب المقدمة بتاعتها...والسلام ختام
الصراحة حسيت ان فيه قصص مبتورة او بالاصح الحكى فيها حلو لكن مفيش نهاية او وظيفة للقصة غير انها تسلمك للقصة اللى بعدها ، الصراحة ما استمتعش اوى ولو حد ما قرهاش مش هيخسر كتير
طبعا مفيش داعى اكرر ان اللى خلانى اقراها هو من باب الفضول و ان احمد خالد توفيق هو اللى ترجمها و كتب المقدمة بتاعتها...والسلام ختام
February 19, 2017
I picked this book driven by the recently developed interest in the Scottish literature and lasting memory of some excellent movies portraying the daring character of Prince Florizel. The characters are somewhat sketchy, and the narrative is rather inconsistent. At the same time, it gratifies the reader by conveying the feeling of suspense and Florizel's conquering noble demeanor.
Volume 2 of New Arabian Nights includes four very good dark stories.
Overall, it is a piece worth reading.
Volume 2 of New Arabian Nights includes four very good dark stories.
Overall, it is a piece worth reading.
August 3, 2015
مش فى روعة ألف ليلة و ليلة الأصلية
لكن الفكرة حلوة انه يتم تأليف قصص على نهج ليالى ألف ليلة و ليلة
و القصص جذابة بدايات و نهايات مثيرة
سرد خارج الصندوق
و شخصية الأمير فلورتيزل شدتنى
بيجمع بين الحكمة و حب الحق و تطبيق العدالة و البحث عن المغامرة
لكن للاسف برغم انه بيساعد كل من يحتاج لمساعدة
نسى بلده و أهلها الأولى بمساعدته و أهمل واجباته كأمير
حتى تم عزله عن الحكم
لكن الفكرة حلوة انه يتم تأليف قصص على نهج ليالى ألف ليلة و ليلة
و القصص جذابة بدايات و نهايات مثيرة
سرد خارج الصندوق
و شخصية الأمير فلورتيزل شدتنى
بيجمع بين الحكمة و حب الحق و تطبيق العدالة و البحث عن المغامرة
لكن للاسف برغم انه بيساعد كل من يحتاج لمساعدة
نسى بلده و أهلها الأولى بمساعدته و أهمل واجباته كأمير
حتى تم عزله عن الحكم
August 13, 2021
في تجربه جديدة مع كاتب المغامرات الشهير روبرت لويس ستيفنسون اجدني امام تجربه مختلفة عما عهدته عنه.
يحاول ان يحاكي هنا أسلوب القصص القصيرة المتصلة حيث يبدو في البداية اننا امام مجموعه من القصص القصيرة لكن مع تقدم القصص تبدو انها جميعا مترابطة ببعضها لبعض لكن المشكلة ان القصة المجمعة نفسها ليست بالجيدة على الاطلاق ومتوقعه لحد كبير.
عمل مخيب لي كثيرا من كاتب كبير.
يحاول ان يحاكي هنا أسلوب القصص القصيرة المتصلة حيث يبدو في البداية اننا امام مجموعه من القصص القصيرة لكن مع تقدم القصص تبدو انها جميعا مترابطة ببعضها لبعض لكن المشكلة ان القصة المجمعة نفسها ليست بالجيدة على الاطلاق ومتوقعه لحد كبير.
عمل مخيب لي كثيرا من كاتب كبير.
June 30, 2018
إحدى روايات سلسلة روايات عالمية للجيب.
معجبنيش العدد ده.
معجبنيش العدد ده.
January 28, 2019
listened to on youtube
April 13, 2023
Es demasiado bueno. En serio.
January 3, 2023
حلوة ومشوقة .مع أن القصة الاخيرة فقدت فيها تركيزي
الرابط بين الشخصيات دائما شخصية من القصة التي سبقتها
كلهم مترابطون رغم فردية أقصوصاتهم .
اغلب الاقصوصات نسج الرابط إعتباطا و سجله على "محض صدفة"
بعض الشخصيات دوافعها سطحية وغريبة عن جيلنا
بمعنى يرمي نفسه في المغامرة فقط بحجة الفضول
يقابل الموت وجها لوجه فقط لأنه قابل مجرم خطير ووقع معه معاهدة شرف انه لو جبن وتراجع سلبت منه رجولته وشرفه
مساعدة شخص غريب بنقل حقيبة مريبة (جثة) من بلد لآخر
فقط لانه طلب منه المساعدة
لا اعلم أفي ذاك العهد كان كم الغباء او الإستهتار او المبالغة في ادعاء الشجاعة هو المحرك الاساسي للأفعال
لكن الاكيد ان الطبقة الارستقراطية التي تمتعت بحياتها كانت تعاني فراغا شديدا وتحاول جاهدة التخلص منه
حتى لو على حساب حياتها
الرابط بين الشخصيات دائما شخصية من القصة التي سبقتها
كلهم مترابطون رغم فردية أقصوصاتهم .
اغلب الاقصوصات نسج الرابط إعتباطا و سجله على "محض صدفة"
بعض الشخصيات دوافعها سطحية وغريبة عن جيلنا
بمعنى يرمي نفسه في المغامرة فقط بحجة الفضول
يقابل الموت وجها لوجه فقط لأنه قابل مجرم خطير ووقع معه معاهدة شرف انه لو جبن وتراجع سلبت منه رجولته وشرفه
مساعدة شخص غريب بنقل حقيبة مريبة (جثة) من بلد لآخر
فقط لانه طلب منه المساعدة
لا اعلم أفي ذاك العهد كان كم الغباء او الإستهتار او المبالغة في ادعاء الشجاعة هو المحرك الاساسي للأفعال
لكن الاكيد ان الطبقة الارستقراطية التي تمتعت بحياتها كانت تعاني فراغا شديدا وتحاول جاهدة التخلص منه
حتى لو على حساب حياتها
December 19, 2025
The worth of the book is to read some earlier short stories in English literature for historical context of short stories as they later became. Stevenson, in my opinion, doesn't create memorable characters or storylines here, although his prose isn't bad. One of the main issues of the book is that he hesitates to make short stories and has a couple cycles in the book where the stories are meant to interlock. The unfortunate consequence of this is that he just ends up chopping up a longer story by inexplicably shifting focus instead of telling the story he wants in the first place.
October 15, 2022
Interesting ideas and interrsting stories, though a lot of then feel a bit without a plot, or focusing a bit too much on the background instead of the major characters.
May 16, 2025
It is tempting to view Robert Louis Stevenson’s entire collection of fiction as a study of the duality between good and evil. These themes appear in varying forms in his works. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde suggests that for Jekyll goodness is only a matter of respectability and fear of getting caught. The Master of Ballantrae pitches two opposing men against each, one good and one bad, and suggests that neither can live without the other.
Meanwhile in Treasure Island, we have a pirate with surprising sparks of goodness, who might have been a better man if wickedness had not been more profitable. Kidnapped and Catriona are based around the relationship between two honourable and decent men who are enemies by politics, but friends by experience.
In New Arabian Nights, Stevenson once again shows a spread of good and evil behaviour, with characters discovering sides of themselves that they did not suspect. The title of this selection of short stories suggests an Arabic setting from many years ago, but the clue lies in the world ‘New’. Stevenson’s stories are set in contemporary times, or what was contemporary to Stevenson.
There is an Arabian author who acts as a bridge between stories, but this device is abandoned later in the book. Early stories concern a prince called Florizel, a name that could have come from the Thousand Nights and One Night. Like Harun al-Rashid, he often conceals his identity when walking around the streets of London seeking adventures.
The only other connection between Stevenson’s work and the original Arabian Nights is that the stories are fantastical. They are modern and they contain no magical content, but the stories are unrealistic, intentionally so.
The most famous story here is the opening one, ‘The Suicide Club’ and understandably so. It has a fantastic premise. While seeking adventure Prince Florizel comes upon the titular club, an organisation that has a wonderfully macabre purpose. It is designed for people who want to die. The members play cards. This ensures that one random member will choose the death card, and another member will randomly be chosen as his executioner.
It is an entertaining idea, but let down by a rather too easy rescue at the end of the chapter. The story then continues with two more connected tales. A naïve man finds a body in his trunk and tries to escape being charged with arrest by passing the trunk off as Florizel’s. The victim turns out to be Florizel’s friend, killed by the president of The Suicide Club.
In the last story, a retired British soldier is lured to an otherwise empty house that has been specially furnished for a party that is really intended to find men willing to embark on an adventure. That adventure is once again connected to Florizel and the Suicide Club, but the final fight is not set down on the pages of the book, giving the story a disappointing finish.
Florizel is an intriguing figure, willing to put himself at risk on a whim, and yet also willing to honourably fight an evil man. He is quite prepared to assert his royalty at a moment’s notice, and Stevenson hardly seems like a republican in his admiration of the Prince.
The next story also features Florizel, but in ‘The Rajah’s Diamond’, Stevenson portrays the corruptibility of seemingly decent men, and so we once more have the theme of humanity’s dual nature. A naïve young man agrees to work for an unhappily married lady, with whom he is in love. When she gives him a bandbox to carry, he is unaware that he is carrying jewellery, which is mostly stolen from him by passers-by. It seems that anyone is an opportunist when valuable items can be taken.
One of the thieves emerges in the second part of the story. This is a clergyman, Mr Rolles, who notices the most precious of the jewels, the Rajah’s Diamond. He quickly purloins the diamond, but is too innocent to understand how to dispose of it safely. This causes him to go down a road of vice, in which he is soon in cahoots with a former dictator, who coincidentally is the brother of the man who owned the diamond in the first place.
Stevenson was an atheist, so perhaps he took a certain pleasure in seeing a corrupt member of the Holy Orders. At any rate, he shows us that even a religious calling does not protect people from being corrupted by wealth.
In the next part of the story, a young man mistakenly thinks that the vicious brother (who is working with Mr Rolles) might be his father, and this causes him to mistakenly want to help the crook until his error is pointed out.
In all parts of the story, the diamond is shown to have a corrupting effect on all who possess it, including its original owner. Prince Florizel must decide whether he should return it to the owner, or whether that man does not deserve it either.
Florizel and the narrating Arab are abandoned in the second part of this collection of stories. Next up is a story told in first person, ‘The Pavilion on the Links’. Arthur Conan Doyle was a great admirer of the story, and it is probably the best tale in New Arabian Nights.
The narrator is Frank Cassilis, who was friends with the misogynistic and misanthropic Northmour. Both were linked by a sulky disposition, but an argument drove them apart. We get another glimpse of dual natures, since Northmour remains of sour disposition, whereas Cassilis becomes more public-spirited.
Both men are again united by the wish to help Clara Huddlestone, a young woman whose father cheated the Carbinieri of Italy, who now seek his life. Only Northmour hopes to use the occasion to compel Clara to marry him. Cassilis also falls in love with Clara, but his intentions are nobler.
This is an exciting story, with an atmospheric build-up and plenty of suspense. Whether or not it is the ‘first short story’ written in Britain, as Conan Doyle claimed, is highly disputable, but it is certainly a valuable contribution to the development of that medium of fiction writing.
‘A Lodging for the Night’ is a story that builds to no climax, but I rather enjoyed it. It is based around Francis Villon, a dishonest poet who lives up to his name. After witnessing a murder, Villon seeks to avoid involvement by leaving the place, but the night is icy cold, and he knows that he will perish if he does not find somewhere to stay. However his bad reputation prevents him from finding a place with people that he knows.
In the end, he is saved by Enguerrand de la Feuillee, a lord who was once a soldier. Stevenson is fascinated by the contrasts and similarities between the two men who despise one another. The old man seeks to lecture to the poet about his life of crime, but Villon scores some good points against the old soldier by pointing to the villainous actions carried out by the army during wartime, which cause far more damage than his minor acts of petty crime. In the end, the lord is glad to see his unwelcome guest leave, but Villon, for all his wickedness, has too many scruples to rob the defenceless man who gave him shelter.
‘The Sire De Malétroits Door’ is another entertaining story. Denis de Beaulieu is trying to avoid soldiers who might take his life for being out late at night. He seeks shelter in a house, but soon finds he is the prisoner of Alain, Sire de Malétroit. This man is convinced that Denis might be the seducer of his niece, and perhaps not too concerned if he is not – just so long as he will protect her honour by marrying her. Denis must make a choice between marrying her or being executed by the eccentric uncle.
Finally we have ‘Providence and the Guitar’, a disappointing finish to the book. This involves an actor who is not a good actor meeting a painter who is not a good painter, and their long-suffering wives. The ending feels a little abrupt, as if Stevenson lost interest.
New Arabian Nights is a mixed collection of stories. The best ones are as fine as any of Stevenson’s best novels. The worst ones are eminently readable. Stevenson at his best is a consummate storyteller with a good understanding of how to write effective descriptive passages, interesting characters, and exciting and suspenseful stories.
Meanwhile in Treasure Island, we have a pirate with surprising sparks of goodness, who might have been a better man if wickedness had not been more profitable. Kidnapped and Catriona are based around the relationship between two honourable and decent men who are enemies by politics, but friends by experience.
In New Arabian Nights, Stevenson once again shows a spread of good and evil behaviour, with characters discovering sides of themselves that they did not suspect. The title of this selection of short stories suggests an Arabic setting from many years ago, but the clue lies in the world ‘New’. Stevenson’s stories are set in contemporary times, or what was contemporary to Stevenson.
There is an Arabian author who acts as a bridge between stories, but this device is abandoned later in the book. Early stories concern a prince called Florizel, a name that could have come from the Thousand Nights and One Night. Like Harun al-Rashid, he often conceals his identity when walking around the streets of London seeking adventures.
The only other connection between Stevenson’s work and the original Arabian Nights is that the stories are fantastical. They are modern and they contain no magical content, but the stories are unrealistic, intentionally so.
The most famous story here is the opening one, ‘The Suicide Club’ and understandably so. It has a fantastic premise. While seeking adventure Prince Florizel comes upon the titular club, an organisation that has a wonderfully macabre purpose. It is designed for people who want to die. The members play cards. This ensures that one random member will choose the death card, and another member will randomly be chosen as his executioner.
It is an entertaining idea, but let down by a rather too easy rescue at the end of the chapter. The story then continues with two more connected tales. A naïve man finds a body in his trunk and tries to escape being charged with arrest by passing the trunk off as Florizel’s. The victim turns out to be Florizel’s friend, killed by the president of The Suicide Club.
In the last story, a retired British soldier is lured to an otherwise empty house that has been specially furnished for a party that is really intended to find men willing to embark on an adventure. That adventure is once again connected to Florizel and the Suicide Club, but the final fight is not set down on the pages of the book, giving the story a disappointing finish.
Florizel is an intriguing figure, willing to put himself at risk on a whim, and yet also willing to honourably fight an evil man. He is quite prepared to assert his royalty at a moment’s notice, and Stevenson hardly seems like a republican in his admiration of the Prince.
The next story also features Florizel, but in ‘The Rajah’s Diamond’, Stevenson portrays the corruptibility of seemingly decent men, and so we once more have the theme of humanity’s dual nature. A naïve young man agrees to work for an unhappily married lady, with whom he is in love. When she gives him a bandbox to carry, he is unaware that he is carrying jewellery, which is mostly stolen from him by passers-by. It seems that anyone is an opportunist when valuable items can be taken.
One of the thieves emerges in the second part of the story. This is a clergyman, Mr Rolles, who notices the most precious of the jewels, the Rajah’s Diamond. He quickly purloins the diamond, but is too innocent to understand how to dispose of it safely. This causes him to go down a road of vice, in which he is soon in cahoots with a former dictator, who coincidentally is the brother of the man who owned the diamond in the first place.
Stevenson was an atheist, so perhaps he took a certain pleasure in seeing a corrupt member of the Holy Orders. At any rate, he shows us that even a religious calling does not protect people from being corrupted by wealth.
In the next part of the story, a young man mistakenly thinks that the vicious brother (who is working with Mr Rolles) might be his father, and this causes him to mistakenly want to help the crook until his error is pointed out.
In all parts of the story, the diamond is shown to have a corrupting effect on all who possess it, including its original owner. Prince Florizel must decide whether he should return it to the owner, or whether that man does not deserve it either.
Florizel and the narrating Arab are abandoned in the second part of this collection of stories. Next up is a story told in first person, ‘The Pavilion on the Links’. Arthur Conan Doyle was a great admirer of the story, and it is probably the best tale in New Arabian Nights.
The narrator is Frank Cassilis, who was friends with the misogynistic and misanthropic Northmour. Both were linked by a sulky disposition, but an argument drove them apart. We get another glimpse of dual natures, since Northmour remains of sour disposition, whereas Cassilis becomes more public-spirited.
Both men are again united by the wish to help Clara Huddlestone, a young woman whose father cheated the Carbinieri of Italy, who now seek his life. Only Northmour hopes to use the occasion to compel Clara to marry him. Cassilis also falls in love with Clara, but his intentions are nobler.
This is an exciting story, with an atmospheric build-up and plenty of suspense. Whether or not it is the ‘first short story’ written in Britain, as Conan Doyle claimed, is highly disputable, but it is certainly a valuable contribution to the development of that medium of fiction writing.
‘A Lodging for the Night’ is a story that builds to no climax, but I rather enjoyed it. It is based around Francis Villon, a dishonest poet who lives up to his name. After witnessing a murder, Villon seeks to avoid involvement by leaving the place, but the night is icy cold, and he knows that he will perish if he does not find somewhere to stay. However his bad reputation prevents him from finding a place with people that he knows.
In the end, he is saved by Enguerrand de la Feuillee, a lord who was once a soldier. Stevenson is fascinated by the contrasts and similarities between the two men who despise one another. The old man seeks to lecture to the poet about his life of crime, but Villon scores some good points against the old soldier by pointing to the villainous actions carried out by the army during wartime, which cause far more damage than his minor acts of petty crime. In the end, the lord is glad to see his unwelcome guest leave, but Villon, for all his wickedness, has too many scruples to rob the defenceless man who gave him shelter.
‘The Sire De Malétroits Door’ is another entertaining story. Denis de Beaulieu is trying to avoid soldiers who might take his life for being out late at night. He seeks shelter in a house, but soon finds he is the prisoner of Alain, Sire de Malétroit. This man is convinced that Denis might be the seducer of his niece, and perhaps not too concerned if he is not – just so long as he will protect her honour by marrying her. Denis must make a choice between marrying her or being executed by the eccentric uncle.
Finally we have ‘Providence and the Guitar’, a disappointing finish to the book. This involves an actor who is not a good actor meeting a painter who is not a good painter, and their long-suffering wives. The ending feels a little abrupt, as if Stevenson lost interest.
New Arabian Nights is a mixed collection of stories. The best ones are as fine as any of Stevenson’s best novels. The worst ones are eminently readable. Stevenson at his best is a consummate storyteller with a good understanding of how to write effective descriptive passages, interesting characters, and exciting and suspenseful stories.
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