In Sarah's House

by Stefan Grabiński, Wiesiek Powaga (Translator)

Genres: Horror, Fiction

137 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Stefan Grabiński (February 26, 1887 - November 12, 1936) was a Polish writer of horror fiction, sometimes called "the Polish Poe".

Grabiński worked as teacher in Lwów and Przemyśl and is famous for his train stories collected in Demon ruchu (The Motion Demon). A number of stories were translated by Miroslaw Lipinski into English and published as The Dark Domain. In addition, some of his work has been adapted to film, such as Szamota's Mistress.

Grabiński died of tuberculosis in 1936.

Reviews

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stefan Grabiński has been called a ‘Polish Poe’. Of course, he is not as good, which is why we call him a Polish Poe, rather than calling Poe an ‘American Grabiński’. This comparison might be a little unfair, because what they only have in common is that they wrote spooky, atmospheric tales. Also, there is a lot more sex in Grabiński’s stories. And it never ends well.

This edition includes an extended biography note on Grabiński and one fact that caught my attention was that Grabiński’s wife left him taking both their children, changed her name and was never to be heard from again. In 1920s the offence must’ve been of amazing proportions for a woman to do something like that. It makes me think that maybe Grabiński didn’t just write creepy stories. Maybe he was a creeper as well.

This is a short collection as it includes only six stories out of the author’s vast repertoire. Nonetheless, the themes, or should we call them obsessions, appear there clearly. One of his fixed ideas is the remnants of things past still echoing through the present. A couple of his stories feature characters who are bent on bringing the past back by reliving the memories and making them materialize. One of the author’s favourite locations seems to be a disused train line and an abandoned train station. It has exactly the romantic/nostalgic feel to it with a slightly sinister edge.

The story I enjoyed most was ‘The Black Hamlet’. It could be because I read it aloud to someone late at night and it really came to life for me. I actually had a dream today in which I wasn’t sure whether it was a dream or not because everything looked like a living room where I knew I fell asleep a few minutes before and I kept shouting quotes from “The Black Hamlet”:
“What is a dream? What’s being awake? What is reality… Tell me! Have mercy on my torment and tell me! Speak, free me from the terrible doubt!”
In this dream I kept waking up on this sofa and kept falling asleep again on it. Whenever I felt I was slipping into another dream within a dream I kept shouting ‘no, no, no’. I just wanted to wake up for real. Which of course eventually happened. I think, but maybe we’re still in my dream.

Anyway, one last piece of advice from Grabiński: never trust a beautiful woman who puts out on the first night. Or you’ll die.

PS. Initially I gave this book 3 stars but now that I'm actually fucking quoting it in my dreams, I think it deserves four.

[Nick Tramdack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked the library where I work to specially order a copy of this book. 2 years later, I checked out its circulation statistics and learned that I was the ONLY person to ever borrow it. Sigh...

Nevertheless, "In Sarah's House" is another great collection by Polish proto-steampunk writer Grabinski. Although his writing is sometimes distracting due to tics like "by a strange coincidence..." the mood of the tales is unvaryingly dark. I love this stuff.

To me the best story in the collection was "Szatera's Engrams" --- "The stationmaster decided to bring about another crash which would grant his wish, even if for a few fleeting moments, to behold the vision of the light-haired girl..."

[Brucifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's another excellent--and beautifully translated--collection of stories by Grabinski, who I griped in a review of another Grabinski collection, is unfairly labeled as the "Polish Poe." Aside from his interest in the psychology of his characters in conjunction with supernatural themes, Grabinski is a very different stylist--as much as I love Poe, in comparison Grabinski's writing is always controlled, never reaching Poe's hysterical pitch, and his interest is in contemporary characters in contemporary settings, not the gothic. Containing only 6 pieces, In Sarah's House is a fairly short collection, but it's well worth your while. The standout here is the title novella, which was perfectly realized for Polish television in 1984 (it's on YouTube with English subtitles) and features Grabinski's characteristically frank depiction of sexuality along with the bizarre horror of a noblewoman who seems to gradually absorb the life out of her lovers. But all of the other stories are worthwhile. "White Virak," which opens the collection, may be the weakest, as it lacks Grabinski's usual psychological insight, but the idea of a creature living in a chimney and snatching chimney sweeps is inventive and atmospheric. "The Black Hamlet" is one of too many "was it all a dream?" stories in horror literature, but it's unusually well-handled. More interesting are the stories that combine the supernatural and the psychological, particularly "The Grey Room," "The Dead Run," and "Szatera's Engrams." Gougers on various book retail sites seem to be implying that this paperback is out of print, but it's not--it's easily obtained at a reasonable price directly from the publisher. I'm happy to find that Grabinski's work is increasingly available in English translation--he was clearly one of the best writers of horror fiction in the early 20th century.

[yul · Rating 5 out of 5]

CUDOWNE!!!!!