La coppa di cristallo

by Bram Stoker

This is a horror story by Bram Stoker the author of Dracula.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Classic Literature, Classics

83 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Irish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel Dracula (1897).

The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.

Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."

After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."

In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.

In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.

The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.

People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker

Reviews

[Aishu Rehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

ড্রাকুলা প্রকাশের প্রায় পাঁচ বছর পূর্বে প্রকাশিত এই ছোটগল্পটি আপনাকে নিয়ে যাবে অন্য এক জগতে, যে জগতে আছে ভয়, ভালোবাসা, আক্ষেপ আর আছে প্রতিশোধ। গল্পটি পড়তে গিয়ে এডগার অ্যালান পোর লেখনশৈলীর সাথে খানিকটা মিল অবশ্যই পাবেন। সম্ভবত তার থেকে অনুপ্রাণিত হয়েই তিনি গল্পটি লিখেছিলেন।

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich war überrascht, wie poetisch Stokers Erstling (?), das Schauer-Märchen DER KRISTALLKELCH, ist. Eine romantische Fabel, in der die Kunst über Tyrannei siegt. Auf der Strecke bleiben gleichwohl nicht nur der Tyrann, sondern auch der Künstler.
In der Entwicklung der "Weird Tales" las sich die Story für mich wie ein Bindeglied zwischen Poes makabren Erzählungen und Clark Ashton Smiths "kosmischen" Texten.

Wie sähe wohl ein Kunstwerk aus, das Putin stoppen könnte, den Krieg nach Europa zu tragen?

[Agustina Uliarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESEÑA EN EL BLOG: https://bookstwins.wordpress.com/2018...

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars.
This was Bram Stoker's first published work and the influence of Edgar Allan Poe can be read throughout the tale. The tale involves a kidnapped artist and a talent contest that will be paid for with freedom if the artist wins but in this tale freedom is won through death. The beautiful prose unwraps a tale of woe in gothic style with a twist of not having dark and gloomy surroundings but those of beauty and light, yet the tale still provides despair since the artist is denied his freedom and the loneliness brought about by being separated from his heart's love.

[blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare "weird" tale from Bram Stoker which tells the story of an artist imprisoned by an "ambitious" king, who apparently captures people until they create a "perfect" beauty. Told at first from the perspective of the artist struggling to make the crystal cup, the POV moves around until, at the end, we're seeing from the POV of a moonbeam that is so moved by its beauty, it longs to be "captured" by the cup. A tragic love story unfolds all the while.
---
Read it again to remind myself of its weird beauty. The lyrical, fairy-tale style is probably off-putting to some but I think it's quite remarkable and successful here.

[Just Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the 3 perspectives on beauty quite refreshing, and yet - I was not at all intrigued by the story.

I did really want to see how the crystal cup looked like though 😂

Read:06/10/2019
1st rating: 2 stars
Genre/sub-genres: Short story/ view of beauty/ pain and suffering
Cover: 3 stars
POV: Multiple
Will I recommend: No

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't really get into it. Might read it again another time.

[t · Rating 4 out of 5]

i will only attend art exhibitions if dead bodies are in attendance from now on

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent story. More macabre than Horror, it was fun to see the 3 different perspectives on beauty as well as the value and purpose of ones life. I enjoyed sharing this story with my father.

[Emily Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For full review visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YljwZ...

[Delanie Dooms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different story than Stoker's usual style, and apparently his first work. The work is somewhat stream-of-consciousness, being shorn of typical placement text (like name of the character, a brief history, etc., etc.), and from three unique voices--one a moonbeam.

Each perspective tells a bit of the works main story--at first, we see the production of the art, then we see a servant talking to the king just before the "Feast of Beauty," and, finally, we see the feast itself. The story is told luridly, and if it is true that this was his first work, then it might be said his style was developed early-on.

[AllieNine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tre racconti brevi. Onirici, oscuri, barocchi. Forse, per i miei gusti, un po' troppo, e questo rende la lettura un po' pesante (ma comunque affascinante). Un lato inedito di Stoker diverso dai suoi lavori più noti.

[Medhya R Samarasinghe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this story has a lot of influence from a particular story from Edgar Allen Poe. Apart from that there is not much I can say about this story.

[Tove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally this

[Jess Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bitter-sweet, sad story about perfection at grave cost.

[Caitlin Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was poetic and imaginative. The descriptions hit me hard. There's a quote I have to go back and find later, about beauty so great it makes even light seem less luminous. A fantastic read.

[Nadia Meriouli · Rating 1 out of 5]

No , don’t read this.

[Marjorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stream of consciousness with a fairy tale like narration. The shifting points of view were hallucinogenic, it makes one wonder his state of mind when he wrote it

[Stina · Rating 3 out of 5]

#Summerween

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror story

[-`♡´- eli (shethey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

hauntingly beautiful 💔

[Books from Faeries · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death", this tale might be for you. In Poe's story, there is a Master who organizes a party that seems to be very luxurious and fine but has some dark and macabre scenes.

The story is divided into three parts with different narrators, and therefore, different perspectives of the story. One is the artist who was kidnapped and forced to create a crystal cup, the most beautiful crystal cup ever seen; the other part is narrated by a servant of the master, who helps with the preparations for the Feast of Beauty; and the third is a guest from the feast.

This story combines horror and fantasy elements.

ᛒᚠ @booksfromfaeries Instagram

[Andy Capricorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! I loved the three viewpoints, particularly the moonbeam. I enjoyed how each viewpoint had a unique voice and style. A very enjoyable and quick read!

[Stasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story which shows Poe's influence on Stoker.