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The Invisible Eye: Tales of Terror by Emile Erckmann and Louis Alexandre Chatrian
A collection of the finest supernatural tales by two of the best Victorian writers of weird tales – Erckmann–Chatrian, authors who inspired M. R. James, H. P. Lovecraft, and many others.
Emile Erckmann and Louis Alexandre Chatrian began their writing partnership in the 1840s and continued working together until the year before Chatrian’s death in 1890. At the height of their powers they were known as ‘the twins’, and their works proved popular translated into English. After their deaths, however, they slipped into obscurity; and apart from the odd tale reprinted in anthologies, their work has remained difficult to find and to appreciate.
In The Invisible Eye, veteran horror anthologist Hugh Lamb has collected together the finest weird tales by Erckmann–Chatrian. The world of which they wrote has long since vanished: a world of noblemen and peasants, enchanted castles and mysterious woods, haunted by witches, monsters, curses and spells. It is a world brought to life by the vivid imagination of these authors and praised by successors including M.R. James and H. P. Lovecraft. With an introduction by Hugh Lamb, and in paperback for the first time, this collection will transport the reader to the darkest depths of the nineteenth century: a time when anything could happen – and occasionally did.
Emile Erckmann and Louis Alexandre Chatrian began their writing partnership in the 1840s and continued working together until the year before Chatrian’s death in 1890. At the height of their powers they were known as ‘the twins’, and their works proved popular translated into English. After their deaths, however, they slipped into obscurity; and apart from the odd tale reprinted in anthologies, their work has remained difficult to find and to appreciate.
In The Invisible Eye, veteran horror anthologist Hugh Lamb has collected together the finest weird tales by Erckmann–Chatrian. The world of which they wrote has long since vanished: a world of noblemen and peasants, enchanted castles and mysterious woods, haunted by witches, monsters, curses and spells. It is a world brought to life by the vivid imagination of these authors and praised by successors including M.R. James and H. P. Lovecraft. With an introduction by Hugh Lamb, and in paperback for the first time, this collection will transport the reader to the darkest depths of the nineteenth century: a time when anything could happen – and occasionally did.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1880
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170 people want to read
About the author
Erckmann-Chatrian
633 books15 followersErckmann-Chatrian is a pen name for two writers : Émile Erckmann (Phalsbourg 1822 - Lunéville 1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (Soldatenthal 1826 - Villemomble 1890)
Both Erckmann and Chatrian were born in the département of Moselle, in the Lorraine region in the extreme north-east of France. They specialised in military fiction and ghost stories in a rustic mode, applying to the Vosges mountain range and the Alsace-Lorraine region techniques inspired by story-tellers from the Black Forest. Lifelong friends who first met in the spring of 1847, they finally quarreled during the mid-1880s, after which they did not produce any more stories jointly. During 1890 Chatrian died, and Erckmann wrote a few pieces under his own name.
Many of Erckmann-Chatrian's works were translated into English by Adrian Ross.
Tales of supernatural horror by the duo that are famous in English include "The Wild Huntsman" (tr. 1871), "The Man-Wolf" (tr. 1876) and "The Crab Spider." These stories received praise from the renowned English ghost story writer, M. R. James, as well as H. P. Lovecraft.
Erckmann-Chatrian wrote numerous historical novels, some of which attacked the Second Empire in anti-monarchist terms. Partly as a result of their republicanism, they were praised by Victor Hugo and Émile Zola, and fiercely attacked in the pages of Le Figaro. Gaining popularity from 1859 for their nationalistic, anti-militaristic and anti-German sentiments, they were well-selling authors but had trouble with political censorship throughout their careers. Generally the novels were written by Erckmann, and the plays mostly by Chatrian.
Both Erckmann and Chatrian were born in the département of Moselle, in the Lorraine region in the extreme north-east of France. They specialised in military fiction and ghost stories in a rustic mode, applying to the Vosges mountain range and the Alsace-Lorraine region techniques inspired by story-tellers from the Black Forest. Lifelong friends who first met in the spring of 1847, they finally quarreled during the mid-1880s, after which they did not produce any more stories jointly. During 1890 Chatrian died, and Erckmann wrote a few pieces under his own name.
Many of Erckmann-Chatrian's works were translated into English by Adrian Ross.
Tales of supernatural horror by the duo that are famous in English include "The Wild Huntsman" (tr. 1871), "The Man-Wolf" (tr. 1876) and "The Crab Spider." These stories received praise from the renowned English ghost story writer, M. R. James, as well as H. P. Lovecraft.
Erckmann-Chatrian wrote numerous historical novels, some of which attacked the Second Empire in anti-monarchist terms. Partly as a result of their republicanism, they were praised by Victor Hugo and Émile Zola, and fiercely attacked in the pages of Le Figaro. Gaining popularity from 1859 for their nationalistic, anti-militaristic and anti-German sentiments, they were well-selling authors but had trouble with political censorship throughout their careers. Generally the novels were written by Erckmann, and the plays mostly by Chatrian.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 31, 2020
A varied collection...
Erckmann-Chatrian was the name used by Émile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian, a French writing duo of the 19th century who were very well known at the time for their tales of supernatural horror and are apparently still well respected in their region. The lack of availability in English language publications for decades means they are rather less well known over here now, and this new anthology, edited and introduced by Hugh Lamb, intends to put that right. There are sixteen stories in the collection, some ghost stories, some of more natural horrors, and some showing the horrors of purely human evil. Overall they often have a folk tale feel to them, which perhaps isn’t too surprising since they came from the Lorraine region and set many of their stories across the border in the German Black Forest region, with its strong tradition of folk tales. They feel almost like a bridge between those older tales and the newer horror that would develop towards the later decades of the 19th and early 20th century, and Lamb tells us that many writers, such as MR James and HP Lovecraft, paid tribute to their influence.
As always with collections, I found the standard of the stories, or perhaps my reaction to them, variable, and in this one unfortunately I found the later stories weaker than the earlier ones which meant that my enthusiasm for the collection lessened towards the end. However looking back at my individual ratings, I see I gave five of the stories 5 stars, while another four got 4 stars, and the rest all came in at three, including most of the last half dozen or so. I suspect this is partly due to the stories being less good, but also partly that I had simply got a bit bored with their style. This is probably a collection that is better to dip in and out of rather than reading all at once. They also vary in length from quite short to novella-length, and with one exception I felt the longer stories worked less well – often the conclusion was fairly obvious and it seemed to take a long time to get there.
The good stories are very good, however, and make the collection well worth reading. Sometimes quite dark and chilling, there are others that are mostly done for humour and these often worked best for me. I also enjoyed the more fairy-tale ones – legends of curses, full of woodcutters, witches and wolves and all the traditional stalwarts of early horror. Here’s a flavour of a few of the ones I enjoyed most:
The Burgomaster in Bottle – part horror, part humour, and a deliciously wicked warning to consider where the grapes came from that went into the wine you’re drinking...
The Crab Spider – very well told, a tale of the horrors that nature sometimes gives us. Unfortunately this has an outdated and disparaging portrayal of a black woman which makes it less enjoyable for a modern reader, but if you can overlook that, then it’s delightfully scary, especially for arachnophobes.
The Child-Stealer – this is a very dark and disturbing story, with the clue in the title. Full of gore and no happy ending, this is human evil at its worst with no supernatural element to it. But it’s excellently told and very effective.
The Wild Huntsman – this is novella-length and perhaps a little longer than it needs to be, but it’s an excellent example of the duo at their most folk-tale-ish. It tells of a young painter who begs lodgings from an old man, gamekeeper on the local estate, who has a lovely young granddaughter. But when the young girl falls into a coma, the old man tells the tale of the curse that has haunted his family since the days when a robber baron spread terror throughout the land, helped by the old man’s ancestor, the wild huntsman of the title. Great descriptive writing of the forest and mountains, and while it has many familiar aspects from older folktales it also manages to feel fresh and original.
So plenty to enjoy and hopefully those examples will have given a hint of the variety in the content of the stories. Despite my lower rating of the later stories, I enjoyed the collection overall both for itself and for the interest of reading stories from authors outside the usual British/American bubble in which I live in terms of horror. Recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Collins Chillers.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Erckmann-Chatrian was the name used by Émile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian, a French writing duo of the 19th century who were very well known at the time for their tales of supernatural horror and are apparently still well respected in their region. The lack of availability in English language publications for decades means they are rather less well known over here now, and this new anthology, edited and introduced by Hugh Lamb, intends to put that right. There are sixteen stories in the collection, some ghost stories, some of more natural horrors, and some showing the horrors of purely human evil. Overall they often have a folk tale feel to them, which perhaps isn’t too surprising since they came from the Lorraine region and set many of their stories across the border in the German Black Forest region, with its strong tradition of folk tales. They feel almost like a bridge between those older tales and the newer horror that would develop towards the later decades of the 19th and early 20th century, and Lamb tells us that many writers, such as MR James and HP Lovecraft, paid tribute to their influence.
As always with collections, I found the standard of the stories, or perhaps my reaction to them, variable, and in this one unfortunately I found the later stories weaker than the earlier ones which meant that my enthusiasm for the collection lessened towards the end. However looking back at my individual ratings, I see I gave five of the stories 5 stars, while another four got 4 stars, and the rest all came in at three, including most of the last half dozen or so. I suspect this is partly due to the stories being less good, but also partly that I had simply got a bit bored with their style. This is probably a collection that is better to dip in and out of rather than reading all at once. They also vary in length from quite short to novella-length, and with one exception I felt the longer stories worked less well – often the conclusion was fairly obvious and it seemed to take a long time to get there.
The good stories are very good, however, and make the collection well worth reading. Sometimes quite dark and chilling, there are others that are mostly done for humour and these often worked best for me. I also enjoyed the more fairy-tale ones – legends of curses, full of woodcutters, witches and wolves and all the traditional stalwarts of early horror. Here’s a flavour of a few of the ones I enjoyed most:
The Burgomaster in Bottle – part horror, part humour, and a deliciously wicked warning to consider where the grapes came from that went into the wine you’re drinking...
The Crab Spider – very well told, a tale of the horrors that nature sometimes gives us. Unfortunately this has an outdated and disparaging portrayal of a black woman which makes it less enjoyable for a modern reader, but if you can overlook that, then it’s delightfully scary, especially for arachnophobes.
The Child-Stealer – this is a very dark and disturbing story, with the clue in the title. Full of gore and no happy ending, this is human evil at its worst with no supernatural element to it. But it’s excellently told and very effective.
The Wild Huntsman – this is novella-length and perhaps a little longer than it needs to be, but it’s an excellent example of the duo at their most folk-tale-ish. It tells of a young painter who begs lodgings from an old man, gamekeeper on the local estate, who has a lovely young granddaughter. But when the young girl falls into a coma, the old man tells the tale of the curse that has haunted his family since the days when a robber baron spread terror throughout the land, helped by the old man’s ancestor, the wild huntsman of the title. Great descriptive writing of the forest and mountains, and while it has many familiar aspects from older folktales it also manages to feel fresh and original.
So plenty to enjoy and hopefully those examples will have given a hint of the variety in the content of the stories. Despite my lower rating of the later stories, I enjoyed the collection overall both for itself and for the interest of reading stories from authors outside the usual British/American bubble in which I live in terms of horror. Recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Collins Chillers.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
May 15, 2020
The true horror
'The invisible eye': the marvellous atmosphere of old woman with evil eye who induce suicide in the tenants of a room
The 'owl's ear' is a story of discovery! the first geologist! but above all an inner discovery
'The white and black' a story of a love tragedy in a supernatural atmosphere. Beautiful image of white girl and boy in black.The music that invokes every spirit
'The burgomaster in bottle' the only ghost story: a bottle of haunted wine!
'My Inheritance ': a legacy of a castle full of ghosts from the past
'The wild huntsman' the story of a supernatural hunt that recalls a tragedy. A story full of meaning about human nature.
'Lex talionis' a story of revenge for the poor death of a patient. Set in countries with retaliation law
'The crab spider' story of a strange creature imported from the tropics and who lives in a cave in Europe and who kills those who bathes in a lake
'The man wolf' an old spell set in a fairy region of the German black forest
'The misterious sketch' a story of a vision and the idea of Schiller's immortal soul
'The three souls' a story of madness of a philosopher in search of the soul
'A legend of Marseilles' is the story of a murder whereby the hour is set in Marsilia one hour ahead at any given time of the year
'The citizen's watch' a story of a somnambulist killer who would have led to the death of poor innocent musicians
'The murderer's violin' an artist helped to compose the unique melody by a ghost of a homicidal singer on the roof
'the child stealer' the most terrifying story about kidnapped children
'The invisible eye': the marvellous atmosphere of old woman with evil eye who induce suicide in the tenants of a room
The 'owl's ear' is a story of discovery! the first geologist! but above all an inner discovery
'The white and black' a story of a love tragedy in a supernatural atmosphere. Beautiful image of white girl and boy in black.The music that invokes every spirit
'The burgomaster in bottle' the only ghost story: a bottle of haunted wine!
'My Inheritance ': a legacy of a castle full of ghosts from the past
'The wild huntsman' the story of a supernatural hunt that recalls a tragedy. A story full of meaning about human nature.
'Lex talionis' a story of revenge for the poor death of a patient. Set in countries with retaliation law
'The crab spider' story of a strange creature imported from the tropics and who lives in a cave in Europe and who kills those who bathes in a lake
'The man wolf' an old spell set in a fairy region of the German black forest
'The misterious sketch' a story of a vision and the idea of Schiller's immortal soul
'The three souls' a story of madness of a philosopher in search of the soul
'A legend of Marseilles' is the story of a murder whereby the hour is set in Marsilia one hour ahead at any given time of the year
'The citizen's watch' a story of a somnambulist killer who would have led to the death of poor innocent musicians
'The murderer's violin' an artist helped to compose the unique melody by a ghost of a homicidal singer on the roof
'the child stealer' the most terrifying story about kidnapped children
June 25, 2011
The plots are good. The language, although severely dated, is actually free-flowing and unusually emotional. Admirers of M.R. James will find the inspiration behind "The Ash Tree" in "The Crab Spider". Those who like Hanns Heinz Ewers would find the roots of "The Spider" in "The Invisible Eye". But most interesting reading would be Hugh Lamb's introduction and post-notes. The contents are: -
1) Introduction by Hugh Lamb;
2) The Invisible Eye;
3) The Owl's Ear;
4) The White and the Black;
5) The Burgomaster in Bottle;
6) My Inheritance;
7) The Wild Huntsman;
8) Lex Talionis;
9) The Crab Spider;
10) The Mysterious Sketch;
11) The Three Souls;
12) A Legend of Marseilles;
13) Cousin Elof's Dream;
14) The Citizen's Watch;
15) The Murderer's Violin;
16) The Child Stealer;
17) The Man-Wolf;
18) APPENDIX: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Books
1) Introduction by Hugh Lamb;
2) The Invisible Eye;
3) The Owl's Ear;
4) The White and the Black;
5) The Burgomaster in Bottle;
6) My Inheritance;
7) The Wild Huntsman;
8) Lex Talionis;
9) The Crab Spider;
10) The Mysterious Sketch;
11) The Three Souls;
12) A Legend of Marseilles;
13) Cousin Elof's Dream;
14) The Citizen's Watch;
15) The Murderer's Violin;
16) The Child Stealer;
17) The Man-Wolf;
18) APPENDIX: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Books
November 20, 2018
Collection of short ghost stories (with two novella length stories) written in the mid- to late 1800s by a collaboration of two French writers. Most are set in the vicinity of the Black Forest, era and location adding to the Gothic feel of the work. There are some awkward phrasings here and there, though hard to tell if from the original or from the translation, and the occasional felicitous phrase that really sets the scene. Some of the stories read rather like folklore, or as though inspired by folklore, and so might be of interest to fantasy readers as well as to ghost story fans.
Really, an excellent collection with an informative introduction by the editor, Hugh Lamb.
Really, an excellent collection with an informative introduction by the editor, Hugh Lamb.
November 30, 2017
This Ash-Tree volume collects majority of supernatural and macabre short stories produced by once highly popular duo Erckmann-Chatrian. It is really impossible to summarize this volume, either stylistically or thematically, given how surprisingly varied these stories are. While there are indeed some conventional ghosts and goblins in here, there is remarkable originality of conception to be found in here. I’d place these two firmly within the “idea writer“ category.
Also, they very much belong to what one Mark Samuels described as „weird continuum“: one can easily see the influence of preceding decades of German and French Romantic fiction in many of these stories, sometimes even recognizing the specific tales that influenced them, just as one can recognize their influence on later authors. In fact, M.R. James and H.H. Ewers used some of these stories as basis for their own yarns - „The Crab Spider“ influenced „The Ash Tree“, while titular tale served as a basis for „The Spider“. Both stories stand on their own, „The Crab Spider“ is in fact a very different yarn than one might expect, dealing with primordial survivals and magnetism, while „The invisible eye“ warrants a read even tho gist of is much the same as that of more famous Ewers tale.
In other cases, like with „The Mysterious Sketch“, you can recognize early example of themes that were touched upon by a number of following writers.
Stories that I’ve found particularly enjoyable are:
“The Three Souls“: This one is surprisingly modern in conception and execution. Student of philosophy meets with his friend who is trying to discover material proof of Aristotle‘s conception of three souls. Manner in which he is trying to accomplish this makes one question what part of humanity is missing from him.
“The White and the Black“: this tale shows strong influence of Hoffmann – its second part, with funereal celebration at Mutz household accompanied by Theodore Blitz‘s discordant violin, is not something that readers will likely forget.
“The Child-Stealer“: particularly gruesome little tale with a bit of social commentary to it, slightly reminiscent of Borel.
„The Man-Wolf“: once could accuse this novella of undue padding without which it could've been easily reduced to novelette length. Be that as it may, this is one of those hugely entertaining, archetypal Gothic horrors that one can easily imagine in Hammer adaptation. Snow-bound ancient castle in the middle of Black Forrest, doomed noble line, their grotesque servants, sins of fathers, doom embodied in the figure of spectral old hag…
As for the rest, they are at the very least consistently entertaining and diverse.
This is basically a chocolate box of a collection, where in one story you will encounter German students engaged in their usual pastime of duels and pagan magic, another one will be a moralist ghost story where young artist‘s rich inheritance threatens to seduce him into abandoning his higher pursuits, next one will turn out to be a gruesome murder mystery and so on.
One consistent quality of these stories is how these two were often able to instill this dreamlike, haunting quality into what would otherwise be prosaic stories, be that entirety of “Lex Talonis“, or specific scenes like the ghostly vision in „The Murderers Violin” or that of murderer sneaking in a bedroom in „The Citizen‘s Watch”.
Also, they very much belong to what one Mark Samuels described as „weird continuum“: one can easily see the influence of preceding decades of German and French Romantic fiction in many of these stories, sometimes even recognizing the specific tales that influenced them, just as one can recognize their influence on later authors. In fact, M.R. James and H.H. Ewers used some of these stories as basis for their own yarns - „The Crab Spider“ influenced „The Ash Tree“, while titular tale served as a basis for „The Spider“. Both stories stand on their own, „The Crab Spider“ is in fact a very different yarn than one might expect, dealing with primordial survivals and magnetism, while „The invisible eye“ warrants a read even tho gist of is much the same as that of more famous Ewers tale.
In other cases, like with „The Mysterious Sketch“, you can recognize early example of themes that were touched upon by a number of following writers.
Stories that I’ve found particularly enjoyable are:
“The Three Souls“: This one is surprisingly modern in conception and execution. Student of philosophy meets with his friend who is trying to discover material proof of Aristotle‘s conception of three souls. Manner in which he is trying to accomplish this makes one question what part of humanity is missing from him.
“The White and the Black“: this tale shows strong influence of Hoffmann – its second part, with funereal celebration at Mutz household accompanied by Theodore Blitz‘s discordant violin, is not something that readers will likely forget.
“The Child-Stealer“: particularly gruesome little tale with a bit of social commentary to it, slightly reminiscent of Borel.
„The Man-Wolf“: once could accuse this novella of undue padding without which it could've been easily reduced to novelette length. Be that as it may, this is one of those hugely entertaining, archetypal Gothic horrors that one can easily imagine in Hammer adaptation. Snow-bound ancient castle in the middle of Black Forrest, doomed noble line, their grotesque servants, sins of fathers, doom embodied in the figure of spectral old hag…
As for the rest, they are at the very least consistently entertaining and diverse.
This is basically a chocolate box of a collection, where in one story you will encounter German students engaged in their usual pastime of duels and pagan magic, another one will be a moralist ghost story where young artist‘s rich inheritance threatens to seduce him into abandoning his higher pursuits, next one will turn out to be a gruesome murder mystery and so on.
One consistent quality of these stories is how these two were often able to instill this dreamlike, haunting quality into what would otherwise be prosaic stories, be that entirety of “Lex Talonis“, or specific scenes like the ghostly vision in „The Murderers Violin” or that of murderer sneaking in a bedroom in „The Citizen‘s Watch”.
August 6, 2024
This was not what I expected.
I had read a few stories by Erckmann-Chatrian before, which is why I got this book. However, it turns out that these are not "typical" Gothic horror stories.
They don't really do ghosts or monsters, although the story about the spider is absolutely terrific and perhaps the best in the book. There are some straight crime pieces, and some stories about "the second sight" or a proto-ESP. Doomed aristocrats show up in the longer stories.
The plots might not be that well-constructed, but there are plenty of creepy scenes in this book. Read this one more for the atmosphere than the plots.
I had read a few stories by Erckmann-Chatrian before, which is why I got this book. However, it turns out that these are not "typical" Gothic horror stories.
They don't really do ghosts or monsters, although the story about the spider is absolutely terrific and perhaps the best in the book. There are some straight crime pieces, and some stories about "the second sight" or a proto-ESP. Doomed aristocrats show up in the longer stories.
The plots might not be that well-constructed, but there are plenty of creepy scenes in this book. Read this one more for the atmosphere than the plots.
May 9, 2023
Es un libro bueno, me gustó esa sensación de sentir el miedo del protagonista.
March 21, 2020
De todos los cuentos de terror que he leído hasta el momento este es el mejor, no crea un miedo que te hace dejar el libro, pero describe las acciones del protagonista y sabes el miedo que él siente. La historia engancha y no tiene un leguaje muy ribeteado. Lo recomiendo mucho. 👹
August 15, 2023
W paru słowach po przecinku o zbiorze opowiadań autorskiego duetu Alexandra Chatriana i Emile Erckmanna wydanym przez C&T z serii "Biblioteka Grozy" z roku 2021 zatytułowanym "Niewidzialne oko".
Książka zawiera w sobie siedem opowieści:
* Sowie ucho - Pewien pasterz powiadamia burmistrza o pojawieniu się ducha w ruinach nieopodal jego gospodarstwa i prosi o ingerencje w tej sprawie. Po dotarciu na miejsce i przeczesaniu terenu prawda która wychodzi na jaw staje się tym bardziej okrutna gdy uzmysłowimy sobie wyrzeczenia i poświęcenia które ów tajemniczy byt musiał ponieść aby spełnić swoją wolę.
* Burmistrz w butelce - Dwóch znajomych podczas swojej podróży zatrzymuje się w niewielkiej gospodzie aby spędzić noc, odpocząć i posilić się przed dalszą podróżą. Jednakże mroczne wizje i senne koszmary którym ulegnie jeden ze znajomych sprawią że obaj podróżnicy zawędrują do miejsca gdzie śmierć sięga życia i nadaje mu konkretnego "posmaku".
* Niewidzialne oko - Norymbergą wstrząsają tajemnicze zabójstwa. Pewien malarz postanawia wszcząć śledztwo we własnym zakresie i jego uwagę szybko przykuwa ekscentryczna staruszka która staje się jego obsesją i obiektem stałej obserwacji. Malarz szybko pojmuje że nie wszystko jest tym czym się wydaje na pierwszy rzut oka.
* Czarne i białe - Pewnej deszczowej nocy przecinanej raz po raz piorunami wśród doborowego towarzystwa przebywającego w piwiarni rozchodzi się wieść o popełnionym morderstwie na pewnej dziewczynie przez niejakiego Sapheriego Mutza.
* Trzy dusze - Student Filozofii i jego przyjaciel Wolfgang Scharf próbują odpowiedzieć na pytanie czym jest ludzka dusza. Wolfgang postanawia udowodnić swoją tezę przyjacielowi po przez przeprowadzenie bestialskiego eksperymentu.
* Pająk - W miejscowości Spinbronn gdzie mieszczą się gorące źródła o leczniczych właściwościach dochodzi do przeraźliwego odkrycia. Jaskinia z której wypływa lecznicza woda skrywa w sobie oblicze istoty o której nikt nie wiedział.
* Hugon Wilk - Lekarz Fritz udaje się do zamku hrabiego we Szwarcwaldzie aby wyleczyć go z tajemniczej choroby która daje o sobie znać każdego roku w Grudniu. Aby tego dokonać główny bohater oprócz postawienia lekarskiej diagnozy będzie musiał przeprowadzić śledztwo wśród zamkowych murów jak i poza nimi aby w pełni zrozumieć powagę sytuacji jak i naturę choroby która trawi hrabiego od wielu lat.
Najbardziej podobało mi się opowiadanie zatytułowane "trzy dusze". Gdybym nie znał autorów tekstu powiedział bym że napisał to sam Ambrose Bierce gdyż to on najbardziej lubował się w przedstawianiu swoich obiektów w "brudny i obskurny" sposób. "Niewidzialne oko" jak i "Pająk" również na swój sposób były interesujące, dobrze napisane i opisane wystarczająco barwnie aby czytelnik sobie to wszystko zbudował i poukładał w głowie. Reszta opowiadań nie zaciekawiła mnie wystarczająco pomijając Hugona obyło się bez dramaturgii i zagadnień. Bardziej zostały przedstawione jako fakty dokonane nad którymi można się na chwile pochylić by się zastanowić co i jak ale bez wchodzenia w głębszą analizę.
Nie jest to pozycja dla wszystkich. Być może są to jedni z największych pisarzy grozy jakich nosiła Francja ale na scenie światowej wychodzą raczej przeciętnie.
Książka zawiera w sobie siedem opowieści:
* Sowie ucho - Pewien pasterz powiadamia burmistrza o pojawieniu się ducha w ruinach nieopodal jego gospodarstwa i prosi o ingerencje w tej sprawie. Po dotarciu na miejsce i przeczesaniu terenu prawda która wychodzi na jaw staje się tym bardziej okrutna gdy uzmysłowimy sobie wyrzeczenia i poświęcenia które ów tajemniczy byt musiał ponieść aby spełnić swoją wolę.
* Burmistrz w butelce - Dwóch znajomych podczas swojej podróży zatrzymuje się w niewielkiej gospodzie aby spędzić noc, odpocząć i posilić się przed dalszą podróżą. Jednakże mroczne wizje i senne koszmary którym ulegnie jeden ze znajomych sprawią że obaj podróżnicy zawędrują do miejsca gdzie śmierć sięga życia i nadaje mu konkretnego "posmaku".
* Niewidzialne oko - Norymbergą wstrząsają tajemnicze zabójstwa. Pewien malarz postanawia wszcząć śledztwo we własnym zakresie i jego uwagę szybko przykuwa ekscentryczna staruszka która staje się jego obsesją i obiektem stałej obserwacji. Malarz szybko pojmuje że nie wszystko jest tym czym się wydaje na pierwszy rzut oka.
* Czarne i białe - Pewnej deszczowej nocy przecinanej raz po raz piorunami wśród doborowego towarzystwa przebywającego w piwiarni rozchodzi się wieść o popełnionym morderstwie na pewnej dziewczynie przez niejakiego Sapheriego Mutza.
* Trzy dusze - Student Filozofii i jego przyjaciel Wolfgang Scharf próbują odpowiedzieć na pytanie czym jest ludzka dusza. Wolfgang postanawia udowodnić swoją tezę przyjacielowi po przez przeprowadzenie bestialskiego eksperymentu.
* Pająk - W miejscowości Spinbronn gdzie mieszczą się gorące źródła o leczniczych właściwościach dochodzi do przeraźliwego odkrycia. Jaskinia z której wypływa lecznicza woda skrywa w sobie oblicze istoty o której nikt nie wiedział.
* Hugon Wilk - Lekarz Fritz udaje się do zamku hrabiego we Szwarcwaldzie aby wyleczyć go z tajemniczej choroby która daje o sobie znać każdego roku w Grudniu. Aby tego dokonać główny bohater oprócz postawienia lekarskiej diagnozy będzie musiał przeprowadzić śledztwo wśród zamkowych murów jak i poza nimi aby w pełni zrozumieć powagę sytuacji jak i naturę choroby która trawi hrabiego od wielu lat.
Najbardziej podobało mi się opowiadanie zatytułowane "trzy dusze". Gdybym nie znał autorów tekstu powiedział bym że napisał to sam Ambrose Bierce gdyż to on najbardziej lubował się w przedstawianiu swoich obiektów w "brudny i obskurny" sposób. "Niewidzialne oko" jak i "Pająk" również na swój sposób były interesujące, dobrze napisane i opisane wystarczająco barwnie aby czytelnik sobie to wszystko zbudował i poukładał w głowie. Reszta opowiadań nie zaciekawiła mnie wystarczająco pomijając Hugona obyło się bez dramaturgii i zagadnień. Bardziej zostały przedstawione jako fakty dokonane nad którymi można się na chwile pochylić by się zastanowić co i jak ale bez wchodzenia w głębszą analizę.
Nie jest to pozycja dla wszystkich. Być może są to jedni z największych pisarzy grozy jakich nosiła Francja ale na scenie światowej wychodzą raczej przeciętnie.
Read
July 19, 2024Why I read it: Bought it because I like weird fiction and short stories. Read it because of those same reasons.
Thoughts: I really liked this collection, and I can see these authors' influence on suspense, horror and weird fiction. The language in translation is very... old-timey, shall we say, but that does some of the heavy lifting to match the tone and feel of the stories to the 1800s. The stories themselves do the rest of the heavy lifting, especially the ones that involve any modicum of science and philosophy, since they veer directly into bogus mad science. Anyway, my edition of this collection had 16 stories (I gather there is a 17th one in another edition?), which feels like a decent number when you think about it, and felt downright endless as I was reading them. In the manner of folktales, the stories were all relatively short and to the point, and yet seemed to belabour the various points so much, that the chilling effect you might otherwise get from the stories is nearly lost.
Anyway, all that to say this: all the stories in this collection are downright strange. My favourite thing about them is actually that they're all so strange. Almost all of them are told in the first person from the perspective of a narrator who has gone through some weird shit, or the perspective of a narrator being told a story by someone who has gone through some weird shit. Sometimes, the narrator and the person telling him a story both go through weird shit. A lot of them are unexplained, and end abruptly, which is a feature I actually like. My all-time favourite short story is the fragment at the end of this page, and ever since I read that in uni, I've been chasing the strange thrill I get from an inexplicable story that ends just as it's getting good, making me seek my own climax, as it were. Some of the Erckmann-Chatrian stories do that. The Owl's Ear specifically ends with "I was so spooked by this incident that I left this town and I'm never going back again". The downside is always that if the stories don't hit the right notes throughout, these abrupt endings just make them feel unfinished, so I guess there's a balance to be struck and not all of the stories get there.
The best story by far as The Wolf-Man. It had all the elements of form and style -- the mystery, the suspense, the Black Forest castle setting, a cast of interesting characters (and surprisingly well-realised, for a short story), the triumph of good and hope over an ancient curse -- and delivered a really gripping story that I'm so glad was saved for last.
Would I read more: These authors' stories are apparently not really sought after in translation but I would read more of their stories and more old stories like these ones.
Would I recommend it: Are you into folklore and/or weird fiction? Then by all means.
Thoughts: I really liked this collection, and I can see these authors' influence on suspense, horror and weird fiction. The language in translation is very... old-timey, shall we say, but that does some of the heavy lifting to match the tone and feel of the stories to the 1800s. The stories themselves do the rest of the heavy lifting, especially the ones that involve any modicum of science and philosophy, since they veer directly into bogus mad science. Anyway, my edition of this collection had 16 stories (I gather there is a 17th one in another edition?), which feels like a decent number when you think about it, and felt downright endless as I was reading them. In the manner of folktales, the stories were all relatively short and to the point, and yet seemed to belabour the various points so much, that the chilling effect you might otherwise get from the stories is nearly lost.
Anyway, all that to say this: all the stories in this collection are downright strange. My favourite thing about them is actually that they're all so strange. Almost all of them are told in the first person from the perspective of a narrator who has gone through some weird shit, or the perspective of a narrator being told a story by someone who has gone through some weird shit. Sometimes, the narrator and the person telling him a story both go through weird shit. A lot of them are unexplained, and end abruptly, which is a feature I actually like. My all-time favourite short story is the fragment at the end of this page, and ever since I read that in uni, I've been chasing the strange thrill I get from an inexplicable story that ends just as it's getting good, making me seek my own climax, as it were. Some of the Erckmann-Chatrian stories do that. The Owl's Ear specifically ends with "I was so spooked by this incident that I left this town and I'm never going back again". The downside is always that if the stories don't hit the right notes throughout, these abrupt endings just make them feel unfinished, so I guess there's a balance to be struck and not all of the stories get there.
The best story by far as The Wolf-Man. It had all the elements of form and style -- the mystery, the suspense, the Black Forest castle setting, a cast of interesting characters (and surprisingly well-realised, for a short story), the triumph of good and hope over an ancient curse -- and delivered a really gripping story that I'm so glad was saved for last.
Would I read more: These authors' stories are apparently not really sought after in translation but I would read more of their stories and more old stories like these ones.
Would I recommend it: Are you into folklore and/or weird fiction? Then by all means.
January 15, 2023
Some great gothic, moody and atmospheric tales. More creepy than full-on scary, but that's from a modern view used to horror films (books don't tend to scare me, as a rule). Despite the age of the stories, the language feels fresh and fairly modern. My absolute favourite of the collection is 'The Three Souls' which genuinely creeped me out
January 16, 2025
Interesting short story of an old woman who is a witch(?)
several tenants of a particular room in the inn across the street inexplicably commit suicide. Is the witch responsible?
I was a bit confused with the ending on how the witch met her end. I think she hung herself while attempting to will the tenant across the street to hang himself but logistical it did not make sense.
several tenants of a particular room in the inn across the street inexplicably commit suicide. Is the witch responsible?
I was a bit confused with the ending on how the witch met her end. I think she hung herself while attempting to will the tenant across the street to hang himself but logistical it did not make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2010
So, this is a classic short story (according to my classic short stories podcast), in which a young artist, living in a garret apartment somewhere in Europe (I'm pretty sure it said where, but I can't remember), witnesses this crazy old woman who induces travellers to hang themselves by sneakily deceiving their senses.
It was short, so not a bad way to spend an hour, but there was nothing especially impressive about this story. Everything was described as "shocking" and "terrifying" and "bone-chilling" but nothing actually was. It was worth reading to see how it all turned out, but don't make a special effort to get ahold of this one.
It was short, so not a bad way to spend an hour, but there was nothing especially impressive about this story. Everything was described as "shocking" and "terrifying" and "bone-chilling" but nothing actually was. It was worth reading to see how it all turned out, but don't make a special effort to get ahold of this one.
April 28, 2024
The Invisible Eye (1870)
The Owl's Ear (1909)
The White and the Black (1867)
The Burgomaster in Bottle (1849)
My Inheritance (1860)
The Wild Huntsman (1877)
Lex Talionis (1872)
The Crab Spider (1893)
The Mysterious Sketch (1880)
The Three Souls (1859)
A Legend of Marseilles (1891)
Cousin Elof's Dream (1891)
The Citizen's Watch (1870)
The Murderer's Violin (1860)
The Child Stealer (1872)
The Man Wolf (1876)
The Owl's Ear (1909)
The White and the Black (1867)
The Burgomaster in Bottle (1849)
My Inheritance (1860)
The Wild Huntsman (1877)
Lex Talionis (1872)
The Crab Spider (1893)
The Mysterious Sketch (1880)
The Three Souls (1859)
A Legend of Marseilles (1891)
Cousin Elof's Dream (1891)
The Citizen's Watch (1870)
The Murderer's Violin (1860)
The Child Stealer (1872)
The Man Wolf (1876)
May 18, 2010
This was an alright story. I enjoyed the descriptions of feelings and the scene, but the actual plot was lacking.
"There are abysses into the depths of which one dare not look"
Really not that scary.
"There are abysses into the depths of which one dare not look"
Really not that scary.
April 29, 2010
A strange classic horror tale of an evil old woman called Fledermausse and the strange deaths at Nuremberg.
May 12, 2010
Actually listened to an audiobook of it. Nice horror story with some good suspense to it.
May 28, 2010
Chilling!
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