A Malediction

by Erckmann-Chatrian, Émile Erckmann, Brian M. Stableford (Translator)

Histoires et contes fantastiques, here translated by Brian ­Stableford as A Malediction, was the first volume of prose of Erckmann-Chatrian, the pseudonym of Émile Erckmann (1822-1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (1826-1890), who wrote in ­collaboration.

Ranging from the Romantic melodrama of the title novelette, which has never before appeared in English, to the horrific fantastic of “Red Wine and White Wine,” the current collection features imaginative seeds that germinated in much of ­Erckmann-Chatrian’s later work, and a certain awkwardness due to inexperience is more than compensated by raw enthusiasm and an unashamed boldness.

Genres: Fiction

156 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

Erckmann-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.

Reviews

[Karl]

Erckmann-Chatrian was the pseudonym used by Émile Erckmann (1822-1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (1826-1890), who wrote most of their works using this collaborative signature. Though they achieved a considerable popular success primarily due to plays and historical novels, such as Madame Thérèse (1863) and L’Ami Fritz (1864), they are mostly remembered today for their horrific and fantastic tales, which were praised by both M. R. James and H. P. Lovecraft.

This Hardcover is limited to 70 copies

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A bit messy around the edges, but solid early stories from the late Romantic period of Erckmann-Chatrian's work. The first is an over-the-top exploration of inadvertent incest and murder, the second a well known tale of wine and metempsychosis that graced many paperback anthologies of horror fiction when I was a kid, and the third a historical fiction focusing on a mystery in the home of Rembrandt.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't do much for me, though the last story was hilariously (and unintentionally?) melodramatic and over-the-top.