الحديقة السرية: نقاء الأب براون

Father Brown

by G.K. Chesterton, الزهراء سامي (Translator)

يَستضيفُ رئيسُ الشرطةِ جَمْعًا مِنَ الحضورِ على العَشاء، ويتأخَّرُ عن مَوعدِه معَهم، فنَشهدُ طبيعةَ العلاقاتِ فيما بينَهم، وما كانَ يُمكِنُ أنْ يكونَ مجردَ حفلِ عَشاءٍ عادي، اكتسَبَ طابعًا آخَرَ متناقِضًا للغايةِ كتناقُضِ الحاضِرِين؛ إذ نجدُ حبيبَينِ بينَهما شدٌّ وجَذْب، وقَسًّا في ضيافةِ رئيسِ الشرطةِ العَقْلاني، ومليونيرًا يَهْوى مختلِفَ المَذاهبِ الفِكْرية، ووسطَ كلِّ هؤلاءِ مُجرمٌ يَرتكبُ جريمةَ قتل، لتتغيَّرَ الأجواءُ وتَنحرِفَ الأحداثُ عن مَجْراها الطَّبيعي. ووسطَ انهماكِ الجميعِ في استطلاعِ كلِّ ما هو ماديٌّ لكشْفِ اللغز، يَتعقَّبُ «الأبُ براون» خيوطَ المَنطقِ ويَجمعُها معًا؛ وُصولًا إلى حلٍّ صادمٍ أبعدَ ما يكونُ عن خيالِ الجميع، كتبَ سطورَ النهايةِ لشخصيةٍ، ما كانَ لأحدٍ أنْ يتخيَّلَ أنْ تكونَ تلك نهايتَها. فمَن وراءَ هذهِ الجَرِيمة؟ وهل كانَ للتضارُبِ المعهودِ بينَ العقلِ والدِّينِ دخْلٌ فيها؟

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Classics, Thriller, Fiction, Crime, British Literature

30 pages, ebook

First published May 8, 1860

About the author

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.

He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.

Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery short story.... a dinner party with a severed head. Good twist at end.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4:
Paris, 1911. A dinner party given by Aristide Valentin, Chief of the Paris Police, is disturbed by the discovery of a stranger lying murdered within the grounds of his high-walled garden. Who is he? How did he get there? And which of the distinguished guests has committed the gruesome crime?

Time for Father Brown to step forward. Intuitive and unassuming, his unremarkable exterior conceals a profound knowledge of human frailty. Who better than a priest to understand the nature and prevalence of evil?

Directed by Kirsteen Cameron.

[Fatima Ezzahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

رائعة ، إستمعت للكتاب الصوتي .. زادها الإلقاء تشويقا ❤

[Ali Alkhuzai · Rating 2 out of 5]

قصة قصيرة سريعة تبين معالم الجريمة التي حدثت في بيت أحدهم وهو كان رئيس الشرطة وعالم في الجريمة وكان عنده وقت حدوث الجريمة ضيوف مرموقين حيث يمنع خروجهم في ذلك اليوم لتكملة التحقيق، وهذه الأثناء يتفاجؤا بجريمة ثانية على نفس منوال الجريمة الأولى وحيث انه كان قائد الشرطة موجودا والطبيب الشرعي ايضا من ضمن الضيوف فبدأ بالتحقيق ولكن القس الموجود بينهم يكشف الحقيقة ويجيب على أسألة حدوث الجريمة.

[Amal Yusuf · Rating 3 out of 5]

رواية الجريمة عالم مدهش

[Ayman Elgazzar · Rating 3 out of 5]

رغم جودة الحبكة و المفاجأة فى نهاية القصة
الا ان كثرة الوصف الدموي فى الكتاب كان مبالغا فيه وضايقنى الى حد ما
هذا ما لم يكن موجودا فى معظم القصص الكلاسيكية البوليسبة الاخرى التى قرأتها لكتاب اخرين مثل اجاثا والسير ارثر كونان دويل وغيرهما من الكتاب
الا ان الكتاب مشوق الى حد ما وجيد ايضا
وان شاء الله استمر فى قراءة هذه المجموعة من القصص من مغامرات الاب براون

[Suad Alhalwachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apart from the exquisite writing the novella is not that different from many murder mystery stories the Agathas and many others. Someone is killed and the killer is amongst those present either in a house or a ship or a palace. And then someone who is the least suspected is the killer. In this case it was the least expected.

A good read and some new words learnt. Factotum for example is a totally new word which means a person or an employee who does all kinds of jobs. Mostly in households. Pince-nez is eye glasses omm interesting

[Maram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Resembles “the curtain” by Agatha Christie as I vaguely remember it from my childhood.
the detective commits two things; the mysterious crime and suicide.

Not very thrilling and catchy; like most short stories, to me it felt like it is missing something, too brief and quick that I stumble and wish for more “satisfying” details.
Or maybe because it is part of a collection and I just read an orphaned story :D

[Fay AlFalah · Rating 2 out of 5]

اسم الكتاب: الحديقة السرية “نقاء الأب براون” The Secret Garden
اسم الكاتب: جِلبرت كيث تشسترتون Gilbert Keith Chesterton
الصفحات: 28 صفحة

تبدأ القِصة بذكر أريستيد فالانتين رئيس شرطة باريس وهو يقوم ببعض المهام الموكلة إليه قبل العودة للمنزل حيثُ بدأ الضيوف بالتوافد للعشاء، بعد العشاء يتجه الضيوف إلى قاعة الإستقبال ويلاحظ لورد جالوي إختفاء ابنته الليدي مارجريت والقائد اُبراين فيخرج بحثاً عنها، وأثناء البحث يتعثر بشيء ما وعند النظر إليه بكثب يكتشف إنها جثة، فيتم استدعاء فالانتين وبعد الفحص يتبين إنه رجل غريب لم يكن من المدعويين للعشاء ولكنه كان ينوي الحضور بسبب ملابسه المتأنقة.
يطلب فالانتين من الضيوف عدم الهلع والبقاء لظهيرة الغد ويتم توفير الغرف للضيوف واستدعاء رجال الشرطة ليبدأ التحقيق، ومن ثَم يجد الخادم إيفان سلاح الجريمة وهو السيف القائد اوبراين المفقود وهو ملطخ بالدماء بين الأجمات، وضيف من الضيوف "برين" كان غائباً. ثم تحدث جريمة قتل وقطع رأس الثانية!
من القاتل وما هي دوافعه؟! هذا ما نكتشفه في الصفحات التالية.

قرأت هذه القصة لمرتين متتاليتين اعتقدت كوني اقرأ أثناء ساعات العمل والتركيز متشتت هو السبب في عدم فهمي لبعض الجزئيات المذكورة، ولكني لم أخرج بالمزيد أثناء القراءة الثانية فالتركيز كان جيدأً منذ البداية، القصة كانت جميلة وانتهت بطريقة غير متوقعة، ولكن لم يرقني الاختصار والاختزال الشديد وكأنه تم إخفاء الكثير تلك الأمور الدينية والعقائدية ونحوها بشكل متعمد بكلمات وجُمل قليلة، القصة دسمة جداً لا تكفيها صفحات قليلة كنت أتمناها على الأقل 50 صفحة إن لم تكن ال100.

[Verba Non Res · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta la resolución de este problema, más allá de que tiene algunas contradicciones insalvables (ejemplos: siendo que planeó tan bien su crimen, es difícil de creer que Valentine dejara en manos del azar la aparición del arma homicida; después del asesinato, arroja el sable por sobre la pared del jardín, y sin embargo su sirviente lo encuentra poco después en el camino a París). Lo que sí me molesta un poco es el móvil del asesino, que viene a desnudar la agenda procatólica de Chesterton. No sé si hay muchos ateos fanáticos, aunque puede ser que los haya, dispuestos a matar y después a morir en nombre de su escepticismo. Ese es el tipo de actitud que más frecuentemente se encuentra del otro lado de la medianera.

Cuento #2 de El candor del padre Brown

Anterior: “The Blue Cross”

Siguiente: “The Queer Feet”

[Sïnestesïa Yp · Rating 3 out of 5]

El cuento que lleva el nombre del libro (que creo que lo componen varios cuentos) me ha parecido muy logrado como cuento policial de enigma. Se mantiene el misterio hasta el final. El autor deja pistas pero en mi caso no han sido suficientes como para tener la certeza de quién es el asesino, ya en las últimas páginas se ponen todas las pruebas sobre la mesa y recién ahí me queda todo más claro. Me gustaron varias expresiones que embellecieron el lenguaje a pesar de que quizá no son tan exigidas en este tipo de textos donde más importa lo que se cuenta que cómo se lo cuenta. ¡Muy recomendable!

[Feérica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una breve compilación de relatos del autor que giran en torno a un cura que va resolviendo misterios gracias a su perspicacia. El cristianismo está muy presente en los relatos que han sido muy disfrutables.
La edición es una maravilla.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short 16-page read but always with a clever plotline. Father Brown is his usual self-deprecating and unassuming self and as always solves the crime, this time of the beheaded corpse. These are great little stories that pass away half-an-hour.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gruesome and very well plotted mystery. One of the best!

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. A variation on the closed room mystery, and a good one. A closed garden. Chesterton tells an interesting tale. The Paris Chief of Police, Aristide Valentin, remembers the little priest he met in London while in pursuit of the international thief Flambeau, and has invited him to dinner at his celebrated home by the Seine. The home has a distinct feature. There's a large and lovely garden in the back surrounded by highwalls and poplars. The only entry is through the house. This story first appeared in "Saturday Evening Post" in 1910. My copy is the BBC's "The Complete Father Brown Stories" of 2013. Valentin is holding the dinner to meet the intriguing American millionaire Julius K. Brayne who likes to donate to new religions and progressive causes. Brayne actually thinks Valentin fits the latter category! Other guests include the English Ambassador, the Duchess of Mont St. Michel, and Commandant O'Brien of the Foreign Legion. Then a body is found in the secret garden with its head clean off. It wasn't there earlier. The murderer has to be among the guests. Then a second body is found. Father Brown to the rescue. Well written, well puzzled. (January 2021)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valentin, Chief of the Paris Police, arrives late for his dinner party, a party that includes Father Brown. After dinner a body is found in the secluded, enclosed back garden. Can Father Brown solve the mystery.
Interesting short story.

[Anna Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this little novel, the ambiance and the circumstances. Chesterton writing is simple and clear, sharp and never boring. And I discovered Father Brown, this tiny carachter that sure I'll meet again in my future readings...

[Kassady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous mystery. Very cunning writing, it blew my mind away.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the silver cross quite a simple story murder occurs a bit of a chat between everyone and then father Brown tells everyone what happened.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather gruesome dinner party in which Chesterton rather abruptly dismisses one of his characters. Keep your head about you should have been the name of this tale.

[Sam Gaylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one for school.

Actually not that bad. I like mysteries.

[Gloriamarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Brown, one either loves him or not. I have loved these stories for decades.

G. K. Chesterton's ''The Secret Garden'' was the first story to feature a dinner party mystery.

[Kerstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some details were a bit too gruesome...

[Huda Akwyed · Rating 3 out of 5]

لم يتوقع أحد من الحضور من هو القاتل و لكن قد تقتل حينما تكون مقتنع بقضية ما هل قناعتك بقضية ما تدفعك الى القتل و اكتشاف رأس أخر مع الرأس و الجثمان الاول !!!

[Mustafa Al Nasheet · Rating 2 out of 5]

مشوقة وممتعة ،
ولكنها جزء مقطوع من مجموعة ، لا تعرف جميع حيثياتها ما لم تكن ملم بباقي الأجزاء.

[Wesal · Rating 2 out of 5]

لست من هواة أدب الجرائم أو الأدب البوليسي

بها جانب تشويقي جيد ووجدت فيها الكثير من الثغرات غير المقنعة
 

________________________________

[Fareda Ashour · Rating 3 out of 5]

قرأتها بالصدفة أثناء بحثي عن رواية الحديقة السرية
فكرة الجريمة بها مختلفة
قصر القصة أدى إلى حل اللغز بسرعة
ودون ترك مجال لتفكير القارئ بالحل

[William Vaudin · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I was really enjoying this story, I liked the set up and thought it had an interesting mystery at its core. But then then ending came and I was just confused and disappointed. I liked some of the details of the conclusion like how the killer used an already severed head from the guillotine to cover his tracks, but everything else about the case just disappeared for me. I can’t tell you how certain thing were done or why the killer did what he did. And plus, a lot of Father Brown’s explanation felt like they didn’t have any explanations to them.

The thing that stands out to me about this story is how it feels G.K. Chesterton created a really interesting set up for a suspenseful and gripping mystery but didn’t even know it. At first, I thought how interesting it would be if they did a story where they find a headless body of someone in the Gardan and realise that the killer cut off the head so that no one could identify the body. The guest then realise that someone in the group must not be who they say they are and that the headless body is one of the guests who the killer replaced, meaning any one of them could be the killer. This could have led to a really suspenseful, closed room mystery where all the guests start suspecting each other of being an imposter like an 1911 version of John Carpinter’s The Thing.

I thought this for two reasons, one: because one of the guests was described as being very tall which made me think that he was going to turn out to be Hercule Flambeau in disease, and two: one of the guest arrive much later than everyone else which made me think that he might have killed the really person and that the person in the garden was the real guest who was expected. If I, a meir stupid reader can think up of a more interesting story out of the little scraps of “this” story, then I think you need to rethink your standards Chesterton. I hope that someone can do an adaptation of this story and make it how I invision it.

As for the rest of the story, it’s not much, we get 10 different suspects, almost none of whom are relevant. You could cut the suspect list in half and it would make any difference, other than making it more concise. The Duchess and her two daughters don’t get mentioned again after their mentioned once, same goes for the English Ambassador’s wife and their daughter only gets one line which never comes back in any way. One think I have to say it that this story has some serious balls in having Inspecter Valentine form the last story be the murdered. He was the main character in the last one and now he’s the murderer, you thought he was going to be Father Brown’s own Inspecter Lestrade, but nope. I might have like this if they actually had a good story to go with it, but I just didn’t care for what happened.

Overall, I think this story had a lot of potential that just wasn’t used and what was used wasn’t done very well. I spent more time thinking up a much better version of this story than paying attetion to the story that was actually written. This makes me feel like I might be smarter than the guy who was the “actually” President of the Infamous Detection Club which had Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers as members. I can see why their more well know than Chesterton is as I can see them doing this story much better than “he” did. I still think it was gutsy, having a main character like Valentine who you grow to like in the previous story, turn out to be the murderer and then kill himself, but I wish they had done something more with the reast of the plot.

[R.H. Naranjo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este cuento del Padre Brown me pareció aún más sorprendente que la Cruz Azul, aún más si se le toma como una secuela del cuento anterior. El cuento comienza como la clásica historia del asesinato en la fiesta, excepto que el asesinado resulta no ser ninguno de los invitados. Las cosas se vuelven aún más extrañas cuando se muestra que no hay manera alguna de entrar o salir de la casa excepto por la puerta principal, estrictamente vigilada por el guardia personal del jefe de la policía francesa. De entre todos los asistentes a la fiesta, el más extraño es el pequeño y regordete sacerdote de Essex, quien resulta ser un elemento clave para la resolución del misterio. Un cuento increíble, altamente recomendado.

[Deefbruh · Rating 3 out of 5]

খুব ছোটোর মধ্যে ভালোই! সচারাচর যেরকম দেখানো হয়, পরিচিতদের মধ্যেই খুনি লুকিয়ে থাকে এবং যাকে সবথেকে কম সন্দেহ হয় সেই খুনটি করে। মার্ডার থেকে নিয়ে কেস সল্ভ পুরোটাই একটি বাড়ির মধ্যে ঘটে! আর
শেষটা ভালোই দিয়েছে।