Povestiri cu fantome

by Henry James

122 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1991

About the author

Henry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."

Reviews

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunt foarte fericita ca in sfarsit am reusit sa citesc aceasta carte. Desigur ca exista o mica dezamagire pentru ca in varianta americana un asemenea volum contine 10 povestiri iar in lucrarea de fata avem doar 4, dar asta nu diminueaza cu nimic entuziasmul meu. Poti doar sa te bucuri atunci cand unul dintre autorii tai preferati, pe langa realismul psihologic, a indragit si misterele si in special fantomele. Cu aceasta latura a lui Henry James, in care imbina stilul impecabil impreuna cu manuirea subtila a mecanismelor fricii si suspansului, ne-am mai intalnit in "The turn of the screw", un remarcabil roman horror cu fantome.
Colectia de fata contine 4 povestiri, asa numite ghost stories. Ca sa va starnesc interesul si mai mult, nu o sa vorbesc despre ele ci doar am sa va lansez cateva intrebari ca o provocare:
V-ati gandit cum ar fi ca cineva sa se aseze langa voi in biserica si vazand ca nu are carte de rugaciuni, sa i-o intindeti pe a voastra, ca apoi sa constatati ca acel cineva a disparut fara explicatie?
V-ati imaginat cum ar fi ca in jurul vostru, in permanenta sa existe o fantoma si voi sa nu stiti de prezenta ei, dar altcineva sa fie capabil sa o vada?
V-ati pus problema vreodata ce ati face daca ati avea capacitatea sa va vedeti rudele inainte sa moara?
Cum ati reactiona daca ati simti o chemare irezistibila de la o femeie moarta?
In loc de raspunsuri va prezint niste citate care exprima cel mai bine maiestria autorului:
"Ii intrevazusem personalitatea printre licariri si strafulgerari, ca un cantec auzit in franturi, dar acum o aveam in fata mea intreaga, un halo trandafiriu, o melodie in toata amploarea ei sonora."
"Insa increderea e un mare buzunar gol in care o moneda intamplatoare cade cu un clinchet care trebuie sa se auda."
"Singurul lucru care conteaza in viata este sa nu fi fost prost."
"Tu vii in intampinarea mea mecanic, pocait, cu ramasitele tandretii tale, cu resturile vietii tale. Pot renunta la tine dar nu te pot imparti."
"Nu pretinsesem o clipa ca el si ea erau oameni obisnuiti. Fiindca, daca ar fi fost, mi-ar fi pasat vreodata de ei?"