Huset med de syv gavle

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I midten af 1800-tallet i New England står et gammelt hus, som er beboet af gamle frk. Hepzibah. Huset har været familiens i mange år, og fortidens gerninger har sat sine spor. Huset siges at være forbandet. Phoebe, som fjernt er i familie med Hepzibah, dukker op en dag og ændrer på tingene for det bedre, men forbandelsen hviler stadig over familien og huset. Er en ung ildsjæl nok til at bryde den?

286 pages, Unbound

First published January 1, 1851

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.