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Post by dem bones on Apr 7, 2017 17:13:46 GMT
THE BEST TERRIBLE TALES (Four volumes, Gibbings, London, 1891) GERMANThe Crystal Dagger A Strange Bride The Host Of “The Sun” The Crazy Half-Heller The Goldsmith Of The Rue NicaiseAccording to E. F. Bleiler, The Crazy Half-Heller is Baron de la Motte Fouque's The Bottle Imp (see Peter Haining's Great Tales of Terror from Europe & America wherein he attributes authorship to Johann Karl August Musaus) and A Strange Bride is Friedrich Shultz's The Death-Bride from Fantasmagoriana. ITALIANThe Bridal Wreath Domenico Matteo The Betrothed The Story Of The Lady Erminia The Brigands The Village Priest Eurispe Lanucc The Lovers The Unlucky FortuneThe only one I have a copy of (William Reeves, 1912) and, in truth, not especially exciting on first aquaintance. FRENCHThe Mysterious Sketch The Weaver Of Steinbach The Lyons Courier The Cabalist The Citizen's Watch A Scene In The Desert Cousin Elof's Dream A Legend Of Marseilles The White And The Black Lex TalionisUncredited, primarily the work of Erckmann-Chatrian. SPANISHThe Golden Bracelet The Mirror Of Friends The Green Eyes Jose Maria The Passion Flower The Thirteenth The Effect Of Being Undeceived The White Doe Maese Perez, the Organist Dorido And Clorinia The Moonbeam The Mountain Of Spirits Seven of the stories are by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer including The Golden Bracelet and The Mountain Of Spirits, as exhumed by Hugh Lamb for Tales From A Gaslit Graveyard. Bécquer's much anthologised Maese Pérez, the Organist can be read here.
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Post by dirkpbroer on Jun 11, 2017 12:23:38 GMT
Terrible Tales, German: - Laurids Kruse – The Crystal Dagger.
(a translation of "Der krystallene Dolch", 1823)
- Friedrich August Schulze – A Strange Bride.
(aka ‘The Death-Bride’, a translation of "Die Todtenbraut: Volkssage", 1811)
- Friedrich von Schiller – The Host of “The Sun”.
(aka ‘The Criminal of Lost Honour’, a translation of "Der Verbrecher aus verlorener Ehre", 1786 as "Verbrecher aus Infamie")
- Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué - The Crazy Half-Heller.
(aka ‘The Bottle Imp’, a translation of "Das Galgenmännlein", 1810)
- Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann – The Goldsmith of the Rue Nicaise.
(aka ‘Mademoiselle de Scudari’, a translation of "Das Fräulein von Scuderi", 1819)
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Post by dem bones on Jun 12, 2017 10:10:55 GMT
Welcome to Vault, Dirk, and thank you for providing the original sources/ authors. Vaguely relevant to thread, was delighted to find this at local market yesterday. Eight Tales Of Hoffman: Newly Translated With An Introduction by J. M. Cohen (Pan, 1952) Val Biro Introduction
The Lost Reflection The Sandman The Jesuit Church in Glogau The Deserted House Councillor Krespel The Mines Of Falun A Ghost Story Gamblers' LuckBlurb: About this book
Hoffmann's tales were some of the first and are still some of the best of thrillers. A hundred and fifty years ago he knew how to make the flesh creep with accounts of the supernatural, in which he himself clearly believed. The distinguishing mark of his most individual stories lies in the exactness of his descriptions. His ghosts walk in no vague country, but in a certain town and in a certain street. His strange coincidences, his hauntings and trances, are securely anchored in the world outside his own door. Hoffmann wrote a considerable number of Tales, many of which have been translated in the past, but most of which have been unobtainable for many years. Latterly he has been remembered only for the use Offenbach made of his plots as a composite libretto for the opera Tales of Hoffmann (on which the recent colour-film was based). To appeal to modern readers the Tales must obviously be translated as far as possible into current idiom; accordingly Pan Books Ltd. commissioned J. M. Cohen, a Hoffmann enthusiast with some interesting translations to his credit, to prepare an entirely fresh version of eight stories. Included in this selection are the three upon which Offenbach drew —" The Lost Reflection," " Councillor Krespel" and "The Sandman" — one never before translated into English ("The Deserted House "), and four from Hoffmann's most famous collection, The Serapion Brethren. They have been chosen with a special eye to variety. The Introduction explains the historical background of Hoffmann's life and work, and the effect upon his tales of the current scientific ideas of his time.
The translator and editor, J. M. Cohen, has already edited a selection of old translations from Hoffmann (to which he added one new version of his own). Among his recent work is a new translation of Don Quixote and a study of Robert Browning. He reviews for the Spectator, etc., and broadcasts in various B.B.C. programmes.
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Post by dem bones on May 9, 2021 19:09:13 GMT
These from Best Terrible Tales of the Italian
The Bridal Wreath: Edoardo Valpherghi, son of a wealthy Venetian merchant, systematically fleeces his teenage fiancee of her riches to pursue a life of gaming and vice. Six years into their engagement, Sophia is left a fortune by her late confidante, the Countess Gabazzi. At last the lovers are financially independent! Time to put out the bans! Alas, Edoardo, desperate for ready riches, has taken a bride behind Sophia's back. On introduction to the lovely Signora Valphergi, Sophia hands her the bridal veil she'd lovingly crafted for her own nuptials, and throws herself in the canal. Non-supernatural Gothic misery porn.
Domenico Matteo: Fra Nicola, sainted Franciscan monk of Campo village on Lake Como, is also the ruthless fugitive bandit chief, Domenico Matteo, scourge of Lovedo. "Taking refuge in this part of Italy. he had collected around him a band of worthies of his own stamp, with whom each night he committed the most horrible excesses. Churches and houses, nay, whole villages burnt; mothers and maidens entrapped; whole families massacred - deeds such as these everywhere attested the presence of a pitiless band." Scorned by the fair Cecilia, Matteo resolves to ruin her wedding day to gallant Gualiero. While his fearsome band raid the village, Matteo bundles Cecilia in a cloak, makes away with her to the monastery and imprisons her in the cellar. Will the fiend at last have his wicked way with our heroine? Is Gualiero murdered? All seems lost! Probably better suited to opening story than the super maudlin The Bridal Wreath. Conclusion is great fun.
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Post by dem bones on May 12, 2021 14:00:53 GMT
"It is an old belief among the mountaineers, and one generally accepted, that the howling of a dog by night is a presage of misfortune to the family of its master. This belief had been strengthened in the mind of Pietro by the stories told him by his father, who used to say that in the year 1774, called the year of humiliation, the dogs howled for several nights before the corpse of his grandfather was found hanging from a cypress tree in the convent, where it was discovered, loaded with chains, crucifix in hand, and with an ignominious sheet of writing on its back."
The Betrothed: Corsica. Maria Felice and her beloved Pietro are to wed — until her brother, Ilario, a young cure, is slain by two men pursuing a hereditary feud. With no father or, as yet, husband, to pursue the age old tradition of vendetta, Maria pledges to avenge the murder. Pietro, 20, advises she break from this stupid tradition, take heed of Ilario's dying words of forgiveness, and leave God to decide the fate of the killers. Maria hears him out, despises him as a "coward," and gives herself fully to grief and all-consuming hatred until her health gives out. On her deathbed, Maria concedes that Pietro was right, and begs her priest to find him so she may die as his wife. But it is too late. As she's laid in the grave, Maria's ghost beckons the man she loves to return home and grant her forgiveness. Plenty of incident, much ill omen and premonition, and everyone dies of grief, which is exactly as it should be.
Lanucci: The conniving Bandenelli relentlessly pursues an irrational grievance against the titular hero. Not content with blackening his character with false testimony - achieving Lanucci's ruin and banishment from Florence - Bandenelli next despatches an assassin to Pisa to murder him in his bed. Alas, the killer visits the wrong room and slays the sainted Beliflore in error. Not to worry; an ill reputation and circumstantial evidence identifies Lannuci as the culprit! Condemned as the killer of his benefactor and one true friend, Lannuci despairs at the injustice of it all. Everything is wonderfully, thoroughly wonderfully miserable until God/ 'God'/fate [delete as applicable] intervenes to ruin all the good work.
Bought Terrible Tales of the Italian from the Fantasy Centre many moons ago. Was most disappointed at the lack of Monk-ish supernatural horror and thorough unpleasantness on first reading. It's taken till now for me to appreciate the stories are not as weedy as I thought, the storming Domenico Matteo and The Betrothed in particular.
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