European Tales of Terror

by J.J. Strating (Editor), Knut Hamsun, Julio Cortázar

Contents

9 • Introduction (European Tales of Terror) • (1968) • essay by J. J. Strating
13 • Ghosts! • short story by Marie Luise Kaschnitz (trans. of Gespenster 1960)
25 • An Apparition • short story by Knut Hamsun (trans. of Et Spøkelse 1898)
34 • Who Knows? • (1910) • short story by Guy de Maupassant (trans. of Qui sait ? 1890)
51 • The Idol of the Cyclades • (1968) • short story by Julio Cortázar? (trans. of El ídolo de las Cícladas 1956)
62 • Vampires Ltd. • (1964) • short story by Josef Nesvadba (trans. of Upir ltd 1962)
75 • The Executioner • non-genre • (1946) • short story by Honoré de Balzac? (trans. of El Verdugo 1830)
89 • In the Penal Settlement • (1961) • novelette by Franz Kafka (trans. of In der Strafkolonie 1919)
125 • The Fate of the Baron • (1968) • short story by Arthur Schnitzler (trans. of Das Schicksal des Freiherrn von Leisenbohg 1904)
149 • Just the Very Thing They Wanted • (1965) • short story by Dino Buzzati (trans. of Non aspettavano altro 1947)
165 • Our Father Who Art in Heaven • (1968) • short story by Валентин Катаев? (trans. of Отче наш? 1946) [as by Valentin Katayev]
178 • The Great Happening • (1968) • novelette by Belcampo (trans. of Het grote gebeuren 1946)

Genres: Short Stories, Horror

222 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1968

About the author

Jozeph Jacob Strating

Reviews

[Nuno Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

These collections of short stories are great for discovering new authors who would otherwise be very difficult to come across on one’s own.
This particular volume features an excellent lineup of classic and prestigious writers, including Hamsun, Kafka, Balzac, and Maupassant. Although they truly excel, I especially loved discovering lesser-known writers who wrote deeply touching stories, such as Belcampo and Katayev.
Belcampo’s story in particular, “The Great Happening,” is perfectly placed as the closing story of the collection. Its depiction of the apocalypse suggests that no one can truly escape final judgment. By ending the book with this novella, the collection frames horror as something inseparable from the divine.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1991 notebook: stellar line up: de Maupassant, Kafka, Hamsun, Balzac etc.

[Randomerde · Rating 4 out of 5]

the canny, cunning,
contemptuous eyes & lives
are disappointed.