The Street of the Four Winds

by Robert W. Chambers

In "The Street of the Four Winds", Robert W. Chambers tells the haunting story of an artist living in the bohemian quarter of Paris. One night, the artist encounters a stray cat that leads him to an unexpected discovery. This seemingly simple event unfolds into a darkly atmospheric exploration of isolation, mystery, and the supernatural as the artist is drawn deeper into the strange events surrounding him, culminating in a chilling and eerie conclusion.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror

Unknown Binding

About the author

Robert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.

Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.

Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.

Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.

After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.

Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.

On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.

Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.

Reviews

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A starving artist in a garret encounters a mangy, possibly-stray cat, which he treats with great kindness and affection, which is returned by the grateful creature. (Really, this is one for the cat-lovers... the scene is so very true and touching.)

But when he attempts to find the possible-mistress of the cat, the story takes a sharp turn into the uncanny.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The seventh story was a bit of a snoozer. I'll try not to blame it on the story, and note that I was especially tired from grading crappy papers all day.

I will say, however, that I have recently adopted two kitties, so the addition of a starving cat for whom the narrator has so much empathy was pretty darn neat. The corpse at the end, not so much.

[Chris Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure what I read.

It wasn't bad, but nothing much happened.

A conversation between a cat and a lonely human, eventually he tracks down the cats owner to find her passed on.

The cats owner appears to be his Silvia who he once knew, but that part is a bit ambiguous.

Meow.

[Saski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one might be my favourite of his, at least so far. I love the way he talks to the cat, and Chambers' descriptions of her.

[Forked Radish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cat finds a new master servant.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather dry and it’s starting to feel similar to other short stories by Robert.

[Jack Truman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

Wow people online are wrong about this one, it’s actually pretty good. Very moody and atmospheric, with a touch of supernatural melancholy.

[Jake Longstaff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mediocre story, until it isn’t. Slightly confusing and definitely one I’ll have to re read but I really didn’t see that one coming.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

short enough that I actually really liked it