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El Ángel de lo Estrambótico
cuento.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1844
14 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,890 books28.6k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
November 19, 2020
This story was so absurd it made me laugh.
December 19, 2020
"In the morning I had been reading Glover's 'Leonidas,' Wilkie's 'Epigoniad,' Lamartine's 'Pilgrimage,' Barlow's 'Columbiad,' Tuckerman's 'Sicily,' and Griswold's 'Curiosities'; I am willing to confess, therefore, that I now felt a little stupid. I made effort to arouse myself by aid of frequent Lafitte..."
"...reading it from beginning to end without understanding a syllable, conceived the possibility of its being Chinese, and so re-read it from the end to the beginning, but with no more satisfactory result."
"when this hog...which hitherto had been slumbering in the mud, took it suddenly into his head that his left shoulder needed scratching, and could find no more convenient rubbing-post than that afforded by the foot of the ladder. In an instant I was precipitated and had the misfortune to fracture my arm."
"...reading it from beginning to end without understanding a syllable, conceived the possibility of its being Chinese, and so re-read it from the end to the beginning, but with no more satisfactory result."
"when this hog...which hitherto had been slumbering in the mud, took it suddenly into his head that his left shoulder needed scratching, and could find no more convenient rubbing-post than that afforded by the foot of the ladder. In an instant I was precipitated and had the misfortune to fracture my arm."
May 25, 2017
“The avenues of death are numerous and strange.”
Indeed, that they are. Across Poe’s body of work he concocts all manner of strange ends for his characters. Some are driven mad (well quite a few are actually), some commit suicide and some are haunted to an early grave because of gruesome happenings. But that’s all pretty standard stuff for Poe. What’s unusual about this tale when set against the rest of Poe’s writing is its whimsical humour. Poe isn’t funny, at least, in my experience of reading his works. Yet here this is.
I’ve been trying to gain a wider perspective of him these last few days, mainly by reading some of his less popular stories, and arguably, the less successful ones. In this one the narrator encounters a strange creature, more bizarre than macabre, as the Angel of the Odd makes for an unusual figure. Unlike typical angels who fly with grace and majesty, this angel is fat and compared to Shakespeare’s bumbling poor old’ Jack Fallstaff. He is drunk and speaks in slurps and nonsense; his presence only serves to create mischief for those around him. He even intervenes when the narrator tries to kill himself.
So this is an odd story for me. The darkness that seeps into Poe’s most frightening of tones is simply not here and this is what Poe does best, so when he doesn’t do it his writing is lesser in comparison. However, this was entertaining to read, and funny at points, it just didn’t feel like Poe: it’s an unusual one. After reading through Dickinson’s poetry once again last week, I had to revisit Poe. But I think this was a very bad one to pick out. That being said though, it has given me a hankering to go and read some Shakespeare, and that is never a bad thing.
I'm almost though Poe's complete works. I’m looking forward to doing a complete review of them!
Indeed, that they are. Across Poe’s body of work he concocts all manner of strange ends for his characters. Some are driven mad (well quite a few are actually), some commit suicide and some are haunted to an early grave because of gruesome happenings. But that’s all pretty standard stuff for Poe. What’s unusual about this tale when set against the rest of Poe’s writing is its whimsical humour. Poe isn’t funny, at least, in my experience of reading his works. Yet here this is.
I’ve been trying to gain a wider perspective of him these last few days, mainly by reading some of his less popular stories, and arguably, the less successful ones. In this one the narrator encounters a strange creature, more bizarre than macabre, as the Angel of the Odd makes for an unusual figure. Unlike typical angels who fly with grace and majesty, this angel is fat and compared to Shakespeare’s bumbling poor old’ Jack Fallstaff. He is drunk and speaks in slurps and nonsense; his presence only serves to create mischief for those around him. He even intervenes when the narrator tries to kill himself.
So this is an odd story for me. The darkness that seeps into Poe’s most frightening of tones is simply not here and this is what Poe does best, so when he doesn’t do it his writing is lesser in comparison. However, this was entertaining to read, and funny at points, it just didn’t feel like Poe: it’s an unusual one. After reading through Dickinson’s poetry once again last week, I had to revisit Poe. But I think this was a very bad one to pick out. That being said though, it has given me a hankering to go and read some Shakespeare, and that is never a bad thing.
I'm almost though Poe's complete works. I’m looking forward to doing a complete review of them!
July 12, 2023
Relato corto.
Un hombre está tranquilamente sentado en su casa leyendo el periódico y ve una noticia inusual y piensa que es imposible. Al momento, aparece una figura extraña y el señor empieza a vivir una aventura estrambótica.
Típica historia de Poe que parece más un sueño o un delirio de alcohol.
-------------------------
Short story.
A man is sitting quietly at home reading the newspaper and sees an unusual news article and thinks it is impossible. At that moment, a strange figure appears and the man begins to live a bizarre adventure.
A typical Poe story that seems more like a dream or a delirium of alcohol.
Un hombre está tranquilamente sentado en su casa leyendo el periódico y ve una noticia inusual y piensa que es imposible. Al momento, aparece una figura extraña y el señor empieza a vivir una aventura estrambótica.
Típica historia de Poe que parece más un sueño o un delirio de alcohol.
-------------------------
Short story.
A man is sitting quietly at home reading the newspaper and sees an unusual news article and thinks it is impossible. At that moment, a strange figure appears and the man begins to live a bizarre adventure.
A typical Poe story that seems more like a dream or a delirium of alcohol.
March 13, 2022
An interesting story of a visit from an “angel”. I could see the humor coming through, though I still stand by the statement that I prefer Poe’s horror to his humor/satire.
June 29, 2018
Edger Allan Poe ❤
I read The Tell tale heart in my first year of graduation and i loved it .Now I have started Poe's books and I hope I finish all of them .
The angel of the odd is a quite funny story where the narrator came across oddest accidents . He is a drunkard .
My favorite part is when The angel of odd appears and talk gibberish.
I zay you mos pe dronk as de pig, vor zit dare and not zee me zit ere;
I read The Tell tale heart in my first year of graduation and i loved it .Now I have started Poe's books and I hope I finish all of them .
The angel of the odd is a quite funny story where the narrator came across oddest accidents . He is a drunkard .
My favorite part is when The angel of odd appears and talk gibberish.
I zay you mos pe dronk as de pig, vor zit dare and not zee me zit ere;
April 29, 2014
Edgar Allan Poe...Brilliant. Creative. Tormented. ...Funny? Yep. In this short story Poe's character finds himself alone at dinner with his aperitif, but not for long. Soon come uh bizitor wit de stran talk do keepz him de kompany. What happens next is folly and fun with that trademark Poe edge.
January 26, 2021
A quirky silly tale of Poe's version of Murphy's law which is an adage that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
"This tale appears to be Poe's satire on the philosophy on human perfectibility. The story was highly popular when it first appeared because of the strong public interest in spiritualism and the spiritual manifestations of the time." Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z : the essential reference to his life and work. New York: Checkmark Books. (11)
"The narrator of this story is the chief antagonist. Responding to an apparently absurd story in a newspaper, [he] complains about the contemptible hoaxing perpetrated mostly for the sake of providing interesting reading material. By asserting 'to believe nothing henceforward that has anything of the ’singular’ about it,' he earns the unwanted attention, and wrath, of the title character, [Angel of the Odd] and thus endures a series of 'singular' events until he repents. The chief protagonist of this story, [is] this angel [who] speaks with a humorous German accent, and is suitably made up of various bizarre items, all of which are, essentially, containers for alcoholic drink. His body is a rum cask. His arms are long wine bottles (with the necks facing out to serve as hands), and his legs are kegs. His head is a Hessian canteen, with a funnel on top, like a hat. Whether he is real or merely a figment of the narrator's imagination (or drunken hallucination) is uncertain, although the narrator clearly thinks that he is real." https://www.eapoe.org/works/info/pt05...
"This tale appears to be Poe's satire on the philosophy on human perfectibility. The story was highly popular when it first appeared because of the strong public interest in spiritualism and the spiritual manifestations of the time." Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z : the essential reference to his life and work. New York: Checkmark Books. (11)
"The narrator of this story is the chief antagonist. Responding to an apparently absurd story in a newspaper, [he] complains about the contemptible hoaxing perpetrated mostly for the sake of providing interesting reading material. By asserting 'to believe nothing henceforward that has anything of the ’singular’ about it,' he earns the unwanted attention, and wrath, of the title character, [Angel of the Odd] and thus endures a series of 'singular' events until he repents. The chief protagonist of this story, [is] this angel [who] speaks with a humorous German accent, and is suitably made up of various bizarre items, all of which are, essentially, containers for alcoholic drink. His body is a rum cask. His arms are long wine bottles (with the necks facing out to serve as hands), and his legs are kegs. His head is a Hessian canteen, with a funnel on top, like a hat. Whether he is real or merely a figment of the narrator's imagination (or drunken hallucination) is uncertain, although the narrator clearly thinks that he is real." https://www.eapoe.org/works/info/pt05...
December 21, 2015
Not a fan, unfortunately. It was entertaining and made me laugh, but it was too ridiculous for me. That probably makes me sound stuffy, but I don't mean it like that. I just struggled to get past the Angel's German accent that wasn't all that accurate to how German people sound (in my opinion) and the way the narrator was so freaking matter-of-fact about all of these insane events and his reactions. I mean, he just says, in the most unfeeling and straightforward way, "So after all this, I decided to commit suicide. I mean, why not?" And he was like that about everything, which just highlighted how completely absurd this story was.
Looks like I'm more of a fan of Poe's horror than his comedy.
Looks like I'm more of a fan of Poe's horror than his comedy.
September 22, 2016
This is a very short little tale which you can read very quickly. Its somewhat amusing. I always enjoy Edgar Allan Poe's stories.
January 15, 2018
I loved how bizarre this story was. Poe isn't known for humor. That's not necessarily his bag, but he pulls off the satire here with aplomb. No, it shouldn't be taken seriously. Yes, nothing makes sense. And I thought it was hilarious. It's supposed to be ridiculous. That's the point. And to that end, it succeeds wonderfully.
December 31, 2019
Me encantó!
September 8, 2025
Unlike many of Poe’s other works, this story isn’t steeped in horror or dread. Instead, I found it surprisingly humorous.
The tale follows a man who, one evening, comes across a report of someone dying in an unusual manner. Dismissing it as a hoax, he loudly voices his disbelief, only to be confronted by a barrel-shaped creature with bottles for limbs, who introduces himself as the “Angel of the Odd.” The angel insists that he is responsible for all bizarre and improbable events, but the man, assuming he’s simply drunk, brushes it off and goes about his life.
From that moment on, however, everything that can possibly go wrong does, gradually forcing the man to reconsider the angel’s claim.
I found this story witty, clever, and thoroughly entertaining. It’s a refreshing departure from Poe’s darker tales, and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❌/5.
The tale follows a man who, one evening, comes across a report of someone dying in an unusual manner. Dismissing it as a hoax, he loudly voices his disbelief, only to be confronted by a barrel-shaped creature with bottles for limbs, who introduces himself as the “Angel of the Odd.” The angel insists that he is responsible for all bizarre and improbable events, but the man, assuming he’s simply drunk, brushes it off and goes about his life.
From that moment on, however, everything that can possibly go wrong does, gradually forcing the man to reconsider the angel’s claim.
I found this story witty, clever, and thoroughly entertaining. It’s a refreshing departure from Poe’s darker tales, and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❌/5.
July 20, 2017
"The avenues to death are numerous and strange."
The story starts with a 'odd accident' which isn't thought to be anything of a 'singular by the narrator. The way Poe had described the way a man died by swallowing a needle was so horrific that I washallucinating feeling a sharp pain in my throat at 10 AM. Angel of the Odd has mesmerizing looks (at least for a drunk!) And then the fun begins...
The strange thing about this short story was the surprising use of humor which is quite unusual from Poe. It is believed the unusual dialect spoken by Angel of the Odd was never spoken in the globe in 1844 (as per Poe's biographer Arthur Hobson Quinn.)
Anyway, a gripping story and a true classic!
The story starts with a 'odd accident' which isn't thought to be anything of a 'singular by the narrator. The way Poe had described the way a man died by swallowing a needle was so horrific that I was
The strange thing about this short story was the surprising use of humor which is quite unusual from Poe. It is believed the unusual dialect spoken by Angel of the Odd was never spoken in the globe in 1844 (as per Poe's biographer Arthur Hobson Quinn.)
Anyway, a gripping story and a true classic!
August 23, 2016
Very Funny
i Liked it
i Liked it
August 1, 2018
#ccbookreviews
Finished: 01.08.2018
Genre: short story
Rating: B
Conclusion:
I've started reading one of my Classic Club books:
The Complete Short Stories by E.A. Poe. (29)
I want to extend my stay with Poe whose genius is
...unquestionable. These stories need to be
read, digested and reviewed ...one at a time.
It will take many weeks to finish this book
on my morning walks...a story a day!
Review
Finished: 01.08.2018
Genre: short story
Rating: B
Conclusion:
I've started reading one of my Classic Club books:
The Complete Short Stories by E.A. Poe. (29)
I want to extend my stay with Poe whose genius is
...unquestionable. These stories need to be
read, digested and reviewed ...one at a time.
It will take many weeks to finish this book
on my morning walks...a story a day!
Review
October 22, 2017
Pequeño relato de Poe, con mucho sarcasmo en vez de tinieblas sigue su línea de hacer pagar a los incrédulos y a los arrogantes sus excesos. La muerte nunca perdona.
November 19, 2017
..meistars un aizsācējs šajā jomā; lielisks stāstu krājums, kur katrs stāsts ļauj priecāties par Po meistarību un izdomu.
December 28, 2019
Poe as humorist. Seemingly born with a weakness for puns and German accents, Poe pops the cork off a tale of mischief and mayhem!
July 30, 2025
[3.5]
what the hell… sure!
what the hell… sure!
September 3, 2010
I've read a bit of Poe's work, and was somewhat surprised at this one. All of his hallmarks were there, yet it had an unfamiliar mood of tranquility. Despite the plight of not only his 'Odd' uninvited guest, as well as his sporadic lucidity during his fitful, liquor induced sleep, to me, there remained a sense of calm. It was as if this German, supernatural Liquor man was chastising him as a parent would a child. He cared for his hostage. This "angel" being wingless and hostile is, in my opinion, masking him, as no one believed in him anyway he was no better than a animal. Adolf the liquor angel only wanted validation; nullify all strange "coincidences" and happenstance of death. Afterward, casually clink and clank about his business of lending a shoving hand to the couple stuck at the top of the ferris wheel and other inexplicably unlikely varieties of death. I'm now going to read some educated interpretations. I like my own, but it's fun to see how far off I am.
October 9, 2020
"El ángel de lo estrambótico" es un cuento que oscila entre los delirios del opio, la locura y la borrachera, o sea, tres cosas que Poe sufría (opio, borrachera) o de las que sabía mucho (locura).
El narrador alucina que ve un extraño hombrecillo luego de ingerir suficiente vino para caer en una situación onírica.
El relato es una verdadera construcción absurda que sólo puede responder a un "mal sueño" proveniente de la ingesta del vino, algo que a Po lo afectaba enormemente, pues podía tomar un sólo vaso para emborracharse completamente.
El narrador alucina que ve un extraño hombrecillo luego de ingerir suficiente vino para caer en una situación onírica.
El relato es una verdadera construcción absurda que sólo puede responder a un "mal sueño" proveniente de la ingesta del vino, algo que a Po lo afectaba enormemente, pues podía tomar un sólo vaso para emborracharse completamente.
February 4, 2022
What even happened 😭😭😭
January 4, 2025
What a delightful reading experience this was. I found this story quite enjoyable,not at all dull and boring as so much of Poe's short stories are. This one had me from the first few words but then again I do dwell best in the strange and unusual. I thought I had figured out the outcome while on the first page. Soon to find to my surprise a twist( something Poe rarely does) and this was very welcomed and something if he were writing today that I would insist he do more often. And it's because of this little twist and the subject matter in general that give this story a four star review. Job well done Mr. Poe.
March 11, 2025
Una tarde fría de noviembre un hombre se encuentra disfrutando de la placidez de su día hasta que frente a él se presenta un ser antropomórfico hecho de botellas de licor alegando ser El Ángel de Lo Estrambótico, figura que en el relato representa los contratemps, el imprevisto, el accidente. El hombre no da crédito a lo que ven sus ojos pero la verdad se le presenta innegable. Enfrentará una serie de eventos desafortunados y se dará cuenta que la vida no es tan perfecta y predecible como él creía.
March 1, 2023
A silly little imaginative folly ostensibly inspired by newspaper articles dealing with remarkable or odd accidents. Despite the obviously forced subject matter, I found Poe's humor rather charming and pithy here.
July 9, 2021
I had to read this for a class. It was odd and not my idea of horror but an alright story overall.
October 14, 2021
This story is supposed to be funny or tragic? Rather strange
January 15, 2024
Wow! This was so bizarre in the best possible way!
April 21, 2024
I want to give it four just because it's Poe and I love Poe, but honestly, I found this story more weird than anything else. In fact, I'm wondering if I need to read it again because since it IS Poe, I'm wondering if I missed something big in it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews