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The Thousand and One Ghosts
Coming back into town after a hunting expedition, Alexandre Dumas witnesses an incredible scene: a man has come to hand himself in to the mayor after decapitating his wife, terrified by the fact that her severed head spoke to him even after her death. This prompts the guests at a dinner Dumas attends later that evening to exchange stories of death and the supernatural, ranging from accounts of the guillotine during the Terror to tales of vampires and fratricide in the Carpathians.
The Thousand and One Ghosts – here presented in its first and only translation into English – is a gloriously macabre work by the celebrated author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, which also touches on the serious political issue of capital punishment.
The Thousand and One Ghosts – here presented in its first and only translation into English – is a gloriously macabre work by the celebrated author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, which also touches on the serious political issue of capital punishment.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1846
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About the author
Alexandre Dumas
6,109 books12.4k followersThis note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
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September 7, 2019
The last story was the best story!
Also I love that it all begins with a headless corpse.
The flow isn't quite there but the stories are cool! All a little bit random and slightly spooky but told in that classic way that makes me love Dumas so much.
Basically Alexandre Dumas writes himself into this one as a fellow at a dinner party who listens to a few ghost stories, recounted after they all witness a man who murdered his wife going a bit mad because he claims her headless corpse spoke to him.
I mean if that doesn't sound like a fun way to start a story what is?
So everyone takes their turn (except Dumas himself) to tell the tale of similar spooky occurrences that happened to a friend-of-a-friend or similar. Because of the writing style, I was never really creeped out by the stories themselves, but they do cover interesting horror themes like re-animated corpses and curses and voices from the dead.
It was probably a bit too short for my liking and I do wonder if maybe its been abridged? I wanted so much more of this story and its themes. I mean the title is kind of misleading because instead of one thousand and one there's like ... five. Disappointing.
Otherwise I can say nothing bad about another book from my beloved favourite author.
Also I love that it all begins with a headless corpse.
The flow isn't quite there but the stories are cool! All a little bit random and slightly spooky but told in that classic way that makes me love Dumas so much.
Basically Alexandre Dumas writes himself into this one as a fellow at a dinner party who listens to a few ghost stories, recounted after they all witness a man who murdered his wife going a bit mad because he claims her headless corpse spoke to him.
I mean if that doesn't sound like a fun way to start a story what is?
So everyone takes their turn (except Dumas himself) to tell the tale of similar spooky occurrences that happened to a friend-of-a-friend or similar. Because of the writing style, I was never really creeped out by the stories themselves, but they do cover interesting horror themes like re-animated corpses and curses and voices from the dead.
It was probably a bit too short for my liking and I do wonder if maybe its been abridged? I wanted so much more of this story and its themes. I mean the title is kind of misleading because instead of one thousand and one there's like ... five. Disappointing.
Otherwise I can say nothing bad about another book from my beloved favourite author.
June 8, 2025
L'eco del passato
Nel settembre 1831 Alexandre Dumas viene invitato in campagna da un conoscente per la caccia. Di ritorno da una battuta, prende una scorciatoia e si ritrova ad attraversare un villaggio. All'improvviso un uomo visibilmente sconvolto sopraggiunge di corsa, diretto verso la casa del sindaco, monsieur Ledru. L'uomo dichiara di aver ucciso sua moglie tagliandole la testa con una spada. Testa che, a dire dell'uxoricida, subito dopo essere stata separata dal corpo gli ha parlato. Dumas si ritrova coinvolto nella faccenda in qualità di testimone e il sindaco lo invita a pranzo. In questa occasione il gruppo di convitati presenti, tra cui una strana e bellissima dama di un pallore cadaverico, inizia a dibattere sull'esistenza del sovrannaturale, su storie e fenomeni inspiegabili a cui hanno assistito o che gli sono stati riferiti e ciascuno di loro racconta un episodio misterioso. Si viene così a comporre una splendida raccolta di storie da brivido. Come già nel racconto horror La donna dal collier di velluto, l'autore ricorre al meccanismo delle scatole cinesi, con una serie di narratori che si incastrano l'uno dentro l'altro. Una strategia ideale per questo tipo di storia, perché accresce il senso di mistero e fa sprofondare sempre di più il lettore in un mondo arcano e suggestivo, popolato di presagi e apparizioni inquietanti e dove i morti camminano di fianco ai vivi.
La penna di Dumas è ammaliante come sempre, quasi una bacchetta magica capace di evocare l'incantesimo del racconto come nessun'altra. Una menzione speciale merita l'ultima storia della raccolta, una vicenda di vampiri ambientata sui Carpazi e narrata dalla strana dama pallida, così suggestiva, intensa e coinvolgente che mentre si legge sembra di avere davanti agli occhi le scene di un film in costume. Avevo già avuto modo di apprezzarla su Audible, ma alla lettura si è rivelata ancora più bella.
Nell'Introduzione l'autore si rivolge a un amico ignoto, al quale invia la raccolta, e condivide con lui il lamento sulla scarsità di arguzia, conversazione brillante e cortesia che affligge la società moderna. Gli animi sensibili sono quindi spinti a guardare al passato con nostalgia o a rifugiarsi in mondi alternativi. «E ciò che soprattutto cerco, ciò che prima di tutto rimpiango, ciò che il mio sguardo retrospettivo cerca nel passato è la società che se ne va, che evapora, che scompare come uno di quei fantasmi di cui sto per raccontarti la storia». Oggi non si può che condividere queste riflessioni, ma fino a quando ci sarà un Dumas da leggere e in cui perdersi con gioia, avremo sempre anche un rimedio al grigiore del mondo che ci circonda. «È per questo che la mia voce, eco del passato, è ancora ascoltata in un presente che ascolta così poco e così male».
Nel settembre 1831 Alexandre Dumas viene invitato in campagna da un conoscente per la caccia. Di ritorno da una battuta, prende una scorciatoia e si ritrova ad attraversare un villaggio. All'improvviso un uomo visibilmente sconvolto sopraggiunge di corsa, diretto verso la casa del sindaco, monsieur Ledru. L'uomo dichiara di aver ucciso sua moglie tagliandole la testa con una spada. Testa che, a dire dell'uxoricida, subito dopo essere stata separata dal corpo gli ha parlato. Dumas si ritrova coinvolto nella faccenda in qualità di testimone e il sindaco lo invita a pranzo. In questa occasione il gruppo di convitati presenti, tra cui una strana e bellissima dama di un pallore cadaverico, inizia a dibattere sull'esistenza del sovrannaturale, su storie e fenomeni inspiegabili a cui hanno assistito o che gli sono stati riferiti e ciascuno di loro racconta un episodio misterioso. Si viene così a comporre una splendida raccolta di storie da brivido. Come già nel racconto horror La donna dal collier di velluto, l'autore ricorre al meccanismo delle scatole cinesi, con una serie di narratori che si incastrano l'uno dentro l'altro. Una strategia ideale per questo tipo di storia, perché accresce il senso di mistero e fa sprofondare sempre di più il lettore in un mondo arcano e suggestivo, popolato di presagi e apparizioni inquietanti e dove i morti camminano di fianco ai vivi.
La penna di Dumas è ammaliante come sempre, quasi una bacchetta magica capace di evocare l'incantesimo del racconto come nessun'altra. Una menzione speciale merita l'ultima storia della raccolta, una vicenda di vampiri ambientata sui Carpazi e narrata dalla strana dama pallida, così suggestiva, intensa e coinvolgente che mentre si legge sembra di avere davanti agli occhi le scene di un film in costume. Avevo già avuto modo di apprezzarla su Audible, ma alla lettura si è rivelata ancora più bella.
Nell'Introduzione l'autore si rivolge a un amico ignoto, al quale invia la raccolta, e condivide con lui il lamento sulla scarsità di arguzia, conversazione brillante e cortesia che affligge la società moderna. Gli animi sensibili sono quindi spinti a guardare al passato con nostalgia o a rifugiarsi in mondi alternativi. «E ciò che soprattutto cerco, ciò che prima di tutto rimpiango, ciò che il mio sguardo retrospettivo cerca nel passato è la società che se ne va, che evapora, che scompare come uno di quei fantasmi di cui sto per raccontarti la storia». Oggi non si può che condividere queste riflessioni, ma fino a quando ci sarà un Dumas da leggere e in cui perdersi con gioia, avremo sempre anche un rimedio al grigiore del mondo che ci circonda. «È per questo che la mia voce, eco del passato, è ancora ascoltata in un presente che ascolta così poco e così male».
June 23, 2018
Romantizim, Gotik anlatı, korku ve müptezellik hikayeleri. Tek bir geceye bağlanmış, misafirlerin anlatıları ile şekillenen bir tür karanlık gece. Groteks anlatılar, bahisi arttırırcasına hikayelendirilen yaşandığı söylenilen tuhaf öyküler. Alexandre Dumas'ın nefis kalemi de işin içine girinci çok acayip bir eser ortaya çıkmış. Özellikler yukarda bahsettiğim unsurları seviyor, türü okumaktan keyif alıyorsanız kaçırmamız gerektiğini düşündüğüm bir eser. Kendi adıma bu kitap özelinde çok tat aldığımı belirtmeliyim.
November 2, 2019
4,5/5
👻
“Ölüm yaşamı yok etmez, ölüm insan bedeninin bir dönüşüm biçimidir sadece; ölüm hafızayı yok eder, hepsi bu.”
👻
Karanlık Şato’nun lanetli maratonu kapsamında Alexandre Dumas’tan ilk kitabımı okudum ve çok mutluyum.
Kitap inanılmaz akıcı ve bir o kadar da ürkütücüydü. Ee ne de olsa hayalet hikayesi değil mi?
Yazarın kaleminin akıcı olduğunu görmek beni Dumas’ın diğer kitaplarını okumak konusunda yüreklendirdi. Çünkü şu an kitaplığımda okunmayı bekleyen tuğla ağırlığındaki Üç Silahşor kitabı beni fazlasıyla korkutuyordu.
Her neyse ben bu kitaba başlarken kısa kısa hayalet öyküleri okuyacağımı sanıyordum fakat öyle olmadı. Kitap tek bir hikayeden oluşup karakterlerin anlattığı birden fazla ölümü konu ediniyor ve hayaletlerin var olup olamayacağını sorgulatıyor.
Kitabı okurken ürküp okumayı bırakarak etrafıma göz gezdirdiğim anlar olmadı değil. O yüzden kitabı karanlık bir ortamda okumanızı tavsiye etmem ama yine de okuyun. Keyifli okumalar ❤️
👻
“Ölüm yaşamı yok etmez, ölüm insan bedeninin bir dönüşüm biçimidir sadece; ölüm hafızayı yok eder, hepsi bu.”
👻
Karanlık Şato’nun lanetli maratonu kapsamında Alexandre Dumas’tan ilk kitabımı okudum ve çok mutluyum.
Kitap inanılmaz akıcı ve bir o kadar da ürkütücüydü. Ee ne de olsa hayalet hikayesi değil mi?
Yazarın kaleminin akıcı olduğunu görmek beni Dumas’ın diğer kitaplarını okumak konusunda yüreklendirdi. Çünkü şu an kitaplığımda okunmayı bekleyen tuğla ağırlığındaki Üç Silahşor kitabı beni fazlasıyla korkutuyordu.
Her neyse ben bu kitaba başlarken kısa kısa hayalet öyküleri okuyacağımı sanıyordum fakat öyle olmadı. Kitap tek bir hikayeden oluşup karakterlerin anlattığı birden fazla ölümü konu ediniyor ve hayaletlerin var olup olamayacağını sorgulatıyor.
Kitabı okurken ürküp okumayı bırakarak etrafıma göz gezdirdiğim anlar olmadı değil. O yüzden kitabı karanlık bir ortamda okumanızı tavsiye etmem ama yine de okuyun. Keyifli okumalar ❤️
December 2, 2019
Okuduğum en keyifli hayalet öykülerinden biriydi. Özellikle son hikaye çok güzeldi. Kitabın en sevdiğim tarafı bu hikayeleri ayrı ayrı değil aynı odada bulunan insanlardan sırasıyla dinliyor oluşumuz. Normalde öykü okurken yoruluyordum, bu özelliği sayesinde roman gibi aktı.
October 27, 2024
3.75 stars
“The pride of those who cannot edify lies in destruction”
A series of linked stories by Dumas Pere, originally published in 1846 and set in around 1830. They are linked by an unnamed narrator (who is actually Dumas himself). It is essentially stories told around a dinner table. Guests each tell a spooky story. It is all triggered by an incident at the beginning of the book. The narrator passes a man with blood on his hands walking into a town, he follows:
"...I saw coming towards me, from the direction of the church, a man who looked so strange that I came to a halt, and instinctively cocked both barrels of my rifle, impelled by a mere sense of self-preservation.
But the man - pale, his hair sticking up, his eyes popping out, his clothes in disarray and his hands spattered with blood - passed by me without seeing me. His stare was both fixed and lifeless. He was rushing ahead with the unstoppable momentum of a body bouncing uncontrollably down the steep sides of a mountain, and yet his breathless panting indicated more panic than fatigue."
The man hands himself in to the town mayor, confessing to murdering his wife. He has decapitated her with a sword as he thought she was being unfaithful. When he picked up the head it bit him and then spoke to him claiming innocence. This so unnerved him that he confessed to the deed.
Meeting later a group of local worthies and Dumas tell stories that are in some way related and revolve around death. A number of them have some political background and relate to the French Revolution. There was at the time some consideration about the guillotine as an instrument of execution and there was a debate about how long consciousness lasted after decapitation and if a head could speak/move the lips/blink and so on. Some of the earlier stories explore this. All of the stories look at the line between life and death. The last one is set in Moldova and concerns vampirism, another topic that was being discussed at the time. All the tales are gothic and rather gloomy and this is rather an oddity, but I did enjoy it and it suits the season.
“The pride of those who cannot edify lies in destruction”
A series of linked stories by Dumas Pere, originally published in 1846 and set in around 1830. They are linked by an unnamed narrator (who is actually Dumas himself). It is essentially stories told around a dinner table. Guests each tell a spooky story. It is all triggered by an incident at the beginning of the book. The narrator passes a man with blood on his hands walking into a town, he follows:
"...I saw coming towards me, from the direction of the church, a man who looked so strange that I came to a halt, and instinctively cocked both barrels of my rifle, impelled by a mere sense of self-preservation.
But the man - pale, his hair sticking up, his eyes popping out, his clothes in disarray and his hands spattered with blood - passed by me without seeing me. His stare was both fixed and lifeless. He was rushing ahead with the unstoppable momentum of a body bouncing uncontrollably down the steep sides of a mountain, and yet his breathless panting indicated more panic than fatigue."
The man hands himself in to the town mayor, confessing to murdering his wife. He has decapitated her with a sword as he thought she was being unfaithful. When he picked up the head it bit him and then spoke to him claiming innocence. This so unnerved him that he confessed to the deed.
Meeting later a group of local worthies and Dumas tell stories that are in some way related and revolve around death. A number of them have some political background and relate to the French Revolution. There was at the time some consideration about the guillotine as an instrument of execution and there was a debate about how long consciousness lasted after decapitation and if a head could speak/move the lips/blink and so on. Some of the earlier stories explore this. All of the stories look at the line between life and death. The last one is set in Moldova and concerns vampirism, another topic that was being discussed at the time. All the tales are gothic and rather gloomy and this is rather an oddity, but I did enjoy it and it suits the season.
October 5, 2017
I actually killed two birds with one stone reading this book, since I discovered that aside from some translation and editorial differences, it's the same book as Horror At Fontenay , which I bought because it appeared in Wheatly's Library of the Occult.
While I can't really divulge much about the contents in this book, I will say that the stories here speak to translator Andrew Brown's question of whether the dead are "really dead." From the first story, "Solange," which I'd just read in The Dedalus Book of French Horror: The 19th Century, each of these tales examine to some degree the idea of consciousness continuing to live on after death, continuing the debate which began back in the 1790s when death by guillotine was in its heyday. There's much, much more going on here, of course, and I could talk about this book for hours -- that's how good it is.
One Thousand and One Ghosts really is the perfect stormy-night read, and to those readers who disliked it because it wasn't "swashbuckling" or anything like The Count of Monte Cristo, well, it obviously wasn't meant to be.
One goodreads reader says about this book that
"It might have been sort of freaky for the time it was written, but with mass media we are so inundated with macabre stories, this book almost seems like a bedtime story by comparison..."
which I think is a truly sad commentary on older supernatural fiction in general. Don't be fooled -- Dumas has written something great here.
http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2017...
While I can't really divulge much about the contents in this book, I will say that the stories here speak to translator Andrew Brown's question of whether the dead are "really dead." From the first story, "Solange," which I'd just read in The Dedalus Book of French Horror: The 19th Century, each of these tales examine to some degree the idea of consciousness continuing to live on after death, continuing the debate which began back in the 1790s when death by guillotine was in its heyday. There's much, much more going on here, of course, and I could talk about this book for hours -- that's how good it is.
One Thousand and One Ghosts really is the perfect stormy-night read, and to those readers who disliked it because it wasn't "swashbuckling" or anything like The Count of Monte Cristo, well, it obviously wasn't meant to be.
One goodreads reader says about this book that
"It might have been sort of freaky for the time it was written, but with mass media we are so inundated with macabre stories, this book almost seems like a bedtime story by comparison..."
which I think is a truly sad commentary on older supernatural fiction in general. Don't be fooled -- Dumas has written something great here.
http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2017...
March 26, 2017
Dumas me ha sorprendido para bien con esta pequeña novela que encadena una serie de relatos.
Hacia tiempo que no leía nada él y estás pocas páginas me han vuelto a despertar las ganas.
El protagonista del relato es él mismo, que es el encargado de contarnos la primer historia de la "cabeza parlante" y a partir del primer hecho macabro, los demás personajes toman su pie para contarnos historias semejantes que han vivido.
La historia que más me gustó fue la del final, seguramente porque tiene cierta relación con los vampiros y eso me encantó. Sin embargo, la que más ha quedado en mi memoria ha sido la del abate Moulle, me pareció fascinante por la imagen que muestra de la lucha entre el bien y el mal.
Por lo demás, este pequeño librito tiene unas frases fabulosas, que se deben tener en consideración.
Obviamente está más que recomendado para pasar un buen rato y tener un par de escalofríos.
Hacia tiempo que no leía nada él y estás pocas páginas me han vuelto a despertar las ganas.
El protagonista del relato es él mismo, que es el encargado de contarnos la primer historia de la "cabeza parlante" y a partir del primer hecho macabro, los demás personajes toman su pie para contarnos historias semejantes que han vivido.
La historia que más me gustó fue la del final, seguramente porque tiene cierta relación con los vampiros y eso me encantó. Sin embargo, la que más ha quedado en mi memoria ha sido la del abate Moulle, me pareció fascinante por la imagen que muestra de la lucha entre el bien y el mal.
Por lo demás, este pequeño librito tiene unas frases fabulosas, que se deben tener en consideración.
Obviamente está más que recomendado para pasar un buen rato y tener un par de escalofríos.
April 18, 2025
Una raccolta di racconti gradevolmente spaventosa. L'ultimo rimane il migliore e sembra che abbia ispirato anche Bram Stoker!
November 9, 2021
Os desafios de leitura que surgiram nas redes sociais no passado Halloween, foram a desculpa perfeita para finalmente me atrever a descobrir este livro.
Confesso que esta edição me deixava um pouco hesitante. Para além de uma capa com o seu "terror visual" muito próprio 😁, na primeira página do texto encontrei um errata que corrigia o nome do autor da dita... Acrescia ainda o meu desconhecimento sobre a editora (Novaera) e tratar-se de uma edição bem antiga (de 1977). As minhas expectativas sobre a sua qualidade eram pois bastante baixas.
Contudo, exceptuando o já exposto, não encontrei qualquer outro problema na edição.
Como este livro acabou por ser uma experiência de leitura acima da média, desenvolvi até algum afecto por esta "distinta" e memorável edição 🤓
É caso para dizer "Nunca julgues um fantasminha pelo seu lençol..." 😂🎃
Bom, mas se pareciam óbvias e até com algum fundamento as minhas hesitações sobre a edição, já o nome do seu autor não deixava margem para incertezas: Alexandre Dumas! Pai. E no género de terror e do sobrenatural?!... Talvez um dos géneros literários que menos aprecio, mas como não ficar curiosa?...
Pois ainda bem que fiquei curiosa, ainda bem que comprei esta edição apesar de todas as minhas tolas reservas e ainda bem que o li.
"- Alexandre Dumas, autor dramático, vinte e sete anos de idade, morador em Paris, Rua da Universidade número 21 - respondi." (pág.25)
Esta foi talvez uma das melhores surpresas deste livro: o autor como narrador e personagem. Confere ao texto uma forte impressão de credibilidade, como se de facto o que Dumas nos conta tivesse realmente acontecido. Tratando-se de relatos do macabro e do sobrenatural, a utilização desta técnica foi na minha opinião muito eficiente, outorgando um poder suplementar ao texto.
Outra técnica que na minha opinião resultou muito bem neste livro, foi a "das histórias dentro da história". Alexandre Dumas personagem, vê-se envolvido num crime de contornos macabros. Por ter aceite ser testemunha oficial perante as autoridades locais desse crime, é convidado para casa do administrador, para assinar os autos. É nessa casa que um peculiar grupo de pessoas acaba reunida e onde cada um vai discorrer sobre as suas crenças e experiências mais sinistras
Uma "degustação" de vários tipos de terror e fantasia sobrenatural, que tem início no tema da decapitação e termina no vampiresco, passando por diversas outras temáticas, em várias histórias, para mim todas elas interessantes.
Um livro que foi difícil pousar e uma boa experiencia de leitura.
Não esperava gostar tanto quanto gostei 😁
nota: a sinopse de uma edição mais recente, menciona que Dumas terá escrito este livro em colaboração com outros autores, mas nesta edição não há qualquer referência a esse facto.
Confesso que esta edição me deixava um pouco hesitante. Para além de uma capa com o seu "terror visual" muito próprio 😁, na primeira página do texto encontrei um errata que corrigia o nome do autor da dita... Acrescia ainda o meu desconhecimento sobre a editora (Novaera) e tratar-se de uma edição bem antiga (de 1977). As minhas expectativas sobre a sua qualidade eram pois bastante baixas.
Contudo, exceptuando o já exposto, não encontrei qualquer outro problema na edição.
Como este livro acabou por ser uma experiência de leitura acima da média, desenvolvi até algum afecto por esta "distinta" e memorável edição 🤓
É caso para dizer "Nunca julgues um fantasminha pelo seu lençol..." 😂🎃
Bom, mas se pareciam óbvias e até com algum fundamento as minhas hesitações sobre a edição, já o nome do seu autor não deixava margem para incertezas: Alexandre Dumas! Pai. E no género de terror e do sobrenatural?!... Talvez um dos géneros literários que menos aprecio, mas como não ficar curiosa?...
Pois ainda bem que fiquei curiosa, ainda bem que comprei esta edição apesar de todas as minhas tolas reservas e ainda bem que o li.
"- Alexandre Dumas, autor dramático, vinte e sete anos de idade, morador em Paris, Rua da Universidade número 21 - respondi." (pág.25)
Esta foi talvez uma das melhores surpresas deste livro: o autor como narrador e personagem. Confere ao texto uma forte impressão de credibilidade, como se de facto o que Dumas nos conta tivesse realmente acontecido. Tratando-se de relatos do macabro e do sobrenatural, a utilização desta técnica foi na minha opinião muito eficiente, outorgando um poder suplementar ao texto.
Outra técnica que na minha opinião resultou muito bem neste livro, foi a "das histórias dentro da história". Alexandre Dumas personagem, vê-se envolvido num crime de contornos macabros. Por ter aceite ser testemunha oficial perante as autoridades locais desse crime, é convidado para casa do administrador, para assinar os autos. É nessa casa que um peculiar grupo de pessoas acaba reunida e onde cada um vai discorrer sobre as suas crenças e experiências mais sinistras
Uma "degustação" de vários tipos de terror e fantasia sobrenatural, que tem início no tema da decapitação e termina no vampiresco, passando por diversas outras temáticas, em várias histórias, para mim todas elas interessantes.
Um livro que foi difícil pousar e uma boa experiencia de leitura.
Não esperava gostar tanto quanto gostei 😁
nota: a sinopse de uma edição mais recente, menciona que Dumas terá escrito este livro em colaboração com outros autores, mas nesta edição não há qualquer referência a esse facto.
July 20, 2021
За това симпатично книжле разбрах съвсем случайно, когато преди месец и нещо прочетох пълното издание на Дракула. В няколко обяснителни бележки преводачът Слави Ганев го спомена като директен вдъхновител на емблематични сцени от култовото вампирско произведение, а бързият отскок до Книжен пазар ми го набави за жълти стотинки. Не знам защо се бях заблудил, че е сборник, оказа се кратък роман. При това хитро решен като мозайка от навързани разкази в разказа.
Действието се води в първо лице, от самия Александър Дюма, двайсет и седем годишен, драматичен писател, случайно озовал се, по време на лов, на зловещо местопрестъпление и останал да подпише протокола като свидетел. След формалностите приема поканата на кмета на градчето за обяд в дома му и разбира се основна тема по време на угощението остава убийството, около което има няколко наглед необясними обстоятелства. В тази връзка гостите започват да си разказват свръхестествени истории.
Глави, говорещи часове след като са отделени от телата си на гилотината, отмъстителни привидения на разбойници, осквернени гробници, вампири... Мяркат се и реални исторически персонажи като Марат, Дантон, Шарлот Корде, Уолтър Скот и правят мистификацията пълна... Абсолютен кеф! Докато се усетя глътнах книжлето, което макар и 120 стр. е с микроскопичен шрифт, типично за 90's 🙂 Е, съдържанието му едва ли може да уплаши обръгналия на всичко съвременен читател, еле пък виден хоръро-любител като мен, както тръби задната корица, но наистина ме забавлява на макс.
Ето пълна библиофилска справка за изданието в любимия ми сайт SFBG: http://www.sfbg.us/book/ARAL-S-91ADHP. Мотиви от последните четири глави определено са използвани от Брам Стокър.
А Александър Дюма се оказа автор, при все реалистично-приключенското амплоа, в което го познаваме, често изкушаван от свръхестественото - наскоро прочетох и друг такъв негов роман Предводителят на вълците.
Действието се води в първо лице, от самия Александър Дюма, двайсет и седем годишен, драматичен писател, случайно озовал се, по време на лов, на зловещо местопрестъпление и останал да подпише протокола като свидетел. След формалностите приема поканата на кмета на градчето за обяд в дома му и разбира се основна тема по време на угощението остава убийството, около което има няколко наглед необясними обстоятелства. В тази връзка гостите започват да си разказват свръхестествени истории.
Глави, говорещи часове след като са отделени от телата си на гилотината, отмъстителни привидения на разбойници, осквернени гробници, вампири... Мяркат се и реални исторически персонажи като Марат, Дантон, Шарлот Корде, Уолтър Скот и правят мистификацията пълна... Абсолютен кеф! Докато се усетя глътнах книжлето, което макар и 120 стр. е с микроскопичен шрифт, типично за 90's 🙂 Е, съдържанието му едва ли може да уплаши обръгналия на всичко съвременен читател, еле пък виден хоръро-любител като мен, както тръби задната корица, но наистина ме забавлява на макс.
Ето пълна библиофилска справка за изданието в любимия ми сайт SFBG: http://www.sfbg.us/book/ARAL-S-91ADHP. Мотиви от последните четири глави определено са използвани от Брам Стокър.
А Александър Дюма се оказа автор, при все реалистично-приключенското амплоа, в което го познаваме, често изкушаван от свръхестественото - наскоро прочетох и друг такъв негов роман Предводителят на вълците.
October 23, 2022
I bought this on a whim. I have loved Alexandre Dumas since I first read The Three Musketeers in junior high. This is NOTHING like that. It's actually something of an oddity - a very gothic collection of ghost stories told by a small group of people, one of whom happens to be Dumas himself. These are not ghost stories like those written by M R James, Peter Straub, Shirley Jackson, or Stephen Jackson. They have a strange, gothic feel to them. I'm reminded of Castle Eppstein, one of Dumas' known works that has the same eerie atmosphere. The book is only 156 pages long, so there aren't a thousand and one stories here. I think the reference is more to "A Thousand and One Nights."
The framing story is about Jacquemin, a quarryman who confesses to brutally murdering his wife. Dumas is walking down the road when he first sees Jacquemin:
"...I saw coming towards me, from the direction of the church, a man who looked so strange that I came to a halt, and instinctively cocked both barrels of my rifle, impelled by a mere sense of self-preservation.
But the man - pale, his hair sticking up, his eyes popping out, his clothes in disarray and his hands spattered with blood - passed by me without seeing me. His stare was both fixed and lifeless. He was rushing ahead with the unstoppable momentum of a body bouncing uncontrollably down the steep sides of a mountain, and yet his breathless panting indicated more panic than fatigue."
It turns out that Jacquemin has reason to be afraid - and it has nothing to do with the fact that he will pay for his crime with his life.
There is a discussion about whether Jacquemin's story can be true or not, which leads to each person present telling their own tale of the supernatural - a lost love, a dead man wanting absolution, a judge haunted by the man he condemned to die, the revenge of a long-dead king, the undying love of a husband and wife, and finally, an undead monster preying on the woman he supposedly loved when he was alive.
As I have gotten older, I've gotten less tolerant with poor writing, especially in horror and suspense novels. Too many writers take the easy way out and use a lot of blood and gore in an attempt to scare, only to fail completely. Then there's "horror" that's nothing but romance with a few poorly done supernatural touches ("Twilight" anyone?) Dumas never does that. You can always be assured of superb writing and a good story with him and "One Thousand and One Ghosts" is no exception. The book is set in 1831, but was actually published in 1849.
If you're looking for traditional ghost stories, look somewhere else. However, if you're looking for an interesting, unusual read by a master, then try "One Thousand and One Ghosts."
The framing story is about Jacquemin, a quarryman who confesses to brutally murdering his wife. Dumas is walking down the road when he first sees Jacquemin:
"...I saw coming towards me, from the direction of the church, a man who looked so strange that I came to a halt, and instinctively cocked both barrels of my rifle, impelled by a mere sense of self-preservation.
But the man - pale, his hair sticking up, his eyes popping out, his clothes in disarray and his hands spattered with blood - passed by me without seeing me. His stare was both fixed and lifeless. He was rushing ahead with the unstoppable momentum of a body bouncing uncontrollably down the steep sides of a mountain, and yet his breathless panting indicated more panic than fatigue."
It turns out that Jacquemin has reason to be afraid - and it has nothing to do with the fact that he will pay for his crime with his life.
There is a discussion about whether Jacquemin's story can be true or not, which leads to each person present telling their own tale of the supernatural - a lost love, a dead man wanting absolution, a judge haunted by the man he condemned to die, the revenge of a long-dead king, the undying love of a husband and wife, and finally, an undead monster preying on the woman he supposedly loved when he was alive.
As I have gotten older, I've gotten less tolerant with poor writing, especially in horror and suspense novels. Too many writers take the easy way out and use a lot of blood and gore in an attempt to scare, only to fail completely. Then there's "horror" that's nothing but romance with a few poorly done supernatural touches ("Twilight" anyone?) Dumas never does that. You can always be assured of superb writing and a good story with him and "One Thousand and One Ghosts" is no exception. The book is set in 1831, but was actually published in 1849.
If you're looking for traditional ghost stories, look somewhere else. However, if you're looking for an interesting, unusual read by a master, then try "One Thousand and One Ghosts."
February 10, 2023
Dumas, con la sua prodigiosa verve, riunisce i temi del fantastico in questo romanzo del 1849, una sorta di caleidoscopio magico che seduce e intriga, seppur non conquistando quanto i capolavori più noti.
Rispolverata l'alleanza tra romanticismo e fantastico, esibisce un apprezzabile tentativo verso qualcosa di diverso dalla sua linea produttiva, tecnica ripresa anche ne "La donna dal collier di velluto", degli stessi anni. Questa edizione contiene anche il racconto "Il principe dei lupi".
Rispolverata l'alleanza tra romanticismo e fantastico, esibisce un apprezzabile tentativo verso qualcosa di diverso dalla sua linea produttiva, tecnica ripresa anche ne "La donna dal collier di velluto", degli stessi anni. Questa edizione contiene anche il racconto "Il principe dei lupi".
March 11, 2019
Kitabın kapağını açıyorsunuz ve yıldızlı bir kamp gecesinde ateşin karşında oturmuş, size ürpertici hikayeler anlatan Bay Dumas'yı dinliyorsunuz. Yani en azından ben böyle hissettim. Okumadığım bir kitabına bile tereddütsüz 'muhteşemdir' diyebileceğim nadir yazarlardan biri zaten Alexandre Dumas. Bu sebeple de, içim rahat bir şekilde 'mutlaka' okumanızı tavsiye ediyorum. =)
April 7, 2010
When I found this, in mint condition, in one of my favourite local second-hand bookshops, I was surprised and thrilled and bought it quick-smart before anyone else spotted it. I've loved Dumas since I read The Count of Monte Cristo several years ago, when I lived in Japan. Yep, that one book sold me. I loved The Three Muskateers too, and I don't know why I haven't yet read the old copy of The Man in the Iron Mask that's hiding somewhere on my bookcase. Those are his three most famous books, and like with most Classics authors, it's hard to find any of their less well-known works. This is where Hesperus Press comes in: they publish all these famous authors' less well-known works, from Dickens to the Brontë sisters, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Hardy, Woolf. I read their edition of Yevgeny Zamyatin's We - the book that influenced 1984 and Brave New World - and I realised I have another one of theirs on my shelf: The Squabble by Nikolai Gogol. And can I just add, as someone who loves and cares about the way stories get to me, the way they are printed and bound and so on, that Hesperus makes beautiful books. Truly lovely, lovely to hold, very finely made, laid out, great font, everything. Hats off to them!
One Thousand and One Ghosts is fiction, but is narrated by a twenty-seven year old Dumas (27 at the time of the story, older when he is "recalling" it). It is set in France in 1831, and the shadow of the guillotine still hangs heavy over the land. Dumas is in the country, at the home of an old friend, for a shooting weekend. Wandering off from his fellows, he makes his way back through the village, Fontenay-aux-Roses. While walking down the main street, he encounters a wild-looking man with arms drenched in blood, and, arrested by this strange vision, he follows the man to the home of the Mayor, M. Ledru, where he unhesitatingly confesses that he has just murdered his wife.
The man, Jacquemin, is in a state of perpetual terror and the reason for it becomes clear soon enough: he asserts that after beheading his wife with a sword while she knelt in the cellar to get wine from the barrel, he went to pick up the head and she bit him on the hand and wouldn't let go! He put his wife's head on a sack of plaster, whereupon it let go of his hand to say: "You wretch! I was innocent!"
Dumas is swept up in events and ends up being a police witness, seeing first-hand the decapitated body, the pool of blood, the head on the sack and the sword on the stairs. The only person who seems to believe Jacquemin (who confesses to everything except why he wanted to kill his wife in the first place), is the Mayor. M. Ledru invites Dumas back to his home for dinner, where he introduces him to his friends and associates: Monsieur Alliette, who has lived for two hundred and seventy-five years; Hedwige, a very pale blonde woman who was the victim of a vampire; Father Moulle and Chevalier Lenoir; and finally Dr Robert and the police superintendent. Dr Robert is a staunch disbeliever, and cannot understand why Ledru would say he believes that a decapitated head spoke.
Beginning with Ledru, each character (except Dumas and the superintendent) takes their turn in telling a ghost story: a story they were, almost always, personally involved in that convinced them of various supernatural oddities. Each story is sad and haunting and scary. Ledru's is tragic: he fell in love with a young aristocrat in hiding during the Revolution, who was found out and beheaded. Even the doctor has a story, which he sees as evidence for his own arguments but is perhaps the most chilling ghost story of them all.
Each story is concerned with death and the effect of the guillotine on the nation's psyche. As the translator noted in his introduction, they all "get it in the neck" one way or the other. Apparently, at the time, there was quite a bit of debate about whether the guillotine really was the most effective way to kill people, whether the severed spinal cord and nerves did ensure not just simultaneous death in the body but death in the head as well. It's a really creepy idea, that heads can live on for a brief time after decapitation. I think these days we know for sure that they don't, but that doesn't make these stories any less chilling.
One Thousand and One Ghosts is wonderfully told, vivid with detail, and rich in history and drama. It just makes me hungry for more Dumas! A book to treasure.
One Thousand and One Ghosts is fiction, but is narrated by a twenty-seven year old Dumas (27 at the time of the story, older when he is "recalling" it). It is set in France in 1831, and the shadow of the guillotine still hangs heavy over the land. Dumas is in the country, at the home of an old friend, for a shooting weekend. Wandering off from his fellows, he makes his way back through the village, Fontenay-aux-Roses. While walking down the main street, he encounters a wild-looking man with arms drenched in blood, and, arrested by this strange vision, he follows the man to the home of the Mayor, M. Ledru, where he unhesitatingly confesses that he has just murdered his wife.
The man, Jacquemin, is in a state of perpetual terror and the reason for it becomes clear soon enough: he asserts that after beheading his wife with a sword while she knelt in the cellar to get wine from the barrel, he went to pick up the head and she bit him on the hand and wouldn't let go! He put his wife's head on a sack of plaster, whereupon it let go of his hand to say: "You wretch! I was innocent!"
Dumas is swept up in events and ends up being a police witness, seeing first-hand the decapitated body, the pool of blood, the head on the sack and the sword on the stairs. The only person who seems to believe Jacquemin (who confesses to everything except why he wanted to kill his wife in the first place), is the Mayor. M. Ledru invites Dumas back to his home for dinner, where he introduces him to his friends and associates: Monsieur Alliette, who has lived for two hundred and seventy-five years; Hedwige, a very pale blonde woman who was the victim of a vampire; Father Moulle and Chevalier Lenoir; and finally Dr Robert and the police superintendent. Dr Robert is a staunch disbeliever, and cannot understand why Ledru would say he believes that a decapitated head spoke.
Beginning with Ledru, each character (except Dumas and the superintendent) takes their turn in telling a ghost story: a story they were, almost always, personally involved in that convinced them of various supernatural oddities. Each story is sad and haunting and scary. Ledru's is tragic: he fell in love with a young aristocrat in hiding during the Revolution, who was found out and beheaded. Even the doctor has a story, which he sees as evidence for his own arguments but is perhaps the most chilling ghost story of them all.
Each story is concerned with death and the effect of the guillotine on the nation's psyche. As the translator noted in his introduction, they all "get it in the neck" one way or the other. Apparently, at the time, there was quite a bit of debate about whether the guillotine really was the most effective way to kill people, whether the severed spinal cord and nerves did ensure not just simultaneous death in the body but death in the head as well. It's a really creepy idea, that heads can live on for a brief time after decapitation. I think these days we know for sure that they don't, but that doesn't make these stories any less chilling.
One Thousand and One Ghosts is wonderfully told, vivid with detail, and rich in history and drama. It just makes me hungry for more Dumas! A book to treasure.
December 7, 2008
I kind of can't believe this book exists, even after reading it. Basically: it's a collection of ghost stories by Alexandre Dumas.
They're packaged up into a single narrative... the premise being that Alex (we're on a first name basis now) acts as a witness in a murder investigation, and that investigation has some creepiness, which leads to him and some contemporaries debating the possibility of this creepiness NOT being a guilt-induced hallucination of the murderer, which leads to them telling each other ghost stories.
The whole book is written in first person perspective, which was unexpected for a Dumas book. The perspective switches, as you push into the persona of each tale teller and pop back out to Alex's perspective at the ghost-story-telling party.
Despite the various tales being told by non-Dumas figures, they are all still written in the unmistakeably awesome style and voice of pretty much the best author ever.
They're packaged up into a single narrative... the premise being that Alex (we're on a first name basis now) acts as a witness in a murder investigation, and that investigation has some creepiness, which leads to him and some contemporaries debating the possibility of this creepiness NOT being a guilt-induced hallucination of the murderer, which leads to them telling each other ghost stories.
The whole book is written in first person perspective, which was unexpected for a Dumas book. The perspective switches, as you push into the persona of each tale teller and pop back out to Alex's perspective at the ghost-story-telling party.
Despite the various tales being told by non-Dumas figures, they are all still written in the unmistakeably awesome style and voice of pretty much the best author ever.
October 25, 2025
This book is introduced with a ghastly murder that then leads to a group of acquaintances and strangers telling ghost stories to each other. Because of that premise, I don't think it would ever get higher than 3 stars, just because any story collection always suffers from the problem that some stories are better than others. The introduction was my favorite part of the book and reminded me the most of other works from Dumas I have read. It was well written and immersive. Of the ghost tales, the last story is probably the best, and the longest. Overall, the stories vary in their impact. None of the stories are particularly horrific or terror-striking, especially to a modern audience. They are more focused on social and political allegories, examination of the French Revolution (and other impactful historical events), or a discussion of science vs the supernatural. I would have liked a longer, more put-together ending after the final story, from Dumas, to wrap everything up.
June 27, 2025
Anche Dumas père, sogna come me di vivere in un’altra epoca. Peccato però che io vivi in una società terribilmente peggiore rispetto alla sua. Mi chiedo allora perché anche lui desideri vivere nel passato. Forse perché è più facile immaginare ciò che è stato rispetto a vivere il presente?
Dei racconti affascinanti e coinvolgenti. È stata una lettura davvero piacevole.
Dei racconti affascinanti e coinvolgenti. È stata una lettura davvero piacevole.
October 23, 2025
INCREDIBILE.
November 18, 2019
Karanlık Şato'nun bu ayki okuması Alexandre Dumas'dan Binbir Hayalet'ti. Yazarı ilk defa okuyacak olmasam da adı ve konusu itibariyle, sonrasında hakkında duyduklarım ile ilgimi epey çeken bir kitaptı Binbir Hayalet. Monte Cristo Kontu'nu bu yılın başında okudum ve o kadar çok sevdim ki hala dilimden düşmedi gitti! 2019'un enleri listesinde başı çekeceği kesin. Durum böyle olunca aslında Binbir Hayalet'ten beklentim de yüksekti ister istemez. İçeriğinin, konusunun farklı olduğu farkındalığıyla okudum elbette kitabı.
Ön sözleri sonradan okumayı sevdiğimden bahsetmişimdir mutlaka. Bu sefer de öyle yaptım çünkü ön sözü kitabın çevirmeni yazmış. Özellikle çevirmen ön sözleri kitapla ilgili inceleme içerdiğinden bunları kitabı bitirdikten sonra okumayı daha çok seviyorum. Böyle daha iyi oturuyor kafamda çevirmenin anlattıkları. Ayrıca kitaba, çevirmenin sözleriyle veda edip kitabın kapağını öyle kapatmayı da kendimce romantik buluyorum, ne yalan söyleyeyim. Bana kalırsa siz de ön sözü sonradan okuyun, bu tercihim beni bir kez daha memnun bıraktı.
Kitap Dumas'nın bir dostuna yazdığı bir mektupla başlıyor. Hal böyle olunca insan bir şaşırıyor, okuyacaklarının gerçek mi kurgu mu olduğunu sorgulamaya daha en baştan başlıyor. Doğrusunu söylemek gerekirse bu bahsi geçen hayalet hikayelerini anlatmak için harika bir yöntem seçmiş Dumas. Onları dolaylı yoldan kendisi anlatmak yerine karakterlerine, karakterleri de demeyelim de onları dinlediği kişilere anlattırmış olduğu gibi. Kendisi de bizim gibi dinleyiciymiş aslında. Bir nevi duyduklarını rapor edip bir kitap haline getirmiş gibi bir şey. Kitapta birden fazla hikaye var ve bence hepsi az ya da çok ürkütücüydü. Hikayeyi kitabın bağlamından bağımsız okusam, dinlesem belki bu kadar etkilenmezdim ama Dumas bize bu hikayenin anlatıldığı ortamı da inanılmaz güzel betimliyor. Kendinizi hikayenin anlatıldığı yerde, sus pus olmuş dinleyicilerin arasında hissetmeniz işten bile değil. Kısacası hikayeler kendi başlarına ürpertici olsa da anlatıldıkları mekanın tasviri, o an içinde bulunulan durum ve ortamdaki atmosferin anlatımı hikayelerin etkileyiciliğini arttıran en önemli unsurdu bana göre.
Monte Cristo Kontu'nda yazarın eğlenceli, yer yer alaycı ve nükteli bir anlatımı vardı. Aynı üslupla bu kitapta da karşılaşmayı bekliyordum ama öyle değildi. Bu kötü bir şey değil, aksine yazarın farklı anlatımlarla okuru karşılaması bence çok hoş.
Çeviriyle ilgili bir nokta hoşuma gitmedi o da çevirmen notlarına ihtiyaç varken bu tür notların kullanılmamasıydı. Hikayelerin arka planı dopdolu, açıklanması gereken çok şey var okurun ne anlatılmak istendiğini anlaması için. Hikayelerde geçen olaylar, mekanlar, şahıslar dahi gerçek. Bu yüzden Fransız tarihine hakim olmayan her okuyucu kendini yabancı hissedecektir. Çevirmen bu açıklamaları toplayıp ön sözünde bunlara uzun uzun değinmiş fakat ben gibi ön sözü sonradan okuyanlar ya da hiç okumayanlar için metnin içinde bu açıklamalarını yeri geldiğinde yinelemeyi tercih etmemiş. Bana yabancı gelen bu tür unsurlarla karşılaştığımda gözüm hemen çevirmen notu/yayıncı notu vb. bir açıklama arıyor. Bulamayınca kendimi bağlam dışı hissediyorum ve anlayamadığım o şeyi bilmemek beni okuma sırasında inanılmaz rahatsız ediyor. Boş verip geçemiyorum yani, bir şey eksik kalmış gibi hissediyorum ve aklım oraya takılıyor. Tadım kaçıyor kısacası :D
Dediğim gibi büyük olasılıkla ön sözde özellikle üzerinde durulduğu için metin içinde tekrarlanmamış bu açıklamalar. Bana kalırsa gerekliydi. Okuma kolaylığı sağlamak ve okuyucuyu bağlamdan koparmamak için çok iyi olurdu.
Bunun dışında çeviri akıcıydı. Alexandre Dumas'nın anlatımı, söylememe gerek var mı bilmiyorum ama, çok sürükleyiciydi.
Ön sözleri sonradan okumayı sevdiğimden bahsetmişimdir mutlaka. Bu sefer de öyle yaptım çünkü ön sözü kitabın çevirmeni yazmış. Özellikle çevirmen ön sözleri kitapla ilgili inceleme içerdiğinden bunları kitabı bitirdikten sonra okumayı daha çok seviyorum. Böyle daha iyi oturuyor kafamda çevirmenin anlattıkları. Ayrıca kitaba, çevirmenin sözleriyle veda edip kitabın kapağını öyle kapatmayı da kendimce romantik buluyorum, ne yalan söyleyeyim. Bana kalırsa siz de ön sözü sonradan okuyun, bu tercihim beni bir kez daha memnun bıraktı.
Kitap Dumas'nın bir dostuna yazdığı bir mektupla başlıyor. Hal böyle olunca insan bir şaşırıyor, okuyacaklarının gerçek mi kurgu mu olduğunu sorgulamaya daha en baştan başlıyor. Doğrusunu söylemek gerekirse bu bahsi geçen hayalet hikayelerini anlatmak için harika bir yöntem seçmiş Dumas. Onları dolaylı yoldan kendisi anlatmak yerine karakterlerine, karakterleri de demeyelim de onları dinlediği kişilere anlattırmış olduğu gibi. Kendisi de bizim gibi dinleyiciymiş aslında. Bir nevi duyduklarını rapor edip bir kitap haline getirmiş gibi bir şey. Kitapta birden fazla hikaye var ve bence hepsi az ya da çok ürkütücüydü. Hikayeyi kitabın bağlamından bağımsız okusam, dinlesem belki bu kadar etkilenmezdim ama Dumas bize bu hikayenin anlatıldığı ortamı da inanılmaz güzel betimliyor. Kendinizi hikayenin anlatıldığı yerde, sus pus olmuş dinleyicilerin arasında hissetmeniz işten bile değil. Kısacası hikayeler kendi başlarına ürpertici olsa da anlatıldıkları mekanın tasviri, o an içinde bulunulan durum ve ortamdaki atmosferin anlatımı hikayelerin etkileyiciliğini arttıran en önemli unsurdu bana göre.
Monte Cristo Kontu'nda yazarın eğlenceli, yer yer alaycı ve nükteli bir anlatımı vardı. Aynı üslupla bu kitapta da karşılaşmayı bekliyordum ama öyle değildi. Bu kötü bir şey değil, aksine yazarın farklı anlatımlarla okuru karşılaması bence çok hoş.
Çeviriyle ilgili bir nokta hoşuma gitmedi o da çevirmen notlarına ihtiyaç varken bu tür notların kullanılmamasıydı. Hikayelerin arka planı dopdolu, açıklanması gereken çok şey var okurun ne anlatılmak istendiğini anlaması için. Hikayelerde geçen olaylar, mekanlar, şahıslar dahi gerçek. Bu yüzden Fransız tarihine hakim olmayan her okuyucu kendini yabancı hissedecektir. Çevirmen bu açıklamaları toplayıp ön sözünde bunlara uzun uzun değinmiş fakat ben gibi ön sözü sonradan okuyanlar ya da hiç okumayanlar için metnin içinde bu açıklamalarını yeri geldiğinde yinelemeyi tercih etmemiş. Bana yabancı gelen bu tür unsurlarla karşılaştığımda gözüm hemen çevirmen notu/yayıncı notu vb. bir açıklama arıyor. Bulamayınca kendimi bağlam dışı hissediyorum ve anlayamadığım o şeyi bilmemek beni okuma sırasında inanılmaz rahatsız ediyor. Boş verip geçemiyorum yani, bir şey eksik kalmış gibi hissediyorum ve aklım oraya takılıyor. Tadım kaçıyor kısacası :D
Dediğim gibi büyük olasılıkla ön sözde özellikle üzerinde durulduğu için metin içinde tekrarlanmamış bu açıklamalar. Bana kalırsa gerekliydi. Okuma kolaylığı sağlamak ve okuyucuyu bağlamdan koparmamak için çok iyi olurdu.
Bunun dışında çeviri akıcıydı. Alexandre Dumas'nın anlatımı, söylememe gerek var mı bilmiyorum ama, çok sürükleyiciydi.
October 1, 2023
Şövalyelik hikayeleriyle tanıdığım Dumas’nın hayalet hikayeleri de yazdığını duyunca şaşırdım. Gogol’ün Akşam Toplantıları’na çok benzettim. Aynı şemayı izliyor ve iki kitaptaki öyküler de halk inanışlarından yola çıkarak oluşturuluyor. Dumas bu inanışları ve söylenceleri gerçek simaları kullanarak kurgulamış. Anlatıcının ava gittiği kasabada bir cinayet haberi duyulur. Bir adam karısını kafasını keserek öldürmüştür. Tutuklanmak ister, teslim olur ama anlattıkları inanılır gibi değildir. Kesilen kafanın konuştuğunu söyler. Bu olay üzerine köyde konakladıkları evde çeşitli hayalet hikayeleri anlatılır ve kitabı da bu öyküler oluşturuyor.
Öykülerin genel teması Fransız Devrimi hatta karakterlerden biri de giyotin. Dumas -sürekli şövalyelik hikayeleri yazmasından da anlaşılacağı gibi- geçmiş ve aristokrasi hayranı. Fransız Devrimi ile yaşanan değişimlerden de hoşnut değil. Liberallerin terör dönemi olarak adlandırdığı dönemin dehşetini anlatmaya çalışıyor. Öykülere Mesmer, Cazotte, Galvani gibi birçok ünlü isim de eşlik ediyor. Bu isimlerin geneli doğal olarak karşı devrimci. Öykülerde kafa kesilerek öldürülünce tam olarak ölünemeyeceği gibi bir düşünce var. Bunu giyotinle idam edilen aristokrasinin ölmeyeceğini söylemek için kurguladığını düşündüm. Öyküler her ne kadar güzel olsa da Dumas yanıldı ve aristokrasinin tekrar palazlanamayacağı ölçüde kafası kesildi.
Öykülerin genel teması Fransız Devrimi hatta karakterlerden biri de giyotin. Dumas -sürekli şövalyelik hikayeleri yazmasından da anlaşılacağı gibi- geçmiş ve aristokrasi hayranı. Fransız Devrimi ile yaşanan değişimlerden de hoşnut değil. Liberallerin terör dönemi olarak adlandırdığı dönemin dehşetini anlatmaya çalışıyor. Öykülere Mesmer, Cazotte, Galvani gibi birçok ünlü isim de eşlik ediyor. Bu isimlerin geneli doğal olarak karşı devrimci. Öykülerde kafa kesilerek öldürülünce tam olarak ölünemeyeceği gibi bir düşünce var. Bunu giyotinle idam edilen aristokrasinin ölmeyeceğini söylemek için kurguladığını düşündüm. Öyküler her ne kadar güzel olsa da Dumas yanıldı ve aristokrasinin tekrar palazlanamayacağı ölçüde kafası kesildi.
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October 31, 2024The main work is, as per Duma's standards, very good. But it's Norton's translation— retaining the black humour and thus infusing a sense of real-yet-unreal into the text— that makes it a great read.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 23, 2020
El título me ha engañado, de todas las historias solo en 2 hay algo que se pueda llamar fantasmas, el resto son sucesos más propios de la época que nada tiene que ver con el terror paranormal y si afino nada que ver con el terror.
December 8, 2017
Ariel juvenil nos trae una antología de relatos fantásticos y de terror del célebre novelista francés Alejandro Dumas (padre). Se trata de una reunión improvisada a la que asisten el escritor, el comisario de policía, un doctor, el dueño de casa, el abate, un caballero y un literato; el tema principal de la conversación es la vida después de la muerte. Cada uno de los contertulios irá narrando alguna historia con tintes sobrenaturales que le ha sido referida o él mismo ha protagonizado. Cabezas dekapitadas que cobran vida, maldiciones que llevan a la muerte y la locura, aparecidos fantasmales y resurrecciones monárquicas; son algunos de los componentes de estos relatos ambientados en parajes sombríos, morgues, cementerios y cadalsos en la violenta París post Revolución Francesa. Se vivía lo más crudo de la venganza ejecutada por los republicanos después de la “Toma de la Bastilla”, la aristocracia y la monarquía fue procesada y guillotina en cuestión de semanas, las fosas comunes eran la norma.
El título de este libro hace referencia a las Mil y una noches; esta edición juvenil contaba unos pocos relatos, eso sí, todos bastante interesantes y espeluznantes. Destaco los siguientes episodios: El bofetón a la cabeza de Carlota Corday. “El gato, el alguacil y el esqueleto”, que nos cuenta el conjuro de un bandido escocés sobre el magistrado que lo condenó, quien se vuelve loco hasta encontrar la muerte mientras vislumbra con pánico durante varios meses un gato, un alguacil y un esqueleto. En “Los sepulcros de San Dionisio” se ofende a la momia de Enrique IV, al poco tiempo el blasfemo es empujado a la muerte gracias a un hechizo post mortem. La aristócrata angelita es asesinada y su cabeza sin cuerpo le dará el último beso a su amada 24 horas después de ejecutada.
Lo histórico y lo fantasmal se combinan perfectamente en estas leyendas.
El título de este libro hace referencia a las Mil y una noches; esta edición juvenil contaba unos pocos relatos, eso sí, todos bastante interesantes y espeluznantes. Destaco los siguientes episodios: El bofetón a la cabeza de Carlota Corday. “El gato, el alguacil y el esqueleto”, que nos cuenta el conjuro de un bandido escocés sobre el magistrado que lo condenó, quien se vuelve loco hasta encontrar la muerte mientras vislumbra con pánico durante varios meses un gato, un alguacil y un esqueleto. En “Los sepulcros de San Dionisio” se ofende a la momia de Enrique IV, al poco tiempo el blasfemo es empujado a la muerte gracias a un hechizo post mortem. La aristócrata angelita es asesinada y su cabeza sin cuerpo le dará el último beso a su amada 24 horas después de ejecutada.
Lo histórico y lo fantasmal se combinan perfectamente en estas leyendas.
July 29, 2008
I'm a sucker for both Dumas and ghost stories, so this book seemed made for me. Then again, considering that Dumas (more or less)authored hundreds of novels, plays, essays (even a cookbook), everyone can probably find some Dumas work that seems ideally suited to them.
I enjoyed the book, particularly as Dumas writes himself into it, but it scored low on the supernatural creep-out factor. It is loosely based around the question, starkly thrust to the fore during the Terror, of how long a head remains cognizant once severed from the body. Some stories, such as the first, are good for their creepiness, while others are particularly interesting against the backdrop of the French Revolution. However, the last story is one of the lamest vampire stories I have ever read.
This was the second time I read the book, the first being around Halloween in Vienna in 2005. I enjoyed it more then and I must conclude that my latest backdrop, a humid July beach in North Carolina, just didn't set the proper mood.
I enjoyed the book, particularly as Dumas writes himself into it, but it scored low on the supernatural creep-out factor. It is loosely based around the question, starkly thrust to the fore during the Terror, of how long a head remains cognizant once severed from the body. Some stories, such as the first, are good for their creepiness, while others are particularly interesting against the backdrop of the French Revolution. However, the last story is one of the lamest vampire stories I have ever read.
This was the second time I read the book, the first being around Halloween in Vienna in 2005. I enjoyed it more then and I must conclude that my latest backdrop, a humid July beach in North Carolina, just didn't set the proper mood.
December 2, 2013
A intriguing little collection of macabre tales. The story focuses on one evening that Dumas spends in the company of Monsieur Ledru and his guests following the arrest of a man who has killed his wife by beheading her. The man is terrified because his wife's head spoke to him after it was cut off. This episode leads to each of the guests tells a dramatic story involving their own experiences with life after death, including encounters with vampires, ghosts and heads that speak after being guillotined during the French Revolution. The story is an interesting exploration of ideas about whether we live on after death and whether guillotining was the humane method of execution it was intended to be. If this book was intended to make people look more closely at the latter question, it worked in my case - I wasn’t aware of the ‘living heads’ phenomenon before reading this book, but am now thoroughly creeped out by it.
October 24, 2008
An uneven collection of horror tales all centred in one way or another round the question of life after death. Guillotined and otherwise severed heads, hanged bandits, hinted at deals with dark powers. Like a Decameron lite a group meet for dinner after a murder and tell tales of the dead. The Corday/Solange tale was the stand out story for me, with it's description of severed heads in a basket grinding their teeth the most disturbing image I've read, in anything, in a while. Reads like it was written in a hurry and could have done with revision or tighter editing. Not Dumas' finest but entertaining none the less.
March 13, 2012
I gobbled up Dumas as a teen. The Count of Monte Cristo, Three Musketeers, The Man In The Iron Mask, and the more obscure Twenty Years After. I found this slim volume at my local library and found it a pleasant surprise. There isn't much in the way of swashbuckling but all the valour, courage and faithfulness you'd expect in a Dumas story are there along with ghosts and vampires! He also makes himself a character in the story and narrates part of it in the first person, an old trick to lend supernatural tales plausibility, but it makes the book seem surprisingly modern. A good book for a rainy afternoon or stormy evening.
June 14, 2017
Dumas’nın kitapta bahsettiği hayaletler, Fransa tarihinde gerçek kişilere ait hayaletlerdir. Dumas bu romanda okura altı fantastik öykü anlatıyor. Ancak fantastik öykülerdeki birçok kişi gerçek ve tarihte bulunan kişilerdir. Öykülerden birinde anlatılan ve Fransız Devrimi sırasında mezarları açılarak toplu mezara gömülen Fransa kralları ve idamı anlatılan Kraliçe Marie-Antoinette sadece birkaç örnek...
Kitapla ilgili ayrıntılı inceleme için
http://kitapokurum.blogspot.com.tr/20...
Kitapla ilgili ayrıntılı inceleme için
http://kitapokurum.blogspot.com.tr/20...
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November 13, 2017Chociaż ten zbiorek Dumasa może się wydawać kompilacją znanych motywów, a często znajdzie się w nim i jakaś mniejsza bądź większa bzdurka, warto sięgnąć po niego ze względu na klimat i całkiem sprytne powiązanie ze sobą siedmiu historii. Pomimo dość dużego okrucieństwa, jakie temu skromnemu tomikowi robi okładka, nie zrażajcie się tym na początku.
Szczegóły: http://pierogipruskie.blogspot.com/20... (a tam między innymi straszna rewolucja, Sandomierz rzut kamieniem od Rumunii, polskie wsie pełne duchów i inne smakowitości).
Szczegóły: http://pierogipruskie.blogspot.com/20... (a tam między innymi straszna rewolucja, Sandomierz rzut kamieniem od Rumunii, polskie wsie pełne duchów i inne smakowitości).
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