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Hieroglyphic Tales
Funny, absurd, satirical, and disturbingthese stories are Horace Walpole's most original, yet least known writings
These short tales can claim to be the first surrealist writings in English and remain some of the strangest fiction in all literature. They were originally published in 1785 in an edition of six copies, all of which Walpole kept for himself. An extra story is included, which was preserved only in manuscript. Truly bizarre, Walpole's stories defy the fictional conventions of his day, beginning with an often-imitated mock preface explaining that the stories were "undoubtedly written a little before the creation of the world, and have ever since been preserved, by oral tradition, in the mountains of Crampcraggiri, an uninhabited island, not yet discovered."
These short tales can claim to be the first surrealist writings in English and remain some of the strangest fiction in all literature. They were originally published in 1785 in an edition of six copies, all of which Walpole kept for himself. An extra story is included, which was preserved only in manuscript. Truly bizarre, Walpole's stories defy the fictional conventions of his day, beginning with an often-imitated mock preface explaining that the stories were "undoubtedly written a little before the creation of the world, and have ever since been preserved, by oral tradition, in the mountains of Crampcraggiri, an uninhabited island, not yet discovered."
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1785
15 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Horace Walpole
1,428 books286 followersHoratio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford — also known as Horace Walpole — was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors, and for his Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto. Along with the book, his literary reputation rests on his Letters, which are of significant social and political interest. He was the son of Sir Robert Walpole, and cousin of Lord Nelson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 29, 2025
Estava a nação neste estado de distracção quando chegou ao reino o príncipe de Quifferiquiminim, que teria sido o maior herói daquela época se não estivesse já morto, se fosse conhecedor de qualquer outra língua que não o egípcio e se não se desse o acaso de ter três pernas.
- O Rei e Suas Três Filhas
Diz Horace Walpole no posfácio desta edição que data de 1785:
“Existe infinitamente mais imaginação na História, que não tem qualquer mérito se não for verdadeira, do que nos romances e novelas, que não pretendem conter verdade alguma”.
Esse problema, porém, não se aplica a Walpole, que tem uma imaginação fulgurante à qual dá asas em seis contos estapafúrdios e alucinantes, onde o absurdo não parece descabido e as ideias que parecem uma autêntica salada russa acabam por dar origem a histórias coesas.
Ao mesmo tempo, a pata enfiou-se de tal modo na passagem de ar que a bloqueou, asfixiando todos os maridos da bruxa. Ora como esta era uma colecção de maridos que ela reunira com mil cuidados, esforços e custos, imagine-se a frustração e a fúria. Em retaliação, fez desabar uma tempestade medonha de raios e trovões que durou oitocentos e quatro anos.
- A Caixinha dos Dados: Um Conto de Fadas
Uma Nova História das Mil e Uma Noites - 4*
O Rei e as suas Três Filhas - 5*
A Caixinha dos Dados: Um Conto de Fadas - 5*
Um Pêssego em Calda de Brandy, Conto Irlandês - 4*
Mi Li: Um Conto de Fadas Chinês – 3*
Uma Verdadeira História de Amor – 4*
- O Rei e Suas Três Filhas
Diz Horace Walpole no posfácio desta edição que data de 1785:
“Existe infinitamente mais imaginação na História, que não tem qualquer mérito se não for verdadeira, do que nos romances e novelas, que não pretendem conter verdade alguma”.
Esse problema, porém, não se aplica a Walpole, que tem uma imaginação fulgurante à qual dá asas em seis contos estapafúrdios e alucinantes, onde o absurdo não parece descabido e as ideias que parecem uma autêntica salada russa acabam por dar origem a histórias coesas.
Ao mesmo tempo, a pata enfiou-se de tal modo na passagem de ar que a bloqueou, asfixiando todos os maridos da bruxa. Ora como esta era uma colecção de maridos que ela reunira com mil cuidados, esforços e custos, imagine-se a frustração e a fúria. Em retaliação, fez desabar uma tempestade medonha de raios e trovões que durou oitocentos e quatro anos.
- A Caixinha dos Dados: Um Conto de Fadas
Uma Nova História das Mil e Uma Noites - 4*
O Rei e as suas Três Filhas - 5*
A Caixinha dos Dados: Um Conto de Fadas - 5*
Um Pêssego em Calda de Brandy, Conto Irlandês - 4*
Mi Li: Um Conto de Fadas Chinês – 3*
Uma Verdadeira História de Amor – 4*
July 16, 2019
Um bom punhado de contos de pendor surrealista. É sempre bom ler obras nas quais é óbvio existir um prazer de criação sem constragimentos exteriores, ao invés de livros cujo trabalho de polimento se torna tão conspícuo a ponto de impor a sua artificilidade masturbatória irritante ao leitor.
April 3, 2019
Começo copiando a sinopse:
Li este livrinho em cerca de uma hora, mas bem que gostaria de estar dias inteiros a ler mais destas histórias loucas.
Uma nova história das mil e uma noites
As cabras em Hirgonqúu podiam muito bem ser ovíparas e pôr ovos para chocarem ao sol. Esta é a minha suposição, independentemente de acreditar nela ou não. Estou, aliás, disposto a contestar e insultar qualquer pessoa que se oponha à minha hipótese. Seria o cúmulo, se homens eruditos fossem obrigados a acreditar naquilo que afirmam!
O rei e as suas três filhas
Havia antigamente um rei que tinha três filhas — ou seja, teria tido três filhas, se tivesse tido mais uma. Mas seja por que for, a mais velha nunca chegou a nascer.
e havia um príncipe que teria sido o maior herói daquela época se não estivesse já morto e se não se desse o acaso de ter três pernas.
A caixinha dos dados: um conto de fadas
Um mercador de Damasco deixou como herança à sua filha uma casca de pistachio que servia de carruagem puxada por um elefante e uma joaninha. A menina, que tinha sempre vivido isolada, logo que o pai soltou o último suspiro saltou para a carruagem e conduziu tão depressa quanto pôde e sem sequer saber para onde ia. Foi parar em frente a uma torre onde vivia uma bruxa que se trancara lá dentro com os seus sete mil maridos.
Um pêssego em calda de brandy, conto irlandês
Deste não posso transcrever a parte mais engraçada porque é muito chocante. Ah!Ah!Ah!
Mi Li: um conto de fadas chinês
Aqui ri só um bocadinho menos...
Uma verdadeira história de amor
com uma boa surpresa no final.
(Acho que o Horace tinha um parafuso a menos... felizmente...)
Os Contos Hieroglíficos constituem, de facto, os mais delirantes textos da literatura de todos os tempos. Feitos para subverter e minar todas as técnicas narrativas conhecidas, o seu nonsense cruza histórias bizarras e fábulas modernas que percorrem trilhos exóticos, das arábias à Irlanda, da China a Veneza, da Jordânia à Espanha muçulmana.
Li este livrinho em cerca de uma hora, mas bem que gostaria de estar dias inteiros a ler mais destas histórias loucas.
Uma nova história das mil e uma noites
As cabras em Hirgonqúu podiam muito bem ser ovíparas e pôr ovos para chocarem ao sol. Esta é a minha suposição, independentemente de acreditar nela ou não. Estou, aliás, disposto a contestar e insultar qualquer pessoa que se oponha à minha hipótese. Seria o cúmulo, se homens eruditos fossem obrigados a acreditar naquilo que afirmam!
O rei e as suas três filhas
Havia antigamente um rei que tinha três filhas — ou seja, teria tido três filhas, se tivesse tido mais uma. Mas seja por que for, a mais velha nunca chegou a nascer.
e havia um príncipe que teria sido o maior herói daquela época se não estivesse já morto e se não se desse o acaso de ter três pernas.
A caixinha dos dados: um conto de fadas
Um mercador de Damasco deixou como herança à sua filha uma casca de pistachio que servia de carruagem puxada por um elefante e uma joaninha. A menina, que tinha sempre vivido isolada, logo que o pai soltou o último suspiro saltou para a carruagem e conduziu tão depressa quanto pôde e sem sequer saber para onde ia. Foi parar em frente a uma torre onde vivia uma bruxa que se trancara lá dentro com os seus sete mil maridos.
Um pêssego em calda de brandy, conto irlandês
Deste não posso transcrever a parte mais engraçada porque é muito chocante. Ah!Ah!Ah!
Mi Li: um conto de fadas chinês
Aqui ri só um bocadinho menos...
Uma verdadeira história de amor
com uma boa surpresa no final.
(Acho que o Horace tinha um parafuso a menos... felizmente...)
July 14, 2025
It was the word Hieroglyphic that caught my eye and made to want to read this book. I've always been fascinated by anything Egypt.
It was a short collection of Fairy Tales and I will echo other reviews and call it "surreal" because that is the best description I have seen for what this book is.
Also:
Eccentric, hazy, quirky, biting, mischievious, different, odd, over-the-top, garish, fun, sparkling, ethereal, bizarre, almost from another realm, adorable, witty, confusing, small-print (too small -- at least my copy) , eyebrow-raising and highly unusual.
It was a short collection of Fairy Tales and I will echo other reviews and call it "surreal" because that is the best description I have seen for what this book is.
Also:
Eccentric, hazy, quirky, biting, mischievious, different, odd, over-the-top, garish, fun, sparkling, ethereal, bizarre, almost from another realm, adorable, witty, confusing, small-print (too small -- at least my copy) , eyebrow-raising and highly unusual.
September 2, 2017
GR describes these stories as surreal. Yep, that works. Imagine Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters getting together, riffing on all sorts of topics as only they could. These stories of Walpole's could have come from an improv session with those two great goofy comedians. Walpole would have been right at home with them and more than able to keep up, too!
Naturally not everyone likes such manic goings-on, but I can handle a little of it, and these six stories were just the right dose. I often had the feeling that there was more going on than I was aware of, though. Sly social commentary and erudite opinions transformed into farce, to protect either the target or the author, maybe? On the other hand maybe Walpole just felt like letting his imagination run a bit wild. Which he certainly did!
The first tale, called A New Arabian Nights Entertainment takes the story of Scheherazade and gives it not only a new twist but quite a few new wrinkles that I never saw coming.
The King And His Three Daughters was a little like listening to Ray Stevens sing that song about being his own Grandpa. Walpole starts off this way:
There was formerly a king, who had three daughters—that is, he would have had three, if he had had one more, but some how or other the eldest never was born. She was extremely handsome, had a great deal of wit, and spoke French in perfection, as all the authors of that age affirm, and yet none of them pretend that she ever existed. It is very certain that the two other princesses were far from beauties; the second had a strong Yorkshire dialect, and the youngest had bad teeth and but one leg, which occasioned her dancing very ill.
There arrives a prince who is dead and....well, "surreal" definitely fits here, but the tale still gave me a giggle fit.
Story three, titled The Dice-Box, A Fairy Tale was written "for the entertainment of Miss Caroline Campbell" and was the first of the stories with a note from the author explaining how they came to be created. I felt a little sorry for the elephant in this story! Walpole heaped all kinds of dramatic events onto him. This was also a little creepy towards the end, because of the way King Solomon reacts to the merchant's daughter when he sees her. The Queen Of Sheba didn't care for that too much either, which also explains a lot!
The Peach In Brandy was written for the wife of Walpole's good friend John Fitzpatrick, the Earl of Ossory. Their daughter Anne was transformed into the little girl who became queen at the age of five. But, oh, my, the things that happen next! I wonder if Walpole based this story on Anne's actual behavior?! This story had footnotes from the author explaining a few of the inside jokes involved.
Mi Li A Chinese Fairy Tale also had footnotes, telling that various features mentioned in the story were real and where to find them. Mostly they were 'follies' at something called Park Place, which turned out to be an estate in Berkshire. I suppose Walpole visited at some point and decided to use the area for this story, which has Mi Li searching for the one woman he will be allowed to marry. But how did he get from China to England? I'm not telling!
The sixth story (and my favorite) was A True Love Story, where we visit Venice and hear the romantic story of Orondates and the beautiful slave Azora, very much like that of Romeo and Juliet, but with a Walpole twist at the end. Here is the beginning:
"In the height of the animosities between the factions of the Guelfs and Ghibellines, a party of Venetians had made an inroad into the territories of the Viscontis, sovereigns of Milan, and had carried off the young Orondates, then at nurse. His family were at that time under a cloud, though they could boast of being descended from Canis Scaliger, lord of Verona. The captors sold the beautiful Orondates to a rich widow of the noble family of Grimaldi, who having no children, brought him up with as much tenderness as if he had been her son."
Finally, a statement from the author's postscript at the end of the book:
"The foregoing Tales are given for no more than they are worth: they are mere whimsical trifles, written chiefly for private entertainment, and for private amusement half a dozen copies only are printed. They deserve at most to be considered as an attempt to vary the stale and beaten class of stories and novels, which, though works of invention, are almost always devoid of imagination."
I was entertained as much by the stories as by the idea of how much fun Walpole had writing them. Whether or not anyone else would get such a kick out of them, I cannot say. But I think they could also serve as an example for would-be writers to not be afraid to follow wherever their imagination leads, even if someday some 'expert' calls their work 'surreal'.
Naturally not everyone likes such manic goings-on, but I can handle a little of it, and these six stories were just the right dose. I often had the feeling that there was more going on than I was aware of, though. Sly social commentary and erudite opinions transformed into farce, to protect either the target or the author, maybe? On the other hand maybe Walpole just felt like letting his imagination run a bit wild. Which he certainly did!
The first tale, called A New Arabian Nights Entertainment takes the story of Scheherazade and gives it not only a new twist but quite a few new wrinkles that I never saw coming.
The King And His Three Daughters was a little like listening to Ray Stevens sing that song about being his own Grandpa. Walpole starts off this way:
There was formerly a king, who had three daughters—that is, he would have had three, if he had had one more, but some how or other the eldest never was born. She was extremely handsome, had a great deal of wit, and spoke French in perfection, as all the authors of that age affirm, and yet none of them pretend that she ever existed. It is very certain that the two other princesses were far from beauties; the second had a strong Yorkshire dialect, and the youngest had bad teeth and but one leg, which occasioned her dancing very ill.
There arrives a prince who is dead and....well, "surreal" definitely fits here, but the tale still gave me a giggle fit.
Story three, titled The Dice-Box, A Fairy Tale was written "for the entertainment of Miss Caroline Campbell" and was the first of the stories with a note from the author explaining how they came to be created. I felt a little sorry for the elephant in this story! Walpole heaped all kinds of dramatic events onto him. This was also a little creepy towards the end, because of the way King Solomon reacts to the merchant's daughter when he sees her. The Queen Of Sheba didn't care for that too much either, which also explains a lot!
The Peach In Brandy was written for the wife of Walpole's good friend John Fitzpatrick, the Earl of Ossory. Their daughter Anne was transformed into the little girl who became queen at the age of five. But, oh, my, the things that happen next! I wonder if Walpole based this story on Anne's actual behavior?! This story had footnotes from the author explaining a few of the inside jokes involved.
Mi Li A Chinese Fairy Tale also had footnotes, telling that various features mentioned in the story were real and where to find them. Mostly they were 'follies' at something called Park Place, which turned out to be an estate in Berkshire. I suppose Walpole visited at some point and decided to use the area for this story, which has Mi Li searching for the one woman he will be allowed to marry. But how did he get from China to England? I'm not telling!
The sixth story (and my favorite) was A True Love Story, where we visit Venice and hear the romantic story of Orondates and the beautiful slave Azora, very much like that of Romeo and Juliet, but with a Walpole twist at the end. Here is the beginning:
"In the height of the animosities between the factions of the Guelfs and Ghibellines, a party of Venetians had made an inroad into the territories of the Viscontis, sovereigns of Milan, and had carried off the young Orondates, then at nurse. His family were at that time under a cloud, though they could boast of being descended from Canis Scaliger, lord of Verona. The captors sold the beautiful Orondates to a rich widow of the noble family of Grimaldi, who having no children, brought him up with as much tenderness as if he had been her son."
Finally, a statement from the author's postscript at the end of the book:
"The foregoing Tales are given for no more than they are worth: they are mere whimsical trifles, written chiefly for private entertainment, and for private amusement half a dozen copies only are printed. They deserve at most to be considered as an attempt to vary the stale and beaten class of stories and novels, which, though works of invention, are almost always devoid of imagination."
I was entertained as much by the stories as by the idea of how much fun Walpole had writing them. Whether or not anyone else would get such a kick out of them, I cannot say. But I think they could also serve as an example for would-be writers to not be afraid to follow wherever their imagination leads, even if someday some 'expert' calls their work 'surreal'.
September 4, 2022
unfortunately, this was the worst one (in my opinion) from all the short classics I've read so far
April 1, 2011
Before anyone goes off trying to find a copy of this, Project Gutenberg is offering it as a free ebook and it's only 20 pages. Nothing your office printer can't handle if you don't have an ebook reader.
I love the Gothic tradition of writing a story and then the author pretending it's a translation of some ancient manuscript that was found in the library of some unspecified ancient monastery. It's like a mystery of a mystery.
Ok, so I've only just started, but the story about the king's 3 daughters is HILARIOUS. The eldest is beautiful, but doesn't exist. The second daughter has a Yorkshire accent and the youngest has bad teeth and only 1 leg. So the King tries to marry his eldest (nonexistent) daughter to an Egyptian prince who has 3 legs and is dead. This presents a conflict, in that the prince's religion is opposite to that of the papists. Also, the youngest daughter has a crush on the dead prince and "hops along after him." But then he makes her cry.
If this is just meant to be a silly story, it freaking wins.
If it's some kind of allegory, it's waaaay over my head.
I love the Gothic tradition of writing a story and then the author pretending it's a translation of some ancient manuscript that was found in the library of some unspecified ancient monastery. It's like a mystery of a mystery.
Ok, so I've only just started, but the story about the king's 3 daughters is HILARIOUS. The eldest is beautiful, but doesn't exist. The second daughter has a Yorkshire accent and the youngest has bad teeth and only 1 leg. So the King tries to marry his eldest (nonexistent) daughter to an Egyptian prince who has 3 legs and is dead. This presents a conflict, in that the prince's religion is opposite to that of the papists. Also, the youngest daughter has a crush on the dead prince and "hops along after him." But then he makes her cry.
If this is just meant to be a silly story, it freaking wins.
If it's some kind of allegory, it's waaaay over my head.
September 19, 2019
1785’te yazılmış bu kısacık kitap, bence çok eğlenceli masal parodilerinden oluşuyor. Parodi diyorum çünkü masal kamuflajında absürd mizah metinleri bunlar. Masal okumaya niyetlenmişken Lewis Carroll’un, Alfred Jarry’nin ve hatta Daniil Kharms’ın bir hazırlayıcını, öncüsünü bulmak hoş bir sürpriz oldu; tesadüfen bir inci keşfetmiş gibi hissettim. Ciddiyetle saçmalaması ve taşı gediğine oturtması da, Jonathan Swift’in jilet gibi zekâsını hatırlatıyor; hayattaki anlamsız kısır döngülerin saçmalığına denk bir dil yaratıyor.
September 10, 2023
Son sözde de belirtildiği gibi hak ettiklerinden fazla değer verilmemiş kısa masallar.
April 4, 2020
Aunque el non-sense literario suele ser identificado con la Inglaterra decimonónica (Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear) o el surrealismo francés, estos Cuentos jeróglíficos son un delicioso antecedente de esas obras literarias que cuestionan el realismo literario y las unidades aristotélicas. Aún más que la fantasía desaforada de El castillo de Otranto, su obra más conocida, estos cuentos (inspirados por Las mil y una noches, leyendas celtas y el mundo mediterráneo) son desvaríos caprichosos en los que Walpole explaya sus aficiones literarias en relatos que resultaría difícil resumir, ya que su trama llega a ser un mero pretexto para la explosión de imágenes descabelladas y fantásticas. El libro está complementado por una introducción en la que se resalta el papel de estas historias como antecedente del surrealismo y un epílogo en que se nos ofrece una introducción general, pero precisa, de la literatura gótica inglesa.
[En una segunda lectura, estos cuentos demuestra que su encanto va más allá de ser pulidos divertimentos literarios. Walpole sería un diletante privilegiado, pero también era un escritor plenamente comprometido con sus aficiones artísticas, incluso las más frívolas y triviales.]
[En una segunda lectura, estos cuentos demuestra que su encanto va más allá de ser pulidos divertimentos literarios. Walpole sería un diletante privilegiado, pero también era un escritor plenamente comprometido con sus aficiones artísticas, incluso las más frívolas y triviales.]
September 30, 2025
ne yalan söyleyeyim bayağı kötüydü, yazarının taa 1700'lü yıllarda yazıp önsözünde uzun uzun bu kitabın ne kadar değerli olduğunu ve ileride yüz binlerce baskısı olacağını düşündüğünü belirtince kitabın harika olacağını düşündüm ama şuan sadece yazarın narsist ve edebiyattan yoksun dümdüz bir yazar olduğunu düşünüyorum, üzgünüm...
December 28, 2020
İlginç politik satirlerle dolu kısa öyküler derlemesi... İlk hikaye oldukça ilginç ama anlayabilmek için Walpole zamanının bilgilerine hakim olmak lazım
January 27, 2019
Delightful book of comic fairy-tales. Very absurd, surreal, and a more than a little over-the-top. This is like the bizarro fiction of 1785.
November 4, 2024
Beyninizi şaşırtmak alışıla gelmişin dışında bişey okumak isteyenler 1 saatte bitirebileceği bi kitap
June 12, 2025
“One day a young princess had climbed up to the top of the mountain to gather goat's eggs, the whites of which are excellent for taking off freckles.—Goat's eggs!—Yes—naturalists hold that all Beings are conceived in an egg. The goats of Hirgonqúu might be oviparous, and lay their eggs to be hatched by the sun.”
—
“There was formerly a king, who had three daughters—that is, he would have had three, if he had had one more, but some how or other the eldest never was born. She was extremely handsome, had a great deal of wit, and spoke French in perfection, as all the authors of that age affirm, and yet none of them pretend that she ever existed.”
—
“Both men and women of fashion left off rouge to look the more cadaverous; their cloaths were embroidered with hieroglyphics, and all the ugly characters they could gather from Egyptian antiquities, with which they were forced to be contented, it being impossible to learn a language that is lost; and all tables, chairs, stools, cabinets and couches, were made with only three legs; the last, howver, soon went out of fashion, as being very inconvenient.”
—
“Hence arose a new difficulty. The religion of the Quifferiquiminians was totally opposite to that of the papists. The former believed in nothing but grace; and they had a high-priest of their own, who pretended that he was master of the whole fee-simple of grace, and by that possession could cause every thing to have been that never had been, and could prevent every thing that had been from ever having been.”
—
“How! thou impious, atheistical bag of drybones, cried the old king; dost thou profane our holy religion? Thou shalt have no daughter of mine, thou three-legged skeleton—Go and be buried and be damned, as thou must be; for as thou art dead, thou art past repentance: I would sooner give my child to a baboon, who has one leg more than thou hast, than bestow her on such a reprobate corpse—You had better give your one-legged infanta to the baboon, said the prince, they are fitter for one another—As much a corpse as I am, I am preferable to nobody; and who the devil would have married your no-daughter, but a dead body!”
—
“Azaziel, the angel of death, having transported Aboulcasem to the regions of bliss, he had no fortune to bequeath to his beloved child but the shell of a pistachia-nut drawn by an elephant and a ladybird. Pissimissi, who was but nine years old, and who had been been kept in great confinement, was impatient to see the world; and no sooner was the breath out of her father's body, than she got into the car, and whipping her elephant and ladybird, drove out of the yard as fast as possible, without knowing whither she was going.”
—
“As it was a collection she had made with great care and cost, it is easy to imagine her vexation and rage. She raised a storm of thunder and lightning that lasted eight hundred and four years; and having conjured up an army of two thousand devils, she ordered them to flay the elephant alive, and dress it for her supper with anchovy sauce.”
—
“Her majesty was now in the fifth year of her age, and a prodigy of sense and goodness. In her first speech to the senate, which she lisped with inimitable grace, she assured them that her heart was entirely Irish, and that she did not intend any longer to go in leading-strings, as a proof of which she immediately declared her nurse prime-minister. The senate applauded this sage choice with even greater encomiums than the last, and voted a free gift to the queen of a million of sugar-plumbs, and to the favourite of twenty thousand bottles of usquebaugh. Her majesty then jumping from her throne, declared it was her royal pleasure to play at blindman's-buff, but such a hub-bub arose from the senators pushing, and pressing, and squeezing, and punching one another, to endeavour to be the first blinded, that in the scuffle her majesty was thrown down and got a bump on her forehead as big as a pigeon's egg, which set her a squalling, that you might have heard her to Tipperary. The old king flew into a rage, and snatching up the mace knocked out the chancellor's brains, who at that time happened not to have any; and the queen-mother, who sat in a tribune above to see the ceremony, fell into a fit and miscarried of twins, who were killed by her majesty's fright; but the earl of Bullaboo, great butler of the crown, happening to stand next to the queen, catched up one of the dead children, and perceiving it was a boy, ran down to the 4 king and wished him joy of the birth of a son and heir.”
—
“While she was stepped into the servant's hall to call somebody, according to the simplicity of those times, the archbishop's pains encreased, when perceiving something on the mantle-piece, which he took for a peach in brandy, he gulped it all down at once without saying grace, God forgive him, and found great comfort from it. He had not done licking his lips before the queen-mother returned, when queen Grata cried out, ‘Mama, mama, the gentleman has eat my little brother!’ This fortunate event put an end to the contest, the male line entirely failing in the person of the devoured prince.”
—
“This youthful impetuosity told the governor that there was something more in the question than he had apprehended; and though he could be very solemn about nothing, he was ten times more so when there was something he did not comprehend. Yet that unknown something occasioning a conflict between his cunning and his ignorance, and the latter being the greater, always betrayed itself, for nothing looks so silly as a fool acting wisdom.”
—
As a prince of China cannot marry a woman that has been married before, it was necessary for Mi Li to search the world for another lady equally qualified with miss Bob, whom he forgot the moment he was told he must marry somebody else, and fell equally in love with somebody else, though be knew not with whom. In this suspence he dreamt, ‘that he would find his destined spouse, whose father had lost the dominions which never had been his dominions, in a place where there was a bridge over no water, a tomb where nobody ever was buried nor ever would be buried, ruins that were more than they had ever been, a subterraneous passage in which there were dogs with eyes of rubies and emeralds, and a more beautiful menagerie of Chinese pheasants than any in his father's extensive gardens.’”
—
“The prince, insensible to such enchanting scenes, galloped wildly along, keeping the poor gardiner on a round trot, till they were stopped by a lonely9 tomb, surrounded by cypress, yews, and willows, that seemed the monument of some adventurous youth who had been lost in tempting the current, and might have suited the gallant and daring Leander. Here Mi Li first had presence of mind to recollect the little English he knew, and eagerly asked the gardiner whose tomb he beheld before him. It is nobody's—before he could proceed, the prince interrupted him, And will it never be any body's?”
—
“It would scarcely be credited, were it not evident from the Bibliotheque des Romans, which contains the fictitious adventures that have been written in all ages and all countries, that there should have been so little fancy, so little variety, and so little novelty, in writings in which the imagination is fettered by no rules, and by no obligation of speaking truth. There is infinitely more invention in history, which has no merit if devoid of truth, than in romances and novelty which pretend to none.”
—
“There was formerly a king, who had three daughters—that is, he would have had three, if he had had one more, but some how or other the eldest never was born. She was extremely handsome, had a great deal of wit, and spoke French in perfection, as all the authors of that age affirm, and yet none of them pretend that she ever existed.”
—
“Both men and women of fashion left off rouge to look the more cadaverous; their cloaths were embroidered with hieroglyphics, and all the ugly characters they could gather from Egyptian antiquities, with which they were forced to be contented, it being impossible to learn a language that is lost; and all tables, chairs, stools, cabinets and couches, were made with only three legs; the last, howver, soon went out of fashion, as being very inconvenient.”
—
“Hence arose a new difficulty. The religion of the Quifferiquiminians was totally opposite to that of the papists. The former believed in nothing but grace; and they had a high-priest of their own, who pretended that he was master of the whole fee-simple of grace, and by that possession could cause every thing to have been that never had been, and could prevent every thing that had been from ever having been.”
—
“How! thou impious, atheistical bag of drybones, cried the old king; dost thou profane our holy religion? Thou shalt have no daughter of mine, thou three-legged skeleton—Go and be buried and be damned, as thou must be; for as thou art dead, thou art past repentance: I would sooner give my child to a baboon, who has one leg more than thou hast, than bestow her on such a reprobate corpse—You had better give your one-legged infanta to the baboon, said the prince, they are fitter for one another—As much a corpse as I am, I am preferable to nobody; and who the devil would have married your no-daughter, but a dead body!”
—
“Azaziel, the angel of death, having transported Aboulcasem to the regions of bliss, he had no fortune to bequeath to his beloved child but the shell of a pistachia-nut drawn by an elephant and a ladybird. Pissimissi, who was but nine years old, and who had been been kept in great confinement, was impatient to see the world; and no sooner was the breath out of her father's body, than she got into the car, and whipping her elephant and ladybird, drove out of the yard as fast as possible, without knowing whither she was going.”
—
“As it was a collection she had made with great care and cost, it is easy to imagine her vexation and rage. She raised a storm of thunder and lightning that lasted eight hundred and four years; and having conjured up an army of two thousand devils, she ordered them to flay the elephant alive, and dress it for her supper with anchovy sauce.”
—
“Her majesty was now in the fifth year of her age, and a prodigy of sense and goodness. In her first speech to the senate, which she lisped with inimitable grace, she assured them that her heart was entirely Irish, and that she did not intend any longer to go in leading-strings, as a proof of which she immediately declared her nurse prime-minister. The senate applauded this sage choice with even greater encomiums than the last, and voted a free gift to the queen of a million of sugar-plumbs, and to the favourite of twenty thousand bottles of usquebaugh. Her majesty then jumping from her throne, declared it was her royal pleasure to play at blindman's-buff, but such a hub-bub arose from the senators pushing, and pressing, and squeezing, and punching one another, to endeavour to be the first blinded, that in the scuffle her majesty was thrown down and got a bump on her forehead as big as a pigeon's egg, which set her a squalling, that you might have heard her to Tipperary. The old king flew into a rage, and snatching up the mace knocked out the chancellor's brains, who at that time happened not to have any; and the queen-mother, who sat in a tribune above to see the ceremony, fell into a fit and miscarried of twins, who were killed by her majesty's fright; but the earl of Bullaboo, great butler of the crown, happening to stand next to the queen, catched up one of the dead children, and perceiving it was a boy, ran down to the 4 king and wished him joy of the birth of a son and heir.”
—
“While she was stepped into the servant's hall to call somebody, according to the simplicity of those times, the archbishop's pains encreased, when perceiving something on the mantle-piece, which he took for a peach in brandy, he gulped it all down at once without saying grace, God forgive him, and found great comfort from it. He had not done licking his lips before the queen-mother returned, when queen Grata cried out, ‘Mama, mama, the gentleman has eat my little brother!’ This fortunate event put an end to the contest, the male line entirely failing in the person of the devoured prince.”
—
“This youthful impetuosity told the governor that there was something more in the question than he had apprehended; and though he could be very solemn about nothing, he was ten times more so when there was something he did not comprehend. Yet that unknown something occasioning a conflict between his cunning and his ignorance, and the latter being the greater, always betrayed itself, for nothing looks so silly as a fool acting wisdom.”
—
As a prince of China cannot marry a woman that has been married before, it was necessary for Mi Li to search the world for another lady equally qualified with miss Bob, whom he forgot the moment he was told he must marry somebody else, and fell equally in love with somebody else, though be knew not with whom. In this suspence he dreamt, ‘that he would find his destined spouse, whose father had lost the dominions which never had been his dominions, in a place where there was a bridge over no water, a tomb where nobody ever was buried nor ever would be buried, ruins that were more than they had ever been, a subterraneous passage in which there were dogs with eyes of rubies and emeralds, and a more beautiful menagerie of Chinese pheasants than any in his father's extensive gardens.’”
—
“The prince, insensible to such enchanting scenes, galloped wildly along, keeping the poor gardiner on a round trot, till they were stopped by a lonely9 tomb, surrounded by cypress, yews, and willows, that seemed the monument of some adventurous youth who had been lost in tempting the current, and might have suited the gallant and daring Leander. Here Mi Li first had presence of mind to recollect the little English he knew, and eagerly asked the gardiner whose tomb he beheld before him. It is nobody's—before he could proceed, the prince interrupted him, And will it never be any body's?”
—
“It would scarcely be credited, were it not evident from the Bibliotheque des Romans, which contains the fictitious adventures that have been written in all ages and all countries, that there should have been so little fancy, so little variety, and so little novelty, in writings in which the imagination is fettered by no rules, and by no obligation of speaking truth. There is infinitely more invention in history, which has no merit if devoid of truth, than in romances and novelty which pretend to none.”
April 18, 2020
I thought it was impossible for me to love Horace "why be normal when you could be a melodramatic troll" Walpole even more, but here we are. These stories are Monty Python 200 years before Monty Python existed. They are whimsical, absurd, terribly silly, and very funny. They also take about 5 minutes to read each, and my Goodreads challenge thanks Walpole as much as I do.
April 25, 2023
Tarihsel ya da Mısır mitolojisi ile ilgili olduğunu düşünerek almıştım. Beklentimi pek karşılamadı bu nedenle. Fakat dönemine göre oldukça ilginç farklı bir dili var. Tamamen kötülemeyeceğim. Masallardan ziyade uçuk kaçık rüyalar metni diyebiliriz.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2022
İronik hikayeler
Sonu süprizli
Hayal gücünün sınırlarını zorlayan sürükleyici
Sonu süprizli
Hayal gücünün sınırlarını zorlayan sürükleyici
November 11, 2023
#qotd @canyayinlari kısa klasikler serisini sever misiniz? Seriden okuduğunuz eserler var mı? 🌿
Merhaba arkadaşlar, bu ay #canlandıranokumalar , #aydabirklasik ve #kısakısaokuyoruz gruplarımız için #hiyeroglifmasallar eserini okudum.
💫#kitapkonusu
Walpole’un ilk kopyalarını kendi matbaasında bastığı, tuhaf bulurken bir yandan aşinalık duyacağınız bu altı masallık derleme, yazarın en bilinen olmasa da en merak uyandıran eseri. Uzaklardaki krallıklar, prensesler, büyücüler gibi bilindik öğelerle okuru büyülü evrenine çağıran kısa ve gizemli masallar birbirini izleyen kopuk imgelerden oluşan bir rüya izlenimi yaratıyor. Hiyeroglif Masallar’daki ustalıklı mizahi dokundurmalar, Walpole’un bu masalların karakterlerini gerçek yaşamdan seçme ihtimalini sorgulatıyor.
💫 #kitapalıntıları
"Okumuş adamların, savundukları şeylere inanmak zorunda bırakılmaları hiç de fena olmazdı aslında."
“Ama her şey yozlaşır, dahası her şey kaynağından koparılır.”
💫 #kitapyorumu
Bir gün biri bana masal okuyacaksın ve aşırı sıkılacaksın dese hadi oradan derdim. Masallar nasıl sıkıcı olabilir ki? İşte bu sorunun cevabı tam olarak bu eser.
Açıkçası yoruma nasıl başlasam bilemiyorum. Kitabı gerçekten hiç sevmedim. Uzun zamandır hiçbir eser için bu kadar kötü hissetmemiştim o yüzden nasıl yorumlamalıyım hiç bilemiyorum.
#kısaklasikler serisi Can Yayınları’na ait olduğu için pozitif bir ön yargım vardı ve sanırım gözümde çok büyütmüşüm çünkü eseri okudukça hayal kırıklığım katlanarak arttı. Pozitif ön yargımın vermiş olduğu yüksek beklentiden ötürü acaba haksızlık mı ediyorum diye de düşündüm ama yok yani sevilir bir yan bulamadım ben.
Bu kadar kısa olmasına rağmen okumak bir işkence gibiydi. Bitirmek için resmen zorladım kendimi. İlk masal diğerlerine kıyasla yine fena değildi ama sonrası yokuş aşağı gitmek gibiydi. Uzatmaya gerek yok.
Almanızı/okumanızı ben tavsiye edemiyorum. Fakat alıp okuduysanız da lütfen fikirlerinizi yorumda belirtin. Dediğim gibi esere haksızlık yapmak kesinlikle istemem. 😔
#kitapkolikkafasikitapyorumu
Merhaba arkadaşlar, bu ay #canlandıranokumalar , #aydabirklasik ve #kısakısaokuyoruz gruplarımız için #hiyeroglifmasallar eserini okudum.
💫#kitapkonusu
Walpole’un ilk kopyalarını kendi matbaasında bastığı, tuhaf bulurken bir yandan aşinalık duyacağınız bu altı masallık derleme, yazarın en bilinen olmasa da en merak uyandıran eseri. Uzaklardaki krallıklar, prensesler, büyücüler gibi bilindik öğelerle okuru büyülü evrenine çağıran kısa ve gizemli masallar birbirini izleyen kopuk imgelerden oluşan bir rüya izlenimi yaratıyor. Hiyeroglif Masallar’daki ustalıklı mizahi dokundurmalar, Walpole’un bu masalların karakterlerini gerçek yaşamdan seçme ihtimalini sorgulatıyor.
💫 #kitapalıntıları
"Okumuş adamların, savundukları şeylere inanmak zorunda bırakılmaları hiç de fena olmazdı aslında."
“Ama her şey yozlaşır, dahası her şey kaynağından koparılır.”
💫 #kitapyorumu
Bir gün biri bana masal okuyacaksın ve aşırı sıkılacaksın dese hadi oradan derdim. Masallar nasıl sıkıcı olabilir ki? İşte bu sorunun cevabı tam olarak bu eser.
Açıkçası yoruma nasıl başlasam bilemiyorum. Kitabı gerçekten hiç sevmedim. Uzun zamandır hiçbir eser için bu kadar kötü hissetmemiştim o yüzden nasıl yorumlamalıyım hiç bilemiyorum.
#kısaklasikler serisi Can Yayınları’na ait olduğu için pozitif bir ön yargım vardı ve sanırım gözümde çok büyütmüşüm çünkü eseri okudukça hayal kırıklığım katlanarak arttı. Pozitif ön yargımın vermiş olduğu yüksek beklentiden ötürü acaba haksızlık mı ediyorum diye de düşündüm ama yok yani sevilir bir yan bulamadım ben.
Bu kadar kısa olmasına rağmen okumak bir işkence gibiydi. Bitirmek için resmen zorladım kendimi. İlk masal diğerlerine kıyasla yine fena değildi ama sonrası yokuş aşağı gitmek gibiydi. Uzatmaya gerek yok.
Almanızı/okumanızı ben tavsiye edemiyorum. Fakat alıp okuduysanız da lütfen fikirlerinizi yorumda belirtin. Dediğim gibi esere haksızlık yapmak kesinlikle istemem. 😔
#kitapkolikkafasikitapyorumu
June 11, 2022
#cevizyorumluyor #hiyeroliifmasallar #horacewalpole at#hieroglyphictales
Önsözü oldukça ilginç olmakla birlikte içeriği de çok acayip. ÖNSÖZ:"Dünyaya sunduğum bu paha biçilmez armağan, konunun ciddiliği, mantığın sağlamlığı ve birbiri ardına gelen sayfaların içerdiği derin bilgiden ötürü herkesin hoşuna gitmeyebilir. Bu kitabı, geçici siyasi görüşlerden, şahsi yergilerden ve boş aşk romanlarından başkasının beğenilmediği böylesi değersiz bir çağda basmamın gerekçelerini açıklamam gerekiyor. Neticede tüm bu engellerin üstesinden gelmeme sebep olan olan tek şey, bu eserin gelecek kuşaklara kalmayacak olmasından kaygı duymamdı. Bu kitap belki şimdi kınanacak fakat birkaç yüzyıl sonra, aklın ve bilginin insanlık üzerinde egemen olduğu, insanların sadece öğrenmek ve zihinlerini geliştirmek için okuduğu bir çağda, ona hak ettiği değerin verileceğinden hiç kuşkum yok." Tam olarak bu çağdan bahsediliyor gibi geldi. Yazarın mı editörün mü yazdığını anlayamadım ama.
Masallar çok sıkıcıydı. Tavsiye etmiyorum. Kitabı #harflerleokuyoeuz H harfi için okudum. İçerisindeki masallara bakalım:
I. MASAL: Yeni Bir Binbir Gece Masalı
II. MASAL: Kral ve Üç Kızı
III. MASAL: Zar Kupası, Bir Peri Masalı
IV. MASAL: Brendideki Şeftali. Bir Miledh Masalı
V. MASAL: Mi Li. Bir Çin Peri Masalı
VI. MASAL: Gerçek Bir Aşk Hikâyesi
Önsözü oldukça ilginç olmakla birlikte içeriği de çok acayip. ÖNSÖZ:"Dünyaya sunduğum bu paha biçilmez armağan, konunun ciddiliği, mantığın sağlamlığı ve birbiri ardına gelen sayfaların içerdiği derin bilgiden ötürü herkesin hoşuna gitmeyebilir. Bu kitabı, geçici siyasi görüşlerden, şahsi yergilerden ve boş aşk romanlarından başkasının beğenilmediği böylesi değersiz bir çağda basmamın gerekçelerini açıklamam gerekiyor. Neticede tüm bu engellerin üstesinden gelmeme sebep olan olan tek şey, bu eserin gelecek kuşaklara kalmayacak olmasından kaygı duymamdı. Bu kitap belki şimdi kınanacak fakat birkaç yüzyıl sonra, aklın ve bilginin insanlık üzerinde egemen olduğu, insanların sadece öğrenmek ve zihinlerini geliştirmek için okuduğu bir çağda, ona hak ettiği değerin verileceğinden hiç kuşkum yok." Tam olarak bu çağdan bahsediliyor gibi geldi. Yazarın mı editörün mü yazdığını anlayamadım ama.
Masallar çok sıkıcıydı. Tavsiye etmiyorum. Kitabı #harflerleokuyoeuz H harfi için okudum. İçerisindeki masallara bakalım:
I. MASAL: Yeni Bir Binbir Gece Masalı
II. MASAL: Kral ve Üç Kızı
III. MASAL: Zar Kupası, Bir Peri Masalı
IV. MASAL: Brendideki Şeftali. Bir Miledh Masalı
V. MASAL: Mi Li. Bir Çin Peri Masalı
VI. MASAL: Gerçek Bir Aşk Hikâyesi
January 9, 2023
Bir masal kitabı ancak bu kadar hem tatlı, sempatik, sıcak ve “masalsı” hem de “garip” olabilirdi.
Bildiğimiz anlamda masallar okumayı bekleyerek kitaba başlayanlar benim gibi şaşırmaya hazır olmalı. Çünkü görünüş olarak ne kadar öyle gibi dursalar da bu masallar bir başkaydı.
Okurken yer yer kafam karıştı ve cümleleri doğru anlayıp anlamadığımı düşünmek için durup tekrar okudum aynı satırları. Bazen de öylesine gerçek olaylara atıflar yapılmıştı ki acaba yazar kitabı bu hicivlerle döneminin olaylarına sembollerin arkasına sığınarak da olsa ses çıkarmaya mı çalışmış diye düşündüm.
Bildiğimiz anlamda masallar okumayı bekleyerek kitaba başlayanlar benim gibi şaşırmaya hazır olmalı. Çünkü görünüş olarak ne kadar öyle gibi dursalar da bu masallar bir başkaydı.
Okurken yer yer kafam karıştı ve cümleleri doğru anlayıp anlamadığımı düşünmek için durup tekrar okudum aynı satırları. Bazen de öylesine gerçek olaylara atıflar yapılmıştı ki acaba yazar kitabı bu hicivlerle döneminin olaylarına sembollerin arkasına sığınarak da olsa ses çıkarmaya mı çalışmış diye düşündüm.
May 25, 2019
Este pequeno livro é precioso. Parte de uma ideia que muito prezo- vamos partir de uma ideia inverosímil e desenvolvê-la, para ver até onde vai. E, pelo caminho, vamos rir das tradições ridículas, dos preconceitos e das leituras demasiado rápidas.
Desconhecia completamente Horace Walpole (1717-1797), um homem pragmático, mas que decidiu ver o que acontecia quando se ultrapassavam várias regras e convenções literárias e acabou por dar início ao romance gótico.
Desconhecia completamente Horace Walpole (1717-1797), um homem pragmático, mas que decidiu ver o que acontecia quando se ultrapassavam várias regras e convenções literárias e acabou por dar início ao romance gótico.
November 24, 2024
**
A collection of six very whimsical tales by the master of Gothic, Horace Walpole. With the aim to satirise popular tastes for the fantastic and ridiculous, Walpole has given us six perfect tales of light-hearted grotesquerie, in the same dead-pan style as a three-volume romance of blood and horror. To analyse these wisps of fantasy is simply to ruin their charm. These little gems will keep the reader chuckling long after he has finished reading.
A collection of six very whimsical tales by the master of Gothic, Horace Walpole. With the aim to satirise popular tastes for the fantastic and ridiculous, Walpole has given us six perfect tales of light-hearted grotesquerie, in the same dead-pan style as a three-volume romance of blood and horror. To analyse these wisps of fantasy is simply to ruin their charm. These little gems will keep the reader chuckling long after he has finished reading.
November 14, 2022
Tarihten ve hayal gücünden yola çıkarak yazılmış, Homeros'tan bile eski masallara bir yolculuk niteliğinde... Tarihin ve masalların geçmişten günümüze ne denli benzer uzandığını, füş gücünün anlatma yeteneğini gözler önüne sermiş. Hap niyetine değişiklik için okunur ama çok beğendim öneriyorum da diyemem...
April 24, 2024
Странные сюрреалистичные сказки, абсурдные, пародийные, юмористические - сегодня это больше памятник английской литературы, чем просто книга. Хотя местами истории живые и до сих пор веселят и развлекают, их (мест, сказок) не так много, чтобы сложить какое-то полноценное впечатление. Ну так, полчаса поулыбаться, как лонгрид почитать в телеграм-канале примерно.
December 28, 2024
Masalları severim, merak edip okudum ama beklediğim gibi çıkmadı. İçinde altı masal bulunuyor. Biraz uydurukça geldi bana.
Sonsözde şu şekilde ifade edilmiş satırları okuyunca yanılmadığımı anladım: "Yukarıdaki masallara hak ettiklerinden daha fazla değer verilmemiştir. Onlar tümüyle şahsi eğlence için yazılmış tuhaf ıvır zıvırlardır. Ve sadece yarım düzine kopyası basılmıştır." (sf 55)
Sonsözde şu şekilde ifade edilmiş satırları okuyunca yanılmadığımı anladım: "Yukarıdaki masallara hak ettiklerinden daha fazla değer verilmemiştir. Onlar tümüyle şahsi eğlence için yazılmış tuhaf ıvır zıvırlardır. Ve sadece yarım düzine kopyası basılmıştır." (sf 55)
March 15, 2022
A handful of anti-narratives whose humor has presumably grown ever obscure with time. The account of "The Peach in Brandy" is the pithiest and most memorable of the lot, so be sure to read that one.
September 26, 2022
Tremendous. Its so absurd, one of the funniest books of all time. Don't read if you want something that makes sense.
Read
March 9, 2023Okey, let me say that if there are any secret meanings, symbols or hidden references I didn't get them. Not at all. But it was a wild reading and I enjoyed it.
July 11, 2023
Elaborate brainrot, I'm certain there are people that would like that type of prose.
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