Pawilon wśród wydm

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Two solitary men, once as close to being friends as men of their temperament could ever be, meet again on a bleak Scottish coast. Northmour has brought the corrupt banker Huddlestone, and his beautiful daughter whom Northmour is pursuing, to seek concealment in an isolated pavilion by the sea.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Scotland, Victorian

56 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1880

About the author

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.

Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pavilion on the Links is a combination of romance and melancholia…

I was a great solitary when I was young. I made it my pride to keep aloof and suffice for my own entertainment; and I may say that I had neither friends nor acquaintances…

A lonely place… Deserted seashore… Quicksand… Dangers are on all sides… And there is a damsel in distress…

She had a firm yet airy motion of the body, and carried her head with unimaginable grace; every step was a thing to look at, and she seemed in my eyes to breathe sweetness and distinction.

And there is his former friend and his present rival…

He had the appearance of a finished gentleman; his face bore every mark of intelligence and courage; but you had only to look at him, even in his most amiable moment, to see that he had the temper of a slaver captain. I never knew a character that was both explosive and revengeful to the same degree…

And, of course, there is a villain… But circumstances force the narrator to defend the villain.
In good books good wins… But victories are always somewhat conditional.

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A RLS short story packaged here as a Penguin 60 publication.

As a short story it has all the ingredients, and so much potential, but somehow the end was a bit of a letdown. I won't ruin the plot, which is all to easy to do with a short story.

Nevertheless, the mysterious tale is set in the wilds of Scotland, features a thieving banker with a gambling problem and a beautiful daughter, Italians (presumably mafia), competitive men, who were once friends, and mysterious movements during dark nights.

Suspenseful and atmospheric writing. 3.5 stars, rounded down.

[Steffi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schöne, kurzweilige Lektüre mit zahlreichen Spannungsmomenten.

Etwas nervig ist die Liebesgeschichte, oder besser gesagt die Lobreden auf die Vorzüge der Angebeteten. Das ist alles etwas drüber, aber halt zeitgemäß. Und Stevenson selbst litt wohl während des Schreibens an dieser Geschichte selbst an einer unglücklichen Liebesbeziehung.

Was der Geschichte zusätzlichen Reiz verleiht, ist der ursprüngliche Konflikt zwischen den beiden männlichen Hauptfiguren, dessen Ursache nie aufgeklärt wird.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this short story/novella while on a serious RLS kick, and after returning from a trip to Scotland, so I was seriously in the mood--and in terms of mood and style it did not disappoint. The writing is Stevenson at his best, wry, funny, yet at the same time completely gripping. The chapter titles (esp. those involving "The Tall Man") added to the feeling of a tightly constructed plot, straightforward but masterfully controlled. So why the three stars? I felt, ultimately, that this story didn't quite live up to its potential; the denouement seemed less real and vital than what had come before, and I never quite got the point of the "Italians." Most importantly, however, I felt that the character of Northmour was never fully realized. There were moments, flashes of sheer perfection in RLS's characterization of this self-proclaimed "misanthrope"-- for instance, his puzzling good account of Cassilis to Clara, and the afternoon of almost-camaraderie shared by the two rivals. But instead of a revelation of character (as we get, for instance, in Kidnapped of Alan Breck after the confrontation of David and Alan; or in Treasure Island, of Captain Long John Silver) I felt that Northmour's mysteries devolved into a series of melodramatic vignettes, dramatic in themselves but unsatisfactory in the portrait they painted of the man. All this being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and should note that my three stars is relative to RLS's, and this story's, potential, and not to the majority of fiction, above which I think this story could easily rise head and shoulder (but, if I failed to mention, I'm a total RLS fangirl, so there you have it).

[Albus Eugene Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore · Rating 4 out of 5]

… un’armonia imperfetta …
Quattro racconti. Distillati del ... Romanzo d’Avventura …
Il Padiglione sulle Dune. Macchia marina di Graden Easter, Scozia. Narra di come una goletta alla fonda, due amici, un banchiere truffatore, Clara, la sua bellissima figliola, e carbonari italiani …
«Restammo così per qualche istante, perché il tempo passa veloce per coloro che si amano …».
Un rifugio per la notte. Una storia di Francis Villon. Parigi, casupola nel Cimitero di Saint-Jean. Inverno 1456. Narra di come François Villon, le poète maudit, dopo che un membro della sua banda di ladri viene ucciso … vada, in mezzo alla neve, alla ricerca di un riparo sicuro …
La porta del Sire di Malétroit. Château-Landon, Francia. Settembre 1429. Narra di come Denis de Beaulieu,avventurosamente conosca la bellissima nipote del Sire Alain di Malétroit, e di come dovrà scegliere tra la morte e l’amore …
«Una brezza leggera scompigliava dolcemente le cime degli alberi sotto le finestre. A poco a poco, la luce del giorno si levò sempre più intensa da oriente, che presto sarebbe divenuto incandescente e avrebbe lasciato emergere la rossa e rovente palla di cannone del sole che sorge».
La Provvidenza e la chitarra. Francia. Narra di come la coppia di artisti parigini, Léon ed Elvira Berthelini, giungano a Castel-le-Gâchis con una chitarra per esibirsi, ma l’oste, il commissario, un pubblico sordido non li aiutino …
«l’eco di bei ricordi e di pensieri teneri che, ad ogni nota, le attraversavano da parte a parte l’anima»

O mon amante,
o mon désir
sachon cuellir
l’heure charmante!
[anobii Mar, 2017]

[Jersy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super amüsante und teilweise liebenswürdige Charaktere

[Sarah Hörtkorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stimmungsvoll, in rauer Atmosphäre angesiedelt, in Wahrheit eine biografische Romanze.
Dank dem wieder sehr interessanten Nachwort des Übersetzers Hintergründe zu der Erzählung erfahren, die sonst wohl verborgen geblieben wären.

[Guido · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trama piuttosto ingenua, ma comunque gradevole, grazie all'abilità di narratore di Stevenson, inesauribile inventore di storie avventurose. Lo ammiro tantissimo per questo, e non mi sorprende che Borges lo citasse così spesso: aveva conservato, come dice giustamente Calvino nell'introduzione, la capacità dei bambini di comprendere la suggestione dei luoghi. È sempre stato uno dei miei autori preferiti, e anche quando leggo i suoi racconti meno riusciti, non posso fare a meno di pensare che è davvero triste che sia morto così giovane, prima di aver raggiunto una piena maturità artistica - pur avendo lasciato dei capolavori. Vale la pena di notare, in questo racconto, la sua abilità nel descrivere la misantropia e la misoginia del protagonista (che si nasconde viaggiando in completa solitudine con un carro e un cavallo) e del suo amico/rivale; e l'incredibile partecipazione alla loro malinconica condizione comunicata dalle caratteristiche del paesaggio scozzese. Ad esempio:

Il villaggio è uno dei più desolati di quella costa, il che vuol dir molto. C'è una cappella in una specie di nicchia, un misero porticciolo fra gli scogli, dove si sono sconquassate parecchie barche di ritorno dalla pesca, una cinquantina di casupole di pietra allineate lungo la spiaggia e due strade, una che mena al porto e l'altra che la taglia a metà ad angolo retto; e qui, dove s'incrociano, una buia e squallida locanda che funge da albergo principale. (pag. 37)

Oppure:

Su tutta la selvaggia distesa delle dune non si vedeva anima viva. Eppure io ero convinto che tutta la contrada brulicasse di nemici in agguato. (pag. 45)

Esattamente il pensiero di un misantropo, trasferito in un contesto avventuroso.

[Grzegorz Wachna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zaczynam podejrzewać, że Stevenson uwielbiał beznadziejne romanse, choć może to akurat piętno XIX w.

Na szczęście nie romans gra tu pierwsze skrzypce. Pawilon wśród wydm jest kolejnym na mojej liście krótkim dziełem Stevensona, autora fantastycznego Jekylla i Pana Hyda. Tym razem autor zabiera nas na szkockie tereny, gdzie poznajmy głównego bohatera, nijakiego Franka Cassilisa, włóczykija, który nie posiada stałego miejsca zamieszkania. Przypadkiem znajduje się w okolicy domu swojego dawnego przyjaciela, Northmoura, z którym to nie rozmawiał już od lat.


Do spotkania bohaterów dochodzi dość szybko, lecz nie przebiega tak, jak można by było sobie to wyobrazić. Mężczyźni wdają się w bójkę, która zakańcza się szybko, poprzez ucieczkę właściciela pobliskiego pawilonu.

Szybko wychodzi na jaw, że Northmour zamieszany jest w pewien układ z upadłym bankierem, któremu grozi niebezpieczeństwo ze strony byłych klientów.


Autor nie rozwleka scen, opowieść jest zwięzła, choć pełna napięcia. Pawilon wśród wydm w żadnym stopniu nie jest dziełem wybitnym, jest za to godnym polecenia. Historia jest na tyle interesująca, że nie przeszło mi przez głowę porzucanie historii, chciałem poznać jej zakończenie. Idealna na jeden wieczór, gdy chce się uciec w świat mgły, intryg i starych znajomości.

[maurycy · Rating 2 out of 5]

nazwa kazdego rozdzialu spojlerowala cala jego tresc???silly

[Abiral Acharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am not a swindler, and I guard myself; that is all. I may weary you or not, Mr. Cassilis, I do not care a rush; I speak for my own satisfaction, and not for your amusement."

[Merijam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo dobre opowiadanie zawierające wszystko to, czego brakowało poprzednim trzem utworom Stevensona, jakie udało mi się do tej pory przeczytać.
Mamy tu maksimum akcji, odpowiednią ilość dialogów, rozwinięte wszystkie wątki, tajemnice, które nie dręczą nadmiernymi spekulacjami oraz wreszcie romantyczną relację pomiędzy bohaterami, która rzeczywiście ma sens i podstawy, aby w ogóle zaistnieć.
Książka zawiera jednak dwa mankamenty:
- z racji tego, że całość została napisana jako wspomnienie Franka, który od początku stosuje konkretne określenia wobec postaci, czytelnik nie jest w żadnym stopniu zaskoczony rozwojem sytuacji, co jest bardzo dużym minusem wobec miłosnego trójkąta
- przydatna jest minimalna znajomość języka włoskiego. Co prawda, jego ilość nie jest jakaś zatrważająca, ale w książce brak przypisów i tłumaczenia tych zwrotów, a fajnie byłoby wiedzieć, co mówią główni antagoniści.

[Migus · Rating 4 out of 5]

...

[Stephie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad little read, but also something I’ll probably forget about fairly quickly.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evidently Arthur Conan Doyle was a big fan of this one and called it “the first short story”. It reminded me of scenes from Treasure Island, RLS is pretty good at putting the protagonists in a building under siege.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pavilion On The Links is a short 80 page book by Robert Louis Stevenson. It tells the story of two men who were once good friends, but drifted apart over the course of years, who end up coming back together to protect a man on the run from Italian revolutionaries.

Frank Cassilis has been living his life as something of a vagrant, travelling around the UK and sleeping in the countryside. When he returns to Graden Easter, where he once stayed with an old friend, Northmour, he discovers strange happenings. The pavilion where the two of them used to stay has been locked down for the season, but he keeps seeing strange lights within late into the night. He discovered that Northmour is secretly preparing the pavilion.

One night Northnour sneaks in a older man and his daughter, attacking Frank when he approaches. Frank soon discovers that Northmour is helping a banker named Bernard Huddlestone and his daughter Clara to escape the country. Huddlestone was a banker, who lost thousands of pounds, including the money that belonged to a group of Italian revolutionaries, who are now hunting them down for revenge. Putting aside their differences, and their competition for Clara's love, Frank and Northmour team-up to defend the Huddlestone's from the revolutionaries.

I was honestly surprised when reading Pavilion On The Links with how the plot actually went. To be honest, this was in part due to the fact that I'd never read a Robert Louis Stevenson book before, and had no idea what to expect. Of course, I knew of his other works, with titles such as Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde being so well known as to come to mind instantly when thinking of the author. But when it came to reading this book I never expected such a short book that begun with a man rambling across the British countryside to end with an armed siege against Italian revolutionaries.

We don't get a lot of time with the characters in this book, but each of them is very clearly established, and it's easy to figure out what kind of people they are in just a scene or two. The conflict between Northmour and Frank is set up long before the two come face to face, so when they actually interact the reader feels like it's a natural thing for the two of them.

The sudden love between Frank and Clara feels like it comes out of nowhere, though, and feels a little rushed. The two of them only know each other a few days, and seem to mainly talk about the situation with the Italian's, so for them to so strongly declare their love for each other, and state that they want to be married is a bit of a shock. I appreciate that they're in a very stressful situation, and may be drawn together because of it, and it's a different time, but it doesn't quite sit right with me.

My biggest dissapointment with the story, however, is the conclusion. The book spends so long setting up the coming confrontation, and there are some great tense moments where the two men are ready to defend the pavilion, armed with guns. Sadly, the siege doesn't last a whole long, and ends rather abruptly when Huddlestone gives his life to save his daughter. Whilst there's nothing wrong with this conclusion I was hoping for a big more action as I was really enjoying it.

The Pavilion On The Links was described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as 'the high watermark of Stevenson's genius', and I have to agree that this short story was very well crafted, and was enjoyable throughout, and makes me eager to read more of Stevenson's work.

[Arwen56 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Questo racconto è uno dei primi pubblicati da Stevenson e comparve la prima volta, in una precedente versione, sulla rivista letteraria Cornhill Magazine, diretta nientemeno che dal padre di Virginia Woolf.

Chi sia Stevenson penso lo sappiano tutti, poiché non credo esista qualcuno che non abbia letto Lo Strano caso del dottor Jakyll e del signor Hyde o non abbia almeno visto un film od uno sceneggiato da esso tratto. Un romanzo complesso, anche se, probabilmente, non volutamente, date le teorie ampiamente espresse dall’autore al riguardo delle caratteristiche che dovrebbe avere la narrativa in genere. Ci tornerò sopra quando avrò tempo e voglia.
Per il momento, occupiamoci di questo racconto. Che è proprio bruttino, a mio modesto avviso.

Tanto per cominciare, la storia è alquanto improbabile. L’idea dei Carbonari italiani acquattati tra le dune che assediano la casa per vendicarsi del banchiere che li ha truffati e che gridano “traditore” mi ha fatto persino sorridere. Il repentino innamoramento di Frank e Clara e la fiducia che quest’ultima ripone in un perfetto sconosciuto sono assai poco credibili. L’ombrosità ed i cambiamenti d’umore continui di Northmour paiono un poco assurdi. Certo, questo genere di narrativa non nasce allo scopo di indagare a fondo la psicologia o le motivazioni dei personaggi, tuttavia si ha un po’ l’impressione che neppure Stevenson avesse le idee chiare su come procedere, a parte il fatto di voler creare un’atmosfera di suspense, che potesse tenere il lettore col fiato sospeso. Però, onestamente, mi ha solo annoiata.

[Dfordoom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of suspense involving a crooked banker, his daughter, two rather odd gentlemen who happen to be in love with her, and Italian revolutionaries whose money has been stolen by the banker (it’s reassuring to know that bankers have always been thoroughly untrustworthy). It has some definite gothic atmosphere, with a bleak and extremely isolated house in wild and desolate country, and with the two rivals for the daughter’s affections (especially Northmour) both having some of the characteristics of the doomed Byronic hero – both are in their different ways gloomy and misanthropic. Northmour is portrayed by Stevenson as a man without religious faith who is searching, without realising it, for something to believe in. I find Stevenson to be a very uneven writer indeed, but this is a thoroughly entertaining little novella.

[Lotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is described as a mystery, but, truth be told, there was not much mysterious about it. Yes, the main character doesn't know what is happening at first, but once it's all clear there's not much tension left. To be honest, there isn't much tension in the first half of the story either. In terms of plot, it wasn't very exciting.
But I thought it was very well written, the pacing, the choice of words, the character descriptions, the landscape! I got a good impression of the location and the people of this story. I was really glad that the men who were abusive towards the woman (future wife of the protagonist) were the "bad" and "not-so-good" guys (implied by the story), which was a relief. Alltogether a good story, but not really memorable.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

To our modern eyes the name makes this story sound as if it is about a little gazebo on a golf course. What Stevenson is writing about is a relatively casual country house (called a pavilion because it isn't a huge country estate main home) that is out on sandhills which have been grown over by grass for stability (the Scottish meaning of the word "links" as he tells us early on).

And its a mystery.

I discovered, reading Michael Dirda's "On Conan Doyle" that Arthur Conan Doyle considered this the best story ever written. I wouldn't go that far, but it's interesting.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Interesting Stevenson early story about four people in an unbearable situation. It reminded me of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," not because of the subject matter, but because of the length and structure of the story.

ESPAÑOL: Este cuento de Stevenson, sobre cuatro personas que se encuentran en una situación insoportable, es muy interesante. Me recordó al "Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde", no por el tema, sino por la extensión y la estructura del cuento.

[Qwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that at first I'd thought this intriguing tale about friendship was a part of the Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story because this was the second story in the same book that did not mention its title on the cover page. Not even an "And other stories. . .", so it took me googling after reading halfway to realise that neither Dr Jekyll, nor Mr. Hyde were about to show up anywhere at this pavilion.
Robert creates an alluring atmosphere of suspense, that is dampened by the love triangle in the middle of it. The sole prominent female character, Clara Huddlestone, arguably the wisest among them, falls victim to being viewed as "Not like other women" while still sharing various sensibilities with "other women", a common trope of its time, yet an annoying one to come across.
The friendship, if one could call it that, between the two men was interesting to delve into and would've been worth exploring further from its very beginning, especially without a common love interest thrust in between. Although, Northmour remains an elusive, antisocial, at times crass enigma.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this short story. I’m surprised that it’s only been made into a movie twice, most recently almost 25 years ago. It’s very cinematic! I almost always dislike romance in books but I actually found this one very sweet. The adventure aspects of the story are very exciting and the writing is beautiful. My only critiques are that some aspects of the end felt a little unsatisfying, and Northmour’s character is fascinating at times and then at other times felt inconsistent. Overall I’m becoming a surprise RLS fan.

[Daria Bezzub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Це вже щось краще, аніж було до цього (я про "Клуб самогубців" і "Власника Балантре"). Опси природи і дюн мене захопили з перших речень, саме у цьому творі вони мені виглядали доречно і надавали атмосферності тексту.

Хоча всі сюжетні лінії закриваються, все одно в кінці оповідання, в мене було відчуття, що воно обірвалось. Можливо це пов'язано з тим, що Стівенсон, коли досягає кульмінаційного моменту, прискорю події і завершає їх в кілька речень.

Але з цього твору я перестала вже шкодувати, що взяла до рук збірку Стівенсона.

4/5

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story revolves around the characters Clara, Huddlestone, Northmour and Frank who are some type of friends. It begins with Frank observing the movements of Northmour from a yacht to pavilion acting rather suspiciously.

The story unfolds in a rather good Agatha Christieesque way. In time we find out that Huddlestone got into trouble with some Italians, probably the Mafia, but not clarified.

I felt the ending was the weakest, but, an interesting story by Stevenson.

[Asia]

Przeczytałam to tylko dlatego, że w moim wydaniu "Doktora Jekylla i Pana Hyde'a" było zawarte również to opowiadanie. I wydaje mi się, że albo w ogóle tego nie zrozumiałam, albo to nie ma żadnego większego sensu. Ta lektura nic nie wniosła to do mojego życia i nie zawierała żadnych wniosków. Z kolei wątek "kryminalny" jest bardzo przewidywalny, od początku wiadome jest kto umrze, a kto musi przeżyć.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wüsste man nicht, dass man einen Stevenson zur Hand genommen hat, so wüsste man das spätestens nach der ersten Seite. Dieser typische Erzählschmelz, dieser ganz eigene Sound ist von Beginn an vorhanden. Stevenson ist ein großartiger Erzähler, dessen Figuren, so abenteuerlich seine Geschichten auch daherkommen, nie in eine schwarzweiße Typologie auseinanderfallen. Sein Erzählstil ist grandios. Stevenson lesen ist immer ein Gewinn und vor allem ein Vergnügen.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short but sweet little story has a lot going for it, although I will say that it’s held back by Stevenson’s writing style and the fact that all of the good stuff kicks in right at the end.

It’s basically a tale of love, theft and revenge, which teaches the reader that all Italians are sinister and untrustworthy. Maybe don’t take that lesson to heart, though.

[Ed Stoddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy RLS, and while he does not knock it out of the park with this one, it's still a good read. One thing that intrigued me was the banker, who appears to have been a swindler involved in a Ponzi scheme in the 19th century. This opens a small window on economic history and attitudes towards bankers, which don't seem to have changed all that much since ...

[Kasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Stevenson is like meeting up with an old friend; this is a short story but it's near novella-length and somehow I had missed it before. Stevenson's prose is a pleasure and I thought the ending was great. This was better than some of his novels.