Vathek and Other Stories

Jun 20, 2025 2:17 AM

Author:Malcolm Jack,William Beckford

An enthralling work of Gothic fiction, modelled on the Arabian Nights, William Beckford's Vathek and Other Stories is edited with an introduction by Malcolm Jack in Penguin Classics.

William Beckford was a novelist, travel writer, art critic and politician best known for his novel Vathek - a story with elaborate imagery, sardonic humour and an unforgettable gallery of grotesques - which describes a journey to the halls of Eblis, or Hell, in the pursuit of knowledge. This volume is arranged in three sections: 'Oriental Tales', comprising Vathek and The Long Story (also known as The Vision); 'Satires', which includes Biographical Memoirs of Extraordinary Painters, an ironical exposé of English art-collecting, and an essay on the exercises of the sentimental novel; and 'Travel Diaries', containing extracts from Beckford's intimate and entertaining travel journals. Together this collection of writing exhibits the author's exuberant day-dreaming imagination as well as the deeply emotional, aesthetic themes and detailed physical descriptions of his writing.

In his introduction Malcolm Jack explores Beckford's 'journeying spirit', assesses his reputation as a stylist and innovator and discusses his life and work. This edition also includes a bibliography, an index and a chronology of Beckford's life.

William Beckford (1760-1844) inherited an immense fortune on his tenth birthday, and spent the next fifty years wasting it with reckless abandon. At the age of nineteen, he was forced to flee the country after his passionate affair with the Earl of Devon was exposed by a scandalised relative. He was a Member of Parliament and a traveller who spent large sums of money collecting rare books, curiosities and paintings for the embellishment of his Gothic folly, Fonthill Abbey, where he lived in opulent seclusion until bankruptcy finally forced him to sell it, in 1822.

If you enjoyed Vathek, you might also like H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories, available in Penguin Modern Classics.

Reviews

This accomplished debut offers a luxurious reading experience. The common theme is that of separation, of "reconciling opposites", yet each tale is strikingly different: all are equally memorable. Affecting, graceful, recalling the dispassionate precision of Elizabeth Bowen, this is a timeless collection

—— Catherine Taylor , Guardian

A terrific debut... If Robson is dropping an immaculate collection on us we should simply be grateful, for his style is witty and confident, while his robust and engaging tales are mapped out with perspicacity, exuberance and deftly summoned delicacy of feeling... dip into it for a refreshing draught of how punchy and intoxicating a well-crafted tale can be

—— Independent on Sunday

Each of these stories is as substantial as a novel boiled down to a bouillon cube, rich in details

—— The Times

Sharp and funny...edged with melancholy...an interesting and accomplished debut

—— Sunday Telegraph

Delights in the quirky...truly magical and creepy settings

—— Daily Mail

Dazzling and moving

—— Independent on Sunday

Ten hugely entertaining short stories - including the hilarious titular tale of 15 lupine adolescents - from hot young US writer Russell

—— Financial Times

Russell proves herself the heir to Angela Carter in this simply dazzling collection of short stories. With macabre humour, dark fantasy and a haunting tone this is unforgettable stuff - even just titles such as 'Lady Yeti And The Palace Of Artificial Snows' are staggering.

—— Scotland on Sunday

These 10 inventive stories, set mostly in the Florida Everglades, mix satire and sophisticated whimsy

—— New York Times

Karen Russell has produced an engaging debut. Her ability to integrate mythology and the supernatural with the very contemporary...is reminiscent of Angela Carter, but unlike Carter's many imitators, Russell never descends into whimsy... In St Lucy's, humans, ghosts and animals are utterly real; and Russell sells the genuine article, a seemingly effortless writer

—— Alisa Cox , Mslexia

These are stories that will sneak into the back of your brain and lurk there long after you are finished reading.

—— Global Review

Poignant and wonderful story...concentrates, without effort, all Malouf's themes...it needs to be read

—— Prospect

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