Danse MacabreStrange Stories from France
Spurned lovers return from the grave to haunt their partners, ghost ships materialise on the sea, men's hands take on a life of their own... Welcome to the unsettling world of the French weird.
Though the development of the weird tale in France originally drew on Gothic traditions in Germany, it soon became more heavily influenced by the emerging romantic movement. French weird tales often include elements of fable and romance, but they're just as likely to go to the other extreme in chilling contes cruels. The stories in this anthology follow the evolution of the weird from the aftermath of the 1789 Revolution right through to the end of the twentieth century. They're stories influenced by, and to some extent seeking to justify, civil and political unrest and how people coped with constant change and rebellion, seeking some solace amongst the chaos.
Mike Ashley
Mike Ashley is the author and editor of more than 100 books, and is one of the foremost historians of popular fiction. His books include Adventures in The Strand (British Library, 2016), Out of This World, a brief illustrated history of science fiction (British Library, 2011), and The Age of Storytellers: British Popular Fiction Magazines 1880-1950 (British Library, 2005). Most recently he is the author of a multi-volume history of science fiction magazines, published by Liverpool University Press.
British Library Tales of the Weird
The British Library Tales of the Weird series revives and unearths classic strange fiction from the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the form of novels, single-author collections and thematic anthologies, complete with new introductions and fascinating notes by expert editors.
British Library Tales of the Weird consists of seventy-four books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of two more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
