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Malpertuis
Jean Ray brilliantly upends the haunted-house tradition in this widely acclaimed puzzlebox of a novel
A reinvention of the Gothic novel and an established classic of fantastic literature, Malpertuis is as inventive and gripping today as when it first appeared in French in the dark year of 1943.
Malpertuis is a puzzle box of nested narratives wrested from a set of manuscripts stolen from a monastery. A bizarre collection of distrustful relatives has gathered together in the ancient stone mansion of a sea-trading dynasty for the impending death of the occult scientist, Uncle Cassave, and the reading of his will. Forced to dwell together for the remainder of their lives within the stifling walls of Malpertuis for the sake of a cursed inheritance, their banal existence gradually gives way to love affairs and secret plots, as the building slowly exposes a malevolence that eventually leads to a series of ghastly deaths.
The eccentric personalities it houses—which include an obsessive taxidermist, a hypochondriac, a trio of vengeful sisters and a former paint store manager who has gone mad—begin to shed like skins to reveal yet another hidden story buried in the novel’s structure, one that turns the haunted-house tradition on its head and culminates in an apocalyptic denouement.
Jean Ray (1887–1964) is the best known of the multiple pseudonyms of Raymundus Joannes Maria de Kremer, a pivotal figure in the “Belgian School of the Strange,” who authored some 6,500 texts in his lifetime.
A reinvention of the Gothic novel and an established classic of fantastic literature, Malpertuis is as inventive and gripping today as when it first appeared in French in the dark year of 1943.
Malpertuis is a puzzle box of nested narratives wrested from a set of manuscripts stolen from a monastery. A bizarre collection of distrustful relatives has gathered together in the ancient stone mansion of a sea-trading dynasty for the impending death of the occult scientist, Uncle Cassave, and the reading of his will. Forced to dwell together for the remainder of their lives within the stifling walls of Malpertuis for the sake of a cursed inheritance, their banal existence gradually gives way to love affairs and secret plots, as the building slowly exposes a malevolence that eventually leads to a series of ghastly deaths.
The eccentric personalities it houses—which include an obsessive taxidermist, a hypochondriac, a trio of vengeful sisters and a former paint store manager who has gone mad—begin to shed like skins to reveal yet another hidden story buried in the novel’s structure, one that turns the haunted-house tradition on its head and culminates in an apocalyptic denouement.
Jean Ray (1887–1964) is the best known of the multiple pseudonyms of Raymundus Joannes Maria de Kremer, a pivotal figure in the “Belgian School of the Strange,” who authored some 6,500 texts in his lifetime.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1943
About the author
Jean Ray
258 books109 followersRaymundus Joannes de Kremer was a Flemish Belgian writer who used the pen names John Flanders and Jean Ray. He wrote both in Dutch and French.
He was born in Ghent, his father a minor port official, his mother the director of a girls' school. Ray was a fairly successful student but failed to complete his university studies, and from 1910 to 1919 he worked in clerical jobs in the city administration.
By the early 1920s he had joined the editorial team of the Journal de Gand. Later he also joined the monthly L'Ami du Livre. His first book, Les Contes du Whisky, a collection of fantastic and uncanny stories, was published during 1925.
During 1926 he was charged with embezzlement and sentenced to six years in prison, but served only two years. During his imprisonment he wrote two of his best-known long stories, The Shadowy Street and The Mainz Psalter. From the time of his release in 1929 until the outbreak of the Second World War, he wrote virtually non-stop.
Between 1933 and 1940, he produced over a hundred tales in a series of detective stories, The Adventures of Harry Dickson, the American Sherlock Holmes. He had been hired to translate a series from the German, but he found the stories so bad that he suggested to his Amsterdam publisher that he should re-write them instead. The publisher agreed, provided only that each story be about the same length as the original, and match the book's cover illustration. The Harry Dickson stories are admired by the film director Alain Resnais among others. During the winter of 1959-1960 Resnais met with Ray in the hope of making a film based on the Harry Dickson character, but nothing came of the project.
During the Second World War Ray's prodigious output slowed, but he was able to publish his best works in French, under the name Jean Ray: Le Grand Nocturne (1942), La Cité de l'Indicible Peur, also adapted into a film starring Bourvil, Malpertuis, Les Cercles de L'Epouvante (all 1943), Les Derniers Contes de Canterbury (1944) and Le Livre des Fantômes (1947).
After the war he was again reduced to hackwork, writing comic-strip scenarios by the name of John Flanders. He was rescued from obscurity by Raymond Queneau and Roland Stragliati, whose influence got Malpertuis reprinted in French during 1956.
A few weeks before his death, he wrote his own mock epitaph in a letter to his friend Albert van Hageland: Ci gît Jean Ray/homme sinistre/qui ne fut rien/pas même ministre ("Here lies Jean Ray/A man sinister/who was nothing/not even a minister").
He was born in Ghent, his father a minor port official, his mother the director of a girls' school. Ray was a fairly successful student but failed to complete his university studies, and from 1910 to 1919 he worked in clerical jobs in the city administration.
By the early 1920s he had joined the editorial team of the Journal de Gand. Later he also joined the monthly L'Ami du Livre. His first book, Les Contes du Whisky, a collection of fantastic and uncanny stories, was published during 1925.
During 1926 he was charged with embezzlement and sentenced to six years in prison, but served only two years. During his imprisonment he wrote two of his best-known long stories, The Shadowy Street and The Mainz Psalter. From the time of his release in 1929 until the outbreak of the Second World War, he wrote virtually non-stop.
Between 1933 and 1940, he produced over a hundred tales in a series of detective stories, The Adventures of Harry Dickson, the American Sherlock Holmes. He had been hired to translate a series from the German, but he found the stories so bad that he suggested to his Amsterdam publisher that he should re-write them instead. The publisher agreed, provided only that each story be about the same length as the original, and match the book's cover illustration. The Harry Dickson stories are admired by the film director Alain Resnais among others. During the winter of 1959-1960 Resnais met with Ray in the hope of making a film based on the Harry Dickson character, but nothing came of the project.
During the Second World War Ray's prodigious output slowed, but he was able to publish his best works in French, under the name Jean Ray: Le Grand Nocturne (1942), La Cité de l'Indicible Peur, also adapted into a film starring Bourvil, Malpertuis, Les Cercles de L'Epouvante (all 1943), Les Derniers Contes de Canterbury (1944) and Le Livre des Fantômes (1947).
After the war he was again reduced to hackwork, writing comic-strip scenarios by the name of John Flanders. He was rescued from obscurity by Raymond Queneau and Roland Stragliati, whose influence got Malpertuis reprinted in French during 1956.
A few weeks before his death, he wrote his own mock epitaph in a letter to his friend Albert van Hageland: Ci gît Jean Ray/homme sinistre/qui ne fut rien/pas même ministre ("Here lies Jean Ray/A man sinister/who was nothing/not even a minister").
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
June 22, 2021
Ancient pagan deities are not dead – they were captured and now live in hiding in the old dilapidated mansion named Malpertuis.
In order to create this gorgeous and flowery Gothic novel Jean Ray lavishly used mythology and mysticism so the atmosphere of the novel is intriguingly enigmatic and its artfully macabre aura is quite enchanting. And although the plot is pretty linear – ostensibly the story is compiled from the notes by different people – it is full of unexpected turns and twists.
Have no fear, the ancient gods won’t die. As long as we read Homer, Ovid, Virgil and Malpertuis they will live.
In order to create this gorgeous and flowery Gothic novel Jean Ray lavishly used mythology and mysticism so the atmosphere of the novel is intriguingly enigmatic and its artfully macabre aura is quite enchanting. And although the plot is pretty linear – ostensibly the story is compiled from the notes by different people – it is full of unexpected turns and twists.
Men are not born of the whim or will of the gods, on the contrary, gods owe their existence to the belief of men. Should this belief wither, the gods will die.
Have no fear, the ancient gods won’t die. As long as we read Homer, Ovid, Virgil and Malpertuis they will live.
June 13, 2013
I can't even begin to describe how much I adored this mysterious and inscrutable tale of tenebrous and awe-inspiring gloom. I saw the film about a year ago, and it left its mark on my soul, but I still was not prepared for the greatness that was this book, which was quite different from the film, from what I recall. Perhaps I shall find it in me to write a review at some point that will do Malpertuis justice, but at this point I think I just need to let the feelings it stirred within me percolate. Brilliant!
March 1, 2023
Malpertuis is a brooding work of dark genius. It is a puzzlebox, a mystery . . . of sorts. A slow, grey carnival, solemn, but unholy, slowly unfolds. The setting, the house Malpertuis, is like a decaying body, with the inhabitants its organs, fitfully straining to beat, to move, to live. But the dolor that hangs over the place and its . . . people(?) is loden with malaise and despair that eventually stifles all attempts to escape the somber veil of thwarted history that is wrapped in the tangled skeins of fate to the point where the Sisters themselves are strangled by their own threads.
The pace is deliciously plodding. There is a strong sense of something that once was, but is no longer. A vitality that has been sapped and bled into a dry husk blown about by the slightest breeze.
It is beautiful and ugly at the same time. But there is little to hope for in Malpertuis. The cursed place was condemned to crumble by the ambitions of the sorcerer Cassave, whose misdeeds and perversities I will not recount here. Even the author (who may or may not have identified with the un-named thief/narrator) is loathe to approach Cassave's sins directly. If the reader is looking for direct explanations and so-called "plot," they will be hard pressed to find anything of the sort.
Ray's perambulations serve a higher (lower?) purpose: to bring the reader into the gothic labyrinthine walls of Malpertuis. Reading the book is, like walking a labyrinth, a meditation, a strange shelter from the outside world, an escape into an inner world both fascinating and excruciating.
At first, I thought I might be entering a Gormenghast-like space combined with Knives Out. It didn't take long before I realized that this was not the conceit that Ray was working with. In Malpertuis, we are not bound by contemporary notions of plotting and novel structure. This is a kaleidoscopic work, a shattered mirror of perspectives and prose. It is deeply fascinating, in this regard, with the "story" being revealed from different points of view, along with different attitudes toward the subject matter. I used the word "vortical" in my notes while reading, and I stand by that description. This is a whirlwind into which the reader is not merely drawn, but yanked with great force, to be buffeted about non-stop by strangeness and unwelcome revelations.
Now, I know I use this argument all the time, but one of my methodologies for evaluating a work is "would the Brothers Quay make a movie of this? Could they?" The answer here is a resounding "yes". The book has had a cinematic treatment, which is its own piece of art, but not nearly as sublime as this amazing opus.
Strongly, strongly recommended! I can see myself revisiting Malpertuis many, many times. But then, isn't that just the nature of the place itself? I am happily caught in its labyrinth!
The pace is deliciously plodding. There is a strong sense of something that once was, but is no longer. A vitality that has been sapped and bled into a dry husk blown about by the slightest breeze.
It is beautiful and ugly at the same time. But there is little to hope for in Malpertuis. The cursed place was condemned to crumble by the ambitions of the sorcerer Cassave, whose misdeeds and perversities I will not recount here. Even the author (who may or may not have identified with the un-named thief/narrator) is loathe to approach Cassave's sins directly. If the reader is looking for direct explanations and so-called "plot," they will be hard pressed to find anything of the sort.
Ray's perambulations serve a higher (lower?) purpose: to bring the reader into the gothic labyrinthine walls of Malpertuis. Reading the book is, like walking a labyrinth, a meditation, a strange shelter from the outside world, an escape into an inner world both fascinating and excruciating.
At first, I thought I might be entering a Gormenghast-like space combined with Knives Out. It didn't take long before I realized that this was not the conceit that Ray was working with. In Malpertuis, we are not bound by contemporary notions of plotting and novel structure. This is a kaleidoscopic work, a shattered mirror of perspectives and prose. It is deeply fascinating, in this regard, with the "story" being revealed from different points of view, along with different attitudes toward the subject matter. I used the word "vortical" in my notes while reading, and I stand by that description. This is a whirlwind into which the reader is not merely drawn, but yanked with great force, to be buffeted about non-stop by strangeness and unwelcome revelations.
Now, I know I use this argument all the time, but one of my methodologies for evaluating a work is "would the Brothers Quay make a movie of this? Could they?" The answer here is a resounding "yes". The book has had a cinematic treatment, which is its own piece of art, but not nearly as sublime as this amazing opus.
Strongly, strongly recommended! I can see myself revisiting Malpertuis many, many times. But then, isn't that just the nature of the place itself? I am happily caught in its labyrinth!
February 23, 2019
A stolen canister of yellowing manuscripts yields the strange tale of a forbidding house inhabited by an eccentric cast of the human, the quasi-human, and the decidedly inhuman. To step into Malpertuis is to traverse the descending darkness as unseen shadows sweep in to extinguish the lamps. To cross the threshold is to risk a hardening of one's limbs. To ascend the staircase to the uppermost floor is tantamount to surrendering one's soul. Yet the 'heady redolence of rose and amber' swirls around you. Those green eyes, how they flicker like flames. You belong here, with them, your family and the other so-called inhabitants, peculiar and downright fiendish though they may be. Malpertuis, after all, is your home...and when you are away it calls to you, 'as age-old forces call restless migratory creatures across great distances'. You cannot resist its stagnant allure and so you return to it one last time before you flee for your life.
Jean Ray's Malpertuis is a glowing work of supernatural Gothic fiction, displaying on every page the exotic spiced fruits of over 10 years' labor in writing and revision. Ray's prose envelops the reclining reader in a fragrant cloud of pipe smoke, and once ensconced I found myself loath to clear the air. I read the majority of this in one sitting, and it was with great pain that I was torn from its spell only to endure the mundanity of a midday repast taken in the close confines of an establishment teeming with humanity. Returning thence with much haste, I slipped once again under the power of Ray's creeping dread, where I held fast 'til the grand denouement, all the while thinking back on the long days spent cloistered in Malpertuis.
Jean Ray's Malpertuis is a glowing work of supernatural Gothic fiction, displaying on every page the exotic spiced fruits of over 10 years' labor in writing and revision. Ray's prose envelops the reclining reader in a fragrant cloud of pipe smoke, and once ensconced I found myself loath to clear the air. I read the majority of this in one sitting, and it was with great pain that I was torn from its spell only to endure the mundanity of a midday repast taken in the close confines of an establishment teeming with humanity. Returning thence with much haste, I slipped once again under the power of Ray's creeping dread, where I held fast 'til the grand denouement, all the while thinking back on the long days spent cloistered in Malpertuis.
The first phantom to rise up before me was that common to all sequestered lives: ennui.
Day in, day out it rained, and at certain times the downpour would take on the character of a raging deluge.
There was no counting upon the garden and its repulsive mysteries to distract myself from the dismal and silent hours I spent in the house. The leafless branches of the trees clashed together; the rain-lashed earth erupted into blisters and pustules that broke and dissolved into mud; during the brief spells of respite, when the branches and the twigs as it were drew breath, one could hear the surly, lapping sound of the waters of the pond.
June 24, 2015
Liked the concept. The frame narratives were cool. The main story itself seemed a bit underdone. Certainly didn't merit the Lovecraft comparisons in terms of creepiness. The main character JJ was so bland it was hard to care or, more importantly, buy that he motivated the events that moved around him. And I have a peev about characters just walking out of the story -- I was expecting more from/about Nancy, especially. I was just expecting something more brilliant and experimental, but this was entertaining enough, and I learned a couple new words.
anagyris
vulnerary: of use in the healing of wounds.
anagyris
vulnerary: of use in the healing of wounds.
May 9, 2015
This book was written in 1943 by "Jean Ray" the best-known pseudonym among the many used by Raymundus Joannes de Kremer (8 July 1887 – 17 September 1964). The book was originally written in French and this edition was translated by Iain White and published in England. According to the introduction (written by White) this is "Jean Ray's" only full length novel, what a shame. Mr. White compares Ray to H. P. Lovecraft, but I don't see the comparison. This book is much much more enticing and moody.
Malpertuis is a crumbling, ancient monastery where a dying warlock has trapped the aging gods of Olympus inside the skins of ordinary citizens.
p75. "When the moment came to cross the threshold into the street the fear seized me"
p113. "And horrible tears began to flow"
p125. "A weak voice, a disembodied voice was murmuring in my ears"
This is fantastic Gothic Literature at it's finest. A hidden diamond. A narrative of mystery and terror.
Malpertuis is a crumbling, ancient monastery where a dying warlock has trapped the aging gods of Olympus inside the skins of ordinary citizens.
p75. "When the moment came to cross the threshold into the street the fear seized me"
p113. "And horrible tears began to flow"
p125. "A weak voice, a disembodied voice was murmuring in my ears"
This is fantastic Gothic Literature at it's finest. A hidden diamond. A narrative of mystery and terror.
May 10, 2020
I starting reading this with few expectations and was very impressed. This book just swims in mood, a Gothic mood of oppressive melancholy and quiet waiting, yet it's punctuated by inexplicable, horrific events that remain completely unexplained for some time.
I really enjoy Jean Ray's short stories, some of which I think are masterpieces of weird fiction. He also has a number of somewhat mediocre (but better than average) horror stories. I wasn't sure that the same level of greatness could be achieved in novel form, but this is as good as his best short fiction. I think I enjoyed this more, with a 50,000~ word novel we can become a bit more engrossed.
I have to mention the visual quality of this book, it's like a German expressionist film. The story primarily takes place in a dark mansion; poorly-lit by lamps and candles, full of high ceilings, long shadows, black corridors. The visuals are quite evocative.
Here's a few brief samples:
"It was a resounding, slack sound, the sound of a loosened sail, flapping in the wind. And at the topmost point of the spiral staircase a star went out. And then, immobile, incapable of breaking the cruel spell that held me riveted to the spot, I watched the slow death of the lamps. They were extinguished one by one and, at each of these eclipses, the sound was repeated, heavy and ferocious. The darkness was stealthily drawing nearer to me. The upper part of the stairwell was already inky black."
"In the lamplight a decrepit hand, wax-pale, brandished a sheet of paper."
"He was galloping through the corridors, brandishing a torch that trailed a long, red tongue of flame. He was rushing from lamp to lamp, touching the flame to each wick, awakening in the darkness discs of golden light. Powerless and terrified, I watched his vain struggle against the darkness of Malpertuis."
At first I worried this would be one of those novels where everything is explained logically at the end, but it quickly became so strange that it was obvious that that was no longer an option. This book does take chances though -- the ultimate explanation is pretty over-the-top and wild, but the novel is so imaginative I let it off the hook for this. It's quite unique, in some ways I can't say I've read anything quite like it.
I don't like to use the phrase "page turner" for something that feels like a classic, but this book qualifies. I could definitely re-read this one, and can tell it will be one of my best reads of the year. It's exactly what I like; great atmospherics and Gothic in tone but entirely unpredictable and full of surprises.
I really enjoy Jean Ray's short stories, some of which I think are masterpieces of weird fiction. He also has a number of somewhat mediocre (but better than average) horror stories. I wasn't sure that the same level of greatness could be achieved in novel form, but this is as good as his best short fiction. I think I enjoyed this more, with a 50,000~ word novel we can become a bit more engrossed.
I have to mention the visual quality of this book, it's like a German expressionist film. The story primarily takes place in a dark mansion; poorly-lit by lamps and candles, full of high ceilings, long shadows, black corridors. The visuals are quite evocative.
Here's a few brief samples:
"It was a resounding, slack sound, the sound of a loosened sail, flapping in the wind. And at the topmost point of the spiral staircase a star went out. And then, immobile, incapable of breaking the cruel spell that held me riveted to the spot, I watched the slow death of the lamps. They were extinguished one by one and, at each of these eclipses, the sound was repeated, heavy and ferocious. The darkness was stealthily drawing nearer to me. The upper part of the stairwell was already inky black."
"In the lamplight a decrepit hand, wax-pale, brandished a sheet of paper."
"He was galloping through the corridors, brandishing a torch that trailed a long, red tongue of flame. He was rushing from lamp to lamp, touching the flame to each wick, awakening in the darkness discs of golden light. Powerless and terrified, I watched his vain struggle against the darkness of Malpertuis."
At first I worried this would be one of those novels where everything is explained logically at the end, but it quickly became so strange that it was obvious that that was no longer an option. This book does take chances though -- the ultimate explanation is pretty over-the-top and wild, but the novel is so imaginative I let it off the hook for this. It's quite unique, in some ways I can't say I've read anything quite like it.
I don't like to use the phrase "page turner" for something that feels like a classic, but this book qualifies. I could definitely re-read this one, and can tell it will be one of my best reads of the year. It's exactly what I like; great atmospherics and Gothic in tone but entirely unpredictable and full of surprises.
February 9, 2022
I've been letting this mysterious and unique novel roll around in my head for the last week or more, unsure what I want to say about it. Everything I think seems fragmentary, anecdotal, and perhaps tentative as I wouldn't want to spoil for anyone the very interesting idea that informs the narrative but which is hidden until the denouement. Yes, it's one of those books you feel the immediate urge to start reading all over again once the ending has revealed exactly what's going on. And, yes, that is excellently done here.
I also keep returning, strangely, to the novel's having been published in the middle of the Nazi occupation--was that not horror enough? But it's a timeless and, well, for lack of a better pun, haunting narrative. Its style being much more the kind of magic realism one finds in Kafka and Bruno Schultz's short tales than in anything American or pulp-inspired. Except that the conceit to which I referred above, and the mystery revealed, lack the gravitas of the above authors and could have been the stuff of pulp. It's thus a very interesting and very European (Continental, I suppose, if you consider England part of Europe), if you will, version of the novel of terror. Reading Malpertius the book is to enter into the strange world of Malpertius the house and to discover a whole new set of rules, a new reality, which is as the characters experience it as well, so, again, well done.
Between reading the novel and writing this disjointed "review," I sought out and watched the film, made in the '70s, with the inimitable Orson Welles. Its bright lights and colors were not at all as I pictured the gloomily mysterious scenes in my head when reading the novel, but I must say that the cinematic text (which altered the novel slightly) wasn't awful and was perhaps better for the filmmaker's vision of the tale. In all the film is quite theatrical, relying on some excellent acting (even if in Flemish and thus I was following subtitles), physicality, and some sustained takes rather than cinematographic shadows and darkness. I do recall being reminded of a David Lynch film as I read the novel--as in Lynch's films, often the reader is confronted with bizarre and inexplicable images and actions that only insert themselves into anything resembling a logical narrative later. An unnerving approach to art perhaps, but an arresting and a good one, I think.
I also keep returning, strangely, to the novel's having been published in the middle of the Nazi occupation--was that not horror enough? But it's a timeless and, well, for lack of a better pun, haunting narrative. Its style being much more the kind of magic realism one finds in Kafka and Bruno Schultz's short tales than in anything American or pulp-inspired. Except that the conceit to which I referred above, and the mystery revealed, lack the gravitas of the above authors and could have been the stuff of pulp. It's thus a very interesting and very European (Continental, I suppose, if you consider England part of Europe), if you will, version of the novel of terror. Reading Malpertius the book is to enter into the strange world of Malpertius the house and to discover a whole new set of rules, a new reality, which is as the characters experience it as well, so, again, well done.
Between reading the novel and writing this disjointed "review," I sought out and watched the film, made in the '70s, with the inimitable Orson Welles. Its bright lights and colors were not at all as I pictured the gloomily mysterious scenes in my head when reading the novel, but I must say that the cinematic text (which altered the novel slightly) wasn't awful and was perhaps better for the filmmaker's vision of the tale. In all the film is quite theatrical, relying on some excellent acting (even if in Flemish and thus I was following subtitles), physicality, and some sustained takes rather than cinematographic shadows and darkness. I do recall being reminded of a David Lynch film as I read the novel--as in Lynch's films, often the reader is confronted with bizarre and inexplicable images and actions that only insert themselves into anything resembling a logical narrative later. An unnerving approach to art perhaps, but an arresting and a good one, I think.
October 29, 2015
Extravagantly weird mid-century refitting of gothic dread around an eerie house and cast of odd characters vaguely competing for an inheritance. Unlike the somewhat messy film version, this succeeds in maintaining mood and intrigue, and gradually unspooling its sublimely unforeseeable plot (punctuated with audacious scenes of unexpected action) for the full length. Others have noted that it's basically a pulp story (a bit haunted house and a bit And Then There Were None), but again, a singularly weird one (and escapes from being anything really reducible to either of those archetypes), with scenes of unparalleled quasi-surrealist insanity. Really, this was perfect pre-Halloween reading. I was totally satisfied.
March 8, 2021
Utisci o romanu su se, bukvalno, menjali iz poglavlja u poglavlje, kao i raspoloženje pri čitanju: počev od konfuzije, preko besa do potpunog oduševljenja na kraju. Bio sam ubeđen da se radi o još jednom gotičkom romanu, gde je radnja smeštena u nekoj oronuloj kućerini koju opsedaju duhovi. Međutim, ovaj je roman mnogo više od toga, a taj utisak dolazi do punog izražaja tek pred sam kraj drugog njegovog dela. Što me je nateralo da se dobrano vratim unazad i da ponovo iščitam neke segmente koji su mi tek tada bili jasni. Da pođem od naziva delova romana: prvi deo je nazvan po jednoj od Erinija iz grčke mitologije – Alekti, drugi je nazvan po jednoj od tri sestre Gorgone – Eurijala. Ništa mi nije bilo jasno zbog čega. Da bih na kraju shvatio da je pisac, zapravo, načinio, uslovno rečeno, minijaturni omaž Hesiodovoj „Teogoniji" (Theogony), s tim što je metempsihozom duše božanstava na vrlo bizaran i noir način preselio u ljušture od smrtnih tela i sve ih zaodenuo gotikom zloslutne kuće Malpertui. Iz „Ilijade“ i „Teogonije“ znamo da su Erinije svrstane u božanstva podzemnog sveta i da su njihove dužnosti bile da slušaju žalbe smrtnika i da kažnjavaju zločine proganjajući grešnike. Bilo ih je tri – Tisifona, Alekta i Megera i imale su zmije umesto kose na psećim glavama i ugalj-crnim telima. Kako ih nije bilo pametno pominjati u svakodnevnom govoru, dobile su eufemistični naziv – Eumenide, tj. milostive. S druge strane, sestre Gorgone - Stejna, Eurijala i Meduza, mogle su da menjaju fizički oblik, a Meduzu je Atina kaznila večnom ružnoćom kad ju je zatekla u ljubavi sa Posejdonom. Žan Re je ove osobine Eumenida i Gorgona vešto iskoristio, hitnuvši malum discordiae na, reklo bi se na prvi utisak, sasvim običnog dvadesetogodišnjeg junošu koji se, među ostalom bujicom likova, obreo u Malpertuiju po pozivu moribundnog mu deda-strica da obelodani nasleđe za svakog od budućeg stanovnika kuće. Bespotrebno je da ovde iznosim bilo kakve detalje vezane za radnju same knjige, jer je, kao i kod Mervyna Peakea u njegovom delu The Gormenghast Trilogy – grotesknom zamku koji naseljavaju karikature (jedan od meni najomiljenijih romana svih vremena i drugog omiljenog mi pisca nakon Tolkina), praktično, nema, ali je čitava atmosfera vrlo efektna i jezovita. Štaviše, jedna od scena me je vrlo podsetila na delić iz Lovecraftove priče The Dreams in the Witch House i lik Browna Jenkina a još jedna, pri samom kraju, na scenu iz Danteovog "Pakla", kada sa Vergilijem u šestom krugu dolazi pred vrata ukletog grada Disa. Drugi razlog neiznošenja detalja vezanih za radnju jeste što svaki čitalac treba da prođe kroz ove „faze“ koje sam i ja prošao – da se iznervira na početku stilom koji podseća na didaskalije, onda da ga zbuni nasumičnost likova i igre rečima koje su prevodioca dobrano namučile, da bi, na kraju, shvatio da je ono što ga je zbunjivalo dobrano utemeljeno u suštastvenost čitavog romana, do čega mora doći pažljivim čitanjem i (u mom slučaju) naknadnim vraćanjem na pročitano.
September 26, 2022
Кућа као лик је узбудљив концепт. Она истовремено гута и упокојава своје домаћине, а уљезе избацује у земљотресном гневу (породичних драма). Сваки педаљ куће упија сећања, она су узидана у мaтеријале, укрцана у намештај, засенчена у ћошкове, прозрачена кроз завесе, узвитоперена у лиминалним ваздушним струјама, прашини, земљи, менама травњака и издисајима крошњи, лавежима, скичањима, граји, урлицима, врисцима, шапатима, громотресима и брујотресима летопада, пахуљичењу отопивог зимописа; она се костреше на све те мирисе што хрле или се спотичу из прозорског рама, свијајући платно у фантастичне ролне синаптичког ткања чије пројекције искрсавају испред суза што слано изоштре холограм, попут имерзионог уља под минуциозним објективом. Кућа је заточник и уточник, паразит који мами своје домаћине тактичном хемотаксом, али и шупље дебло спремно да уколевчи и на кратко презервира клупко живахних жила, осућено да се откотрља, распетља, декомпонује у чист тон. Кућа свира из пренаталних одјека и зато не може свако опипати у мраку њену приповедачку ћуд, јер, пре ње беше реч, па цртеж, па покрет. А када је оставе сви покрети и непокретности, из ње треба да се оваплоти нова реч, обремењена свиме што је старо, рушевно, минуло.
Толико о мојој кући, а шта рећи о Малпертуију? Божанствене дескрипције и фантастичне детињарије, или фантастичне дескрипције и божанствене детињарије. Читајући роман надао сам се да нећу морати да пожелим да сам се пре ухватио за трофазну или бочицу каквог отрова (а толико ми их је при руци) и све време сам размишљао како да рационализујем фантастику и не читам буквално јер мој мозак више нема 12 година и не стимулишу га чудовишна створења из маште. Онда је наишла реченица коју сам подвукао, да "богови дугују своје постојање људском веровању", да би се нешто касније (стр. 177) ипак показало да је у овом фиктивном свету главни хришћански бог, као и да усуд постоји. Сламка спаса може бити то што је ово прича у причи, базирана на откривеним списима, чиме се отвара могућност сумње у њихову веродостојност. Невоља је у томе што писци овој техници прибегавају баш из супротних порива, како би постигли уверљивост (притом, рукописи различитих приповедача нису контрадикторни и савршено се допуњују). Не мислим да је намера писца била да нам сугерише како је лако склепати књигу попут библије - хрпу измишљотина (нажалост!), а још мање сматрам да је имао идеју да нам покаже како се архетипи из антике повампирују јер нас књижевна елита њима трује, како нас плаше и уништавају (заморним интертекстуалним везама и смарачком митологијом). Исувише је ово жанровски испразно да би се трагало за тешком лепотом високе књижевности.
Толико о мојој кући, а шта рећи о Малпертуију? Божанствене дескрипције и фантастичне детињарије, или фантастичне дескрипције и божанствене детињарије. Читајући роман надао сам се да нећу морати да пожелим да сам се пре ухватио за трофазну или бочицу каквог отрова (а толико ми их је при руци) и све време сам размишљао како да рационализујем фантастику и не читам буквално јер мој мозак више нема 12 година и не стимулишу га чудовишна створења из маште. Онда је наишла реченица коју сам подвукао, да "богови дугују своје постојање људском веровању", да би се нешто касније (стр. 177) ипак показало да је у овом фиктивном свету главни хришћански бог, као и да усуд постоји. Сламка спаса може бити то што је ово прича у причи, базирана на откривеним списима, чиме се отвара могућност сумње у њихову веродостојност. Невоља је у томе што писци овој техници прибегавају баш из супротних порива, како би постигли уверљивост (притом, рукописи различитих приповедача нису контрадикторни и савршено се допуњују). Не мислим да је намера писца била да нам сугерише како је лако склепати књигу попут библије - хрпу измишљотина (нажалост!), а још мање сматрам да је имао идеју да нам покаже како се архетипи из антике повампирују јер нас књижевна елита њима трује, како нас плаше и уништавају (заморним интертекстуалним везама и смарачком митологијом). Исувише је ово жанровски испразно да би се трагало за тешком лепотом високе књижевности.
February 12, 2020
Malpertuis stands as a towering edifice, a dark shadow against the backdrop of a small town. A strange family has been sequestered within as part of the last will of a queer old relative. Strange beings lurk in its all too long shadows, a gaunt weeping tenant is terrified of something or someone who snuffs out the light in the decrepit mansion. Before long the sinister forces that have lied dormant in Malpertuis awakens and slowly begins to terrorize the inhabitants.
Jean Ray’s novel may seem like a straightforward Gothic novel at first glance, but this is so much more. Delirious, frightening, sad and surreal, the strange narrative of the cursed mansion and its inhabitants is told through several characters through the ages and through several manuscripts. Some of the apparitions take forms that are downright bizarre and eerie, and I couldn’t help thinking of the giant gloved hand making its first appearance in The Castle of Otranto. There is a curious blend of mysticism, mythology, and theology here that works wonderfully throughout the novel, giving it a strange atmosphere quite unlike anything else I’ve read in the Gothic tradition. Absolutely worth hunting down until someone does a reprint of it.
Jean Ray’s novel may seem like a straightforward Gothic novel at first glance, but this is so much more. Delirious, frightening, sad and surreal, the strange narrative of the cursed mansion and its inhabitants is told through several characters through the ages and through several manuscripts. Some of the apparitions take forms that are downright bizarre and eerie, and I couldn’t help thinking of the giant gloved hand making its first appearance in The Castle of Otranto. There is a curious blend of mysticism, mythology, and theology here that works wonderfully throughout the novel, giving it a strange atmosphere quite unlike anything else I’ve read in the Gothic tradition. Absolutely worth hunting down until someone does a reprint of it.
March 24, 2021
Malpertui, kuća zla je knjiga izuzetno mračne i preteće atmosfere, zlokobno naravoučenije koje pokreću pohlepa, ludilo i požuda. Ali, ovaj roman je i mnogo više od toga. Naracija je veoma „sabijena“: zaista je dosta toga stalo na nepunih 200 stranica. Reov stil je lišen preopširnih objašnjenja i opisa, dosta toga ostaje samo u nagoveštaju i čitalac mora da skoncentrisano prati tekst kako ne bi propustio neki datalj za koji se kasnije može ispotaviti da je važan. Iako bi se čitajući sinopsis moglo zaključiti da je u pitanju kriminalistički roman (a ni ovaj žanr, treba napomenuti, nije bio stran Reu koji je izuzetno cenio stvaralaštvo Artura Konana Dojla), Malpertui, kuća zla veoma brzo ponire u jezovito, neobjašnjivo i onostrano. Re je tu „svoj na svome“ i ono fantastično izdašno bogati fantazmagoričnim, svoju mračnu viziju upotpunjujući brojnim narativnim slojevima. Na trenutke istinski zastrašujući (nakon čitanja Malpertuija čuvena biblijska Pesma nad pesmama dobija jednu sasvim novu dimenziju), Reov roman donosi melanholičnu šetnju po mračnim hodnicima i (figurativno i bukvalno) neprestanu borbu za svetlost.
full review> https://citymagazine.rs/kultura/knjig...
full review> https://citymagazine.rs/kultura/knjig...
May 15, 2022
Here’s a laundry list of elements I look for in a gothic novel: a dreary sense of place, palpable decay, forgotten lore gathering mold in the dark, shockingly contrived family secrets, salacious details, scandalous turns of events, and blasphemy.
Malpertuis has it all, and it is all delightfully and disquietingly worked into the narrative with equal times farce, shock, and beautiful prose. It hits all the markers for classic gothic beat by beat, and its premise offers such a pleasurable kind of terror, that I can’t help but be convinced that it must have influenced, even if indirectly, classic horror stories like the Haunting of Hill House and House on Haunted Hill.
Malpertuis has it all, and it is all delightfully and disquietingly worked into the narrative with equal times farce, shock, and beautiful prose. It hits all the markers for classic gothic beat by beat, and its premise offers such a pleasurable kind of terror, that I can’t help but be convinced that it must have influenced, even if indirectly, classic horror stories like the Haunting of Hill House and House on Haunted Hill.
September 24, 2024
The edition I've just finished is actually from Wakefield but I have this one on my shelves as well. Although the translator is the same for both books (Iain White), the Wakefield edition adds an editor's afterword by Scott Nicolay, who was responsible for translating and editing Ray's short story collections that have been published by Wakefield. Word of warning: if you select that edition to read, do NOT look at that afterword until you've finished the novel, unless, of course, you really want to wreck things for yourself. Trust me, you don't want to do that.
full post (which is rather brief) is here:
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/202...
Sometimes you just find that book that you know is not only unlike anything you've ever read but also makes you wonder just how in the hell you're going to find aything that ever tops it. This past summer I had the great fortune to have read all four volumes of Belgian author Jean Ray's short-story collections published by Wakefield: Whisky Tales, Cruise of Shadows: Haunted Stories of Land and Sea, Circles of Dread and The Great Nocturnal, and fell in love almost immediately into the first of these, but it is this story about the house known as Malpertuis that's really won my soul as far as Ray's work goes.
Divided into two main parts, the story begins with a short introduction written by a thief who had discovered pages of "yellowing, scribbled papers" in a pewter tube while pilfering a monastery. As he sets out to "sift, to classify, to eliminate" the "work of colossal size," he also happened upon a "little notebook, in a neat scholarly hand, bringing "the number of collaborators to four" people responsible for the account as a whole. In putting it all together, now, as he says, this thief-slash editor is "obliged" to add his name
"to the role of those Scribes who, without their knowledge (or almost without it), have given Malpertuis a place in the history of human terror."
Terror indeed. There is obviously something terribly wrong about this house, but I had absolutely no clue as to just how wrong things were going to become. After being plagued by bizarre visions, strange sounds and other occurrences, the central character, Jean-Jacques Grandsire, at one point comes to believe he's caught up in a "dream, a nightmare," begging "For the love of God, let me wake up!" But this is no dream. While it may sound as if this is prime haunted-house story material, perfect for relaxing curled up in your easy chair while reading, for me that was definitely not the case -- it is so much more, well beyond your standard fare, with one character describing Malpertuis as a "kind of 'fold in space...' " and an "abominable point of contact."
As is the case with his short stories, Jean Ray writes here constructing layers upon interconnecting layers as he gets closer to the heart of the tale of Malpertuis. The result is an atmosphere of lingering dread, bleakness and full-on uncanny created by a blending of elements of the mystical, the mythical and the Gothic, leaving the reader with the feeling that perhaps you ought to mentally hold on to a ball of string or lay breadcrumbs as you navigate the labyrinth that is both this house and this story. I realize that it may not be for everyone -- it does take a lot of patience and time spent thinking through this often murky puzzle of a book and although I thought I'd sussed it a couple of times, what happens here went well beyond anything I could have possibly imagined. Malpertuis is a wild ride of a novel that I can most heartily recommend to readers of the strange. I was completely entranced, off in another world altogether as I read it.
full post (which is rather brief) is here:
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/202...
Sometimes you just find that book that you know is not only unlike anything you've ever read but also makes you wonder just how in the hell you're going to find aything that ever tops it. This past summer I had the great fortune to have read all four volumes of Belgian author Jean Ray's short-story collections published by Wakefield: Whisky Tales, Cruise of Shadows: Haunted Stories of Land and Sea, Circles of Dread and The Great Nocturnal, and fell in love almost immediately into the first of these, but it is this story about the house known as Malpertuis that's really won my soul as far as Ray's work goes.
Divided into two main parts, the story begins with a short introduction written by a thief who had discovered pages of "yellowing, scribbled papers" in a pewter tube while pilfering a monastery. As he sets out to "sift, to classify, to eliminate" the "work of colossal size," he also happened upon a "little notebook, in a neat scholarly hand, bringing "the number of collaborators to four" people responsible for the account as a whole. In putting it all together, now, as he says, this thief-slash editor is "obliged" to add his name
"to the role of those Scribes who, without their knowledge (or almost without it), have given Malpertuis a place in the history of human terror."
Terror indeed. There is obviously something terribly wrong about this house, but I had absolutely no clue as to just how wrong things were going to become. After being plagued by bizarre visions, strange sounds and other occurrences, the central character, Jean-Jacques Grandsire, at one point comes to believe he's caught up in a "dream, a nightmare," begging "For the love of God, let me wake up!" But this is no dream. While it may sound as if this is prime haunted-house story material, perfect for relaxing curled up in your easy chair while reading, for me that was definitely not the case -- it is so much more, well beyond your standard fare, with one character describing Malpertuis as a "kind of 'fold in space...' " and an "abominable point of contact."
As is the case with his short stories, Jean Ray writes here constructing layers upon interconnecting layers as he gets closer to the heart of the tale of Malpertuis. The result is an atmosphere of lingering dread, bleakness and full-on uncanny created by a blending of elements of the mystical, the mythical and the Gothic, leaving the reader with the feeling that perhaps you ought to mentally hold on to a ball of string or lay breadcrumbs as you navigate the labyrinth that is both this house and this story. I realize that it may not be for everyone -- it does take a lot of patience and time spent thinking through this often murky puzzle of a book and although I thought I'd sussed it a couple of times, what happens here went well beyond anything I could have possibly imagined. Malpertuis is a wild ride of a novel that I can most heartily recommend to readers of the strange. I was completely entranced, off in another world altogether as I read it.
January 11, 2012
I didn't have any idea what to expect before reading this but did so solely on the basis of a recommendation from someone whose judgement I trusted and I knew nothing about it or the author. But what a pleasant surprise it was.
It was quite a complex narrative structure, with four embedded narratives within the main one, and a big cast of characters that took time for me to get my head around but once I had settled in, this book was a pleasure to read. Gothic prose, macabre similes, a creepy atmosphere and bizarre character and plot developments sustained my interest throughout. The shadowy, intriguing mystery of Malpertius was gradually unveiled but its precise nature only revealed at the end although there were many clues and hints throughout.
In some ways, it felt older than it actually is (published in 1943) and I would recommend this to all fans of classic horror. And I am certainly inclined to read some more of his work if I can find it. Although it will have to be short stories as I believe this is his only novel.
It was quite a complex narrative structure, with four embedded narratives within the main one, and a big cast of characters that took time for me to get my head around but once I had settled in, this book was a pleasure to read. Gothic prose, macabre similes, a creepy atmosphere and bizarre character and plot developments sustained my interest throughout. The shadowy, intriguing mystery of Malpertius was gradually unveiled but its precise nature only revealed at the end although there were many clues and hints throughout.
In some ways, it felt older than it actually is (published in 1943) and I would recommend this to all fans of classic horror. And I am certainly inclined to read some more of his work if I can find it. Although it will have to be short stories as I believe this is his only novel.
August 18, 2022
Absolutely brilliant.
February 12, 2020
Il libro che ho appena finito di leggere è Malpertuis, un luogo dove...
Insomma, parto a leggere questo libro con i migliori auspici di aver trovato un "nuovo" autore horror classico. Lo paragonano a Lovecraft, per atmosfere e argomentazioni, come potrebbe non piacermi?
Invece è andata proprio come non mi aspettavo, non mi è piaciuto... anzi non mi ha coinvolto, non mi ha dato quella voglia inarrestabile di continuare a leggere fino ad arrivare al finale stratosferico...
L'inizio, le prime 10-15 pagine meritano anche, mi avevano incuriosito, avevano la giusta dose di mistero da sondare e così il piatto era pronto... dovevo solo iniziare a degustarlo.
Così si susseguono una settantina di pagine così confusionarie, non riuscivo a capire chi parlava e chi narrava, gli eventi si sovrapponevano in modo troppo repentino, alle volte tornavo indietro di qualche pagine e rileggevo, ma poi chiudevo il libro, mi fermavo un attimo nel silenzio più assoluto a rielaborare le pagine appena lette, ma il marasma era uguale, se non peggiore.
Fortunatamente, arrivo ad una parte più chiara o che a me è parsa più limpida ed anche interessante, così proseguo con una minima speranza, almeno di avere un finale intrigante, ma il tutto svanisce dopo poche decine di pagine, ritornando nel caos prolisso e noioso di prima...
C'è molta delusione per questa lettura, che aveva tutti gli ingredienti per piacermi, ma che invece ha avuto esiti opposti, peccato!
Insomma, parto a leggere questo libro con i migliori auspici di aver trovato un "nuovo" autore horror classico. Lo paragonano a Lovecraft, per atmosfere e argomentazioni, come potrebbe non piacermi?
Invece è andata proprio come non mi aspettavo, non mi è piaciuto... anzi non mi ha coinvolto, non mi ha dato quella voglia inarrestabile di continuare a leggere fino ad arrivare al finale stratosferico...
L'inizio, le prime 10-15 pagine meritano anche, mi avevano incuriosito, avevano la giusta dose di mistero da sondare e così il piatto era pronto... dovevo solo iniziare a degustarlo.
Così si susseguono una settantina di pagine così confusionarie, non riuscivo a capire chi parlava e chi narrava, gli eventi si sovrapponevano in modo troppo repentino, alle volte tornavo indietro di qualche pagine e rileggevo, ma poi chiudevo il libro, mi fermavo un attimo nel silenzio più assoluto a rielaborare le pagine appena lette, ma il marasma era uguale, se non peggiore.
Fortunatamente, arrivo ad una parte più chiara o che a me è parsa più limpida ed anche interessante, così proseguo con una minima speranza, almeno di avere un finale intrigante, ma il tutto svanisce dopo poche decine di pagine, ritornando nel caos prolisso e noioso di prima...
C'è molta delusione per questa lettura, che aveva tutti gli ingredienti per piacermi, ma che invece ha avuto esiti opposti, peccato!
October 17, 2023
if you like this review i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com
230730: this is weird book. sort of horror lit/postmodernism has many ingredients. gothic, hellenic myths, catholic myths. possibly you need to know these well to most appreciate but it is the narrative-within-narrative, the quotes true, invented, grotesque imagery, fantastic surrealism, that has, for me, the most generative power, sort of experimental but diametrically opposed to r-g in For a New Novel: Essays on Fiction: this is all emotion, all the time, suffusing this realm of strangest house and strangest inhabitants...
230730: this is weird book. sort of horror lit/postmodernism has many ingredients. gothic, hellenic myths, catholic myths. possibly you need to know these well to most appreciate but it is the narrative-within-narrative, the quotes true, invented, grotesque imagery, fantastic surrealism, that has, for me, the most generative power, sort of experimental but diametrically opposed to r-g in For a New Novel: Essays on Fiction: this is all emotion, all the time, suffusing this realm of strangest house and strangest inhabitants...
January 7, 2013
Jean Ray, where have you been all my life? Malpertuis is a complex and at times confusing novel, but it's also a fantastic one, full of exactly the kind of stuff that I love in my weird fiction, as well as the kind of stuff that I love in my Gothic fiction. The ultimate solution to the mystery is obvious, but somehow getting there never feels like it is, and the whole production has such an ominous, almost apocalyptic quality that everything is carried along with a kind of breathless urgency.
June 1, 2015
I first came across the fiction of Jean Ray in the anthology _The Weird_, where the Vandermeers made the inspired editorial decision to publish two stories by Jean Ray. Here was an unique voice in weird/supernatural fiction.
The narrative has an unusual structure. There are, I think, four inter-layered plots. In the first 40 some pages of the book, it seemed that one plot would start, but then in the next chapter, another plot would start. I was leaning toward a 3 star rating at this point. For me, the book picked up after page 40, and the last 1/3 of the book--where all the plots are resolved-- was glorious. All the plots are about a house named Malpertuis.
A major plot is about a Rosicrusian who, using occult methods, imprisoned the supernatural beings of ancient Greek mythology, such as Zeus, Medusa, etc, in Malpertuis. The novel Malpertuis is written in a highly readable style and at time wild and funny.
The narrative has an unusual structure. There are, I think, four inter-layered plots. In the first 40 some pages of the book, it seemed that one plot would start, but then in the next chapter, another plot would start. I was leaning toward a 3 star rating at this point. For me, the book picked up after page 40, and the last 1/3 of the book--where all the plots are resolved-- was glorious. All the plots are about a house named Malpertuis.
A major plot is about a Rosicrusian who, using occult methods, imprisoned the supernatural beings of ancient Greek mythology, such as Zeus, Medusa, etc, in Malpertuis. The novel Malpertuis is written in a highly readable style and at time wild and funny.
April 26, 2017
Men are not born of the whim or will of the gods. On the contrary, gods owe their existence to the belief of men. Should this belief wither, the gods will die.
Quando dicono che questo è un romanzo straordinario lo si deve intendere in senso letterale: è fuori dall'ordinario. È un romanzo WEIRD perciò è contemporaneamente fantasy, gotico e ironico. Fatica ad ingranare nelle pagine di Jiji (Jean-Jacques Grandsire), però il plot twist finale vale assolutamente la pena. Mi meraviglio che non ne abbiano ancora fatto un film moderno; quello del '71 probabilmente non è stato nemmeno doppiato.
Questa analisi non è mia, ma la linko per non perderla: http://www.genovalibri.it/rubi_ferli/...
Quando dicono che questo è un romanzo straordinario lo si deve intendere in senso letterale: è fuori dall'ordinario. È un romanzo WEIRD perciò è contemporaneamente fantasy, gotico e ironico. Fatica ad ingranare nelle pagine di Jiji (Jean-Jacques Grandsire), però il plot twist finale vale assolutamente la pena. Mi meraviglio che non ne abbiano ancora fatto un film moderno; quello del '71 probabilmente non è stato nemmeno doppiato.
Questa analisi non è mia, ma la linko per non perderla: http://www.genovalibri.it/rubi_ferli/...
October 2, 2020
An early reviewer dubbed Ray the ‘Belgian Poe’, and thanks to his translator (Iain White), in this his longest story, it’s well justified.
First published in 1943, Malpertuis is about the house with that name, a house that belongs to the quite sinister Uncle Cassave, who invites his relatives to his deathbed for the reading of his will. This group of unsympathetic relations are informed that they must reside in Malpertuis for their remaining days, otherwise they forfeit their share of Cassave’s fortune. The scene is set for a series of preposterous events involving these grotesque characters and the sprawling, crepuscular domain of the otherworldly mansion.
Ray’s strength is that fantastical lingers just long enough. He excels in dialogue, and with distinctive descriptions of a particular place and time, he creates a very unsettling mood.
First published in 1943, Malpertuis is about the house with that name, a house that belongs to the quite sinister Uncle Cassave, who invites his relatives to his deathbed for the reading of his will. This group of unsympathetic relations are informed that they must reside in Malpertuis for their remaining days, otherwise they forfeit their share of Cassave’s fortune. The scene is set for a series of preposterous events involving these grotesque characters and the sprawling, crepuscular domain of the otherworldly mansion.
Ray’s strength is that fantastical lingers just long enough. He excels in dialogue, and with distinctive descriptions of a particular place and time, he creates a very unsettling mood.
October 17, 2021
After finishing the first chapter of the memoirs of Jean-Jacques Grandsire, the text that makes up the bulk of this book of nested stories, you might think you're in for a fairly standard haunted house tale. After all, the outermost frame narrative seems rather unremarkable, and the first nested text is so brief and inchoate that its strangeness might not strike home. Furthermore, that first chapter establishes a strong but relatively standard haunted house premise: Cassave, a strange man of obscene wealth, dies and bequeathed his entire fortune to the last person left alive out of a group of his family and associates, who are required henceforth to live in the sinister, titular house Malpertuis. From that premise you might expect the rest of the book to be about this group of people being picked off one by one, with it being ambiguous as to whether the deaths were the work of some murderer greedy for the fortune or whether they were the work of some supernatural force. Malpertuis is instead something far stranger.
Very quickly, through a visit by Jean-Jacques to the house's attic, Malpertuis establishes that this will not be a book you can anticipate, and that it does not go about engendering fear in the usual way. While most stories create mounting tension through dropping hints and gradually building up to a reveal of the horror, Jean Ray’s strategy in Malpertuis is to suddenly spring some bizarre piece of horror on you without such buildup, making it so you can never be sure what the characters will find around the next corner of its labyrinthine mansion. The narrator’s life in the mansion surrounded by all of this insanity feels surreal, appropriately enough considering that this is the latest offering by Wakefield Press.
I personally found Ray’s alternative horror novel structure to be a little bit effective in terms of engendering fear, but extremely effective in keeping me engaged. It was especially entertaining to speculate at the underlying cause of all the supernatural events in Malpertuis, and I feel no shame in admitting that I was pretty far off. I won’t spoil it in this review, but, although the narrative makes it feel as though Jean-Jacques is experiencing a mad dream as he lives in Malpertuis, there is in fact a logic to the many strange pieces of terror that appear throughout the text, and in retrospect there are clues dropped as to the book’s ultimate explanation. I will note that once the story moves beyond the memoirs of Jean-Jacques the other nested stories are not as strong, but since these pieces are largely concerned with wrapping up the book this isn’t too surprising.
If Malpertuis was merely a story of a house only haunted by the legacy of the dead miser Cassave, whose will transformed the titular house into a prison for greedy friends and family that are all too happy to stab each other in the back in a scramble for riches, I would probably have enjoyed it. What Malpertuis actually is, a far crazier and thus more memorable story, I enjoyed even more. 4/5. I certainly recommend the Wakefield Press edition, which includes helpful annotations that present information I definitely wouldn’t have noticed on my own, such as the fact that Ray fabricated many of the book’s numerous epigraphs, a nice touch to further magnify the feeling that nothing in Malpertuis is what it seems.
Very quickly, through a visit by Jean-Jacques to the house's attic, Malpertuis establishes that this will not be a book you can anticipate, and that it does not go about engendering fear in the usual way. While most stories create mounting tension through dropping hints and gradually building up to a reveal of the horror, Jean Ray’s strategy in Malpertuis is to suddenly spring some bizarre piece of horror on you without such buildup, making it so you can never be sure what the characters will find around the next corner of its labyrinthine mansion. The narrator’s life in the mansion surrounded by all of this insanity feels surreal, appropriately enough considering that this is the latest offering by Wakefield Press.
I personally found Ray’s alternative horror novel structure to be a little bit effective in terms of engendering fear, but extremely effective in keeping me engaged. It was especially entertaining to speculate at the underlying cause of all the supernatural events in Malpertuis, and I feel no shame in admitting that I was pretty far off. I won’t spoil it in this review, but, although the narrative makes it feel as though Jean-Jacques is experiencing a mad dream as he lives in Malpertuis, there is in fact a logic to the many strange pieces of terror that appear throughout the text, and in retrospect there are clues dropped as to the book’s ultimate explanation. I will note that once the story moves beyond the memoirs of Jean-Jacques the other nested stories are not as strong, but since these pieces are largely concerned with wrapping up the book this isn’t too surprising.
If Malpertuis was merely a story of a house only haunted by the legacy of the dead miser Cassave, whose will transformed the titular house into a prison for greedy friends and family that are all too happy to stab each other in the back in a scramble for riches, I would probably have enjoyed it. What Malpertuis actually is, a far crazier and thus more memorable story, I enjoyed even more. 4/5. I certainly recommend the Wakefield Press edition, which includes helpful annotations that present information I definitely wouldn’t have noticed on my own, such as the fact that Ray fabricated many of the book’s numerous epigraphs, a nice touch to further magnify the feeling that nothing in Malpertuis is what it seems.
October 24, 2023
A bizarre and beautiful Gothic novel that could only have been written by one man: Jean Ray, the Belgian journalist, fabulist, and convicted embezzler. The novel is essentially a haunted house story cocooned within multiple narratives that saves it's ghastly secrets until the very end. Malpertuis drips with gloomy and surreal details: a dying sorcerer, a mad taxidermist, a race of tiny wild beings living in the attic. I hesitate to give too much away due to how wild the story becomes. Just read it and see. Keep the legend of Malpertuis, that horrible, heretical house, and its last lonely inhabitant alive for just a bit longer.
I am incredibly grateful to Wakefield Press for keeping this book in print. The front and back matter are incredibly illumination as to the creation of the book and the life of its larger-than-life creator. The notes are also incredibly helpful and illuminating, I get the feeling that the publication of this book is a true labor of love for the publishers. My one critique is the cover! It's totally fine to look at it but becomes disappointing when you see the various covers Malpertuis has gotten in its French editions over the years. I can't help but wish they'd used one of those or been more inspired. But I'm nitpicking. Either way, this is one of the best gothic/horror novels I've ever read and I get the feeling I'll be proselytizing to friends and acquaintances in the coming years.
October Horror Library 5/9
I am incredibly grateful to Wakefield Press for keeping this book in print. The front and back matter are incredibly illumination as to the creation of the book and the life of its larger-than-life creator. The notes are also incredibly helpful and illuminating, I get the feeling that the publication of this book is a true labor of love for the publishers. My one critique is the cover! It's totally fine to look at it but becomes disappointing when you see the various covers Malpertuis has gotten in its French editions over the years. I can't help but wish they'd used one of those or been more inspired. But I'm nitpicking. Either way, this is one of the best gothic/horror novels I've ever read and I get the feeling I'll be proselytizing to friends and acquaintances in the coming years.
October Horror Library 5/9
July 21, 2024
This is a recent English translation of French weird fiction, published in 1943, but created by the author at least since the early 1920s. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for July 2024 at Speculative Fiction in Translation group.
The book starts with a note from the final holder of several linked manuscripts related to the house of Malpertuis. The name also known as Maleperduis (French: Maupertuis; German: Malepartus; Dutch: Maupertuus; Middle English: Maleperduys), is Reynard the Fox's principal hideaway in the medieval tales of this figure of legend. The first extant versions of Reynard's literary cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. In this case, it is a Gothic mansion in Belgium and as the first major story arc starts, this is the end of the 19th century, the owner of the house is near death and he gathered his descendants and accomplices to inform them of his will: no one will get any of his great wealth immediately, but if they live in the house, each will get a sizable stipend and the last remaining will get everything or the last couple in case they marry. This sounds like a setting for a murder mystery, but actually, it moves in a different direction.
This book is considered a classic of French weird, it has a flowery language (at least the translation), a great number of direct and indirect quotes, e.g. usually 2-3 epigraphs for each chapter, most of them not ‘true’ quotes, but author’s re-phrasing to suit the story. At the same time, it feels old-fashioned and slower than most recent fiction. The story is interesting, but I’d prefer it to be shorter.
The book starts with a note from the final holder of several linked manuscripts related to the house of Malpertuis. The name also known as Maleperduis (French: Maupertuis; German: Malepartus; Dutch: Maupertuus; Middle English: Maleperduys), is Reynard the Fox's principal hideaway in the medieval tales of this figure of legend. The first extant versions of Reynard's literary cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. In this case, it is a Gothic mansion in Belgium and as the first major story arc starts, this is the end of the 19th century, the owner of the house is near death and he gathered his descendants and accomplices to inform them of his will: no one will get any of his great wealth immediately, but if they live in the house, each will get a sizable stipend and the last remaining will get everything or the last couple in case they marry. This sounds like a setting for a murder mystery, but actually, it moves in a different direction.
This book is considered a classic of French weird, it has a flowery language (at least the translation), a great number of direct and indirect quotes, e.g. usually 2-3 epigraphs for each chapter, most of them not ‘true’ quotes, but author’s re-phrasing to suit the story. At the same time, it feels old-fashioned and slower than most recent fiction. The story is interesting, but I’d prefer it to be shorter.
December 28, 2012
Gli scritti di Jean Ray me li sarei goduti molto di più se li avessi letti a vent’anni, perché ne avrei apprezzato incondizionatamente il lato fantastico e meraviglioso senza vederne i difetti, il principale dei quali è l’estrema artificiosità nella costruzione dell’intreccio, tipica anche dei racconti. Qui il classico espediente del manoscritto ritrovato serve a costruire una narrazione a più voci, che non corrispondono però a punti di vista realmente diversi e quindi non aggiungono né spessore né valore al racconto. Sembra quasi che il giramondo Jean Ray abbia voluto paludare e costringere in una veste letteraria le favolose chiacchiere da marinaio che costituiscono l’essenza delle sue opere. Ma l’idea degli dèi greci trasformati in gretti borghesi avidi e intriganti è davvero splendida e la sua realizzazione pienamente convincente. Il realismo nella minuziosa descrizione degli ambienti, non tanto quelli paurosi, quanto quelli più accoglienti, riscaldati dal tepore del fuoco, arredati con tavole ricche di pietanze succulente, è quasi una compensazione fantastica della fame e della stanchezza ataviche del viaggiatore, così come le potenze infernali che vi irrompono sono una squisita vendetta contro la confortevole (invidiabile?) vita dei privilegiati.
May 8, 2023
Have been wanting to read a good gothic novel for like a year and this really exceeded every expectation. Ground zero for House of Leaves, a Lovecraftian haunted house book told as a nesting doll of stories within stories within stories within stories (arguably another "within stories" there depending on how technical you want to get). It's a novel about a labyrinthine old mansion hiding capital-S Secrets that is itself structured like a labyrinth, where you keep going one layer deeper into the different narratives until at the center of it all the nature of the house and all its supernatural mysteries are revealed. The perfect kind of spooky read, where there's literally zero downtime and every chapter ends with a shocking twist or a jolt. One chapter has a little werewolf subplot that has no real bearing on the rest of the book, but Jean Ray was I guess just like what the hell let's keep them entertained. Perfect and bizarre, you KNOW this one is going on the Open Books staff picks wall.
April 14, 2021
To powieść grozy, pełna koszmarów, tajemnic, obłędu innych okropności. Ale nie jest straszna i nie ma żadnych typowo krwawych elementów - jest straszna trochę jak powieści Poe'go, Lovecrafta. Dla mnie to połączenie Poe'go z Neilem Gaimanem (dokładnie z Amerykańskimi bogami)
January 11, 2024
Žan Re je stekao titulu belgijskog Poa. Ovakva vrsta poređenja je nepravedna prema Reu, a uvredljiva prema Pou. Na stranu jasan Poov uticaj, koji dozvoljava raspravu o intertekstualnom dijalogu (čak i podražavanju), Re ni u jednom trenutku u svom romanu ne dostiže osjećaj užasa i zapitanosti nad ljudskom sudbinom koje Po postiže u desetak stranica. Pa i u žanru horora, Sabatov "Izvještaj o slijepima" koji nije pisan sa namjerom da bude horor izaziva veći strah kod čitaoca, nego Reova knjiga.
Iako je roman objavljen 1943. pisan je u formi devetnaestovjekovnog rukopisa i zaista djeluje kao devetnaestovjekovni rukopis. Ako izučeni čitalac očekuje neku vrstu ekovskog poigravanja sa književnim stilom minulog vremena, neka se previše ne nada. Ovdje se forma gotskog romana više podržava, nego što se uvodi bilo kakva novina. U tom smislu, Po je mnogo moderniji od Rea.
Daleko od toga da je knjiga loša. Ovo je vrlo zabavno štivo koje se brzo čita i čitaocu daje isto ono zadovoljstvo koje mu pruža brza hrana. Ukusno je, zadovolji, ali na vrlo površnom nivou.
Posebna pohvala za srpsko izdanje (nedostupno na goodreadsu) koje je estetski veoma primamljivo (primamljivije od samog teksta) i opremljeno znalačkim pogovorom Dejana Ognjanovića. Samo zbog ovog velikog izdavačkog truda svaka horor knjiga izdavaštva Orfelin zaslužuje da bude kupljena. Dvostruko je korisna: dobra zabava i lijep ukras. :)
Iako je roman objavljen 1943. pisan je u formi devetnaestovjekovnog rukopisa i zaista djeluje kao devetnaestovjekovni rukopis. Ako izučeni čitalac očekuje neku vrstu ekovskog poigravanja sa književnim stilom minulog vremena, neka se previše ne nada. Ovdje se forma gotskog romana više podržava, nego što se uvodi bilo kakva novina. U tom smislu, Po je mnogo moderniji od Rea.
Daleko od toga da je knjiga loša. Ovo je vrlo zabavno štivo koje se brzo čita i čitaocu daje isto ono zadovoljstvo koje mu pruža brza hrana. Ukusno je, zadovolji, ali na vrlo površnom nivou.
Posebna pohvala za srpsko izdanje (nedostupno na goodreadsu) koje je estetski veoma primamljivo (primamljivije od samog teksta) i opremljeno znalačkim pogovorom Dejana Ognjanovića. Samo zbog ovog velikog izdavačkog truda svaka horor knjiga izdavaštva Orfelin zaslužuje da bude kupljena. Dvostruko je korisna: dobra zabava i lijep ukras. :)
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