Spook

Klabund

Translated by Jonah Lubin

“Klabund” was the pseudonym employed by Alfred Henschke (1890-1928), who wrote, from January to April 1921, “during the fever of an illness,” the novel Spook, which is here presented for the first time in ­English, in a translation by Jonah Lubin.

This hectic, creepy autobiographical story about a young man who suffers a hemorrhage in Berlin and is haunted by bizarre figures and delusions in his twilight state can be seen as both a late entry into the Decadent pantheon and a striking example of Expressionist fiction.

A haunting and harrowing tale, which seems to have been composed at least in part under the effects of morphine, Spook is, in its own troubled way, a glorious book, and a gorgeous poem of madness.

About the Author
“Klabund” was the pseudonym employed by Alfred Henschke (1890-1928). Born in Crossen, Poland, he studied in Germany and Switzerland, before abandoning these activities, in 1912, to become a poet. He published numerous volumes of fiction, poetry, and plays, including Moreau (1916), Der Neger (1920), and Die Nachtwandler (1920). He died in Davos of pneumonia exacerbated by tuberculosis, which he had had since he was sixteen.

About the Translator
Jonah Lubin is a translator from Yiddish and German. He is from New Jersey and currently lives in Berlin.

Paperback, 210 pages. Release date: June 12, 2023
ISBN-13: 978-1-64525-129-3
Price: US$19.00

Hardcover, 212 pages. Limited edition of 100 copies
Release date: June 12, 2023
Price: US$32.00