Stirring Stories

Charles Barbara

Translated by Brian Stableford

Charles Barbara (1817-1866), though principally remembered today for being “a friend of Baudelaire,” was, arguably, one of the more influential writers of his time, being one of the earliest authors of science fiction, Naturalism, and the roman policier.

The present volume, originally published as Histoires émouvantes in 1856, and here offered in English for the first time in a translation by Brian Stableford, brings together nine of the author’s highly innovative tales.

Marked by their unusual narrative points, the work presented here, both strange and subtle, is that of a fine writer, as heroic in his ambitions as he was in his tribulations, and he left behind some first-rate works, including that assembled in this major collections.

About the Author
Charles Barbara (1817-1866), the son of a luthier, became involved in Henry Murger’s Buveurs d’eau group, before meeting Baudelaire and turning towards literature himself, though also playing the violin as an additional means of support. His first novel, L’Assassinat du Pont-Rouge, was first published as a serial in the Revue de Paris, before being published in book form in 1857. Other words include his collections Histoires émouvantes (1857) and Mes Petites-Maisons (1860), and the posthumously published novel Mademoiselle de Sainte-Luce.

About the Translator

Brian Stableford has been publishing fiction and non-fiction for fifty years. His fiction includes a series of “tales of the biotech revolution” and a series of metaphysical fantasies featuring Edgar Poe’s Auguste Dupin. He has previously translated for Snuggly Books a number of titles, including The Soul-Drinker and Other Decadent Fantasies by Jean Lorrain, and The Unknown Collaborator and Other Legendary Tales by Victor Joly.

Paperback, 308 pages
Release date, December 21, 2021
ISBN-13: 978-1-64525-086-9
Price: US$19.00