En Inglés

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish writer and poet known today especially for his short stories and “Fairy Tales”. As a young man, he started writing the stories he heard as a child, slowly developing the characteristic dark humour and surprising twists and turns of his most famous works. The cultural impact of Andersen’s “Fairy Tales” is truly incommensurable. This volume contains The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Snow Queen and The Red Shoes, just to name a few of the 18 stories out of the hundreds he produced during his lifetime.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer and poet and one of the most dominant figures of Gothic Literature. He is widely recognized as a master of the short story form, but also delved into poetry, essays and literary criticism. His work often revolved around dark and macabre themes, using death and the human mind’s deepest fears to craft complex stories about a vast array of subjects. The Fall of the House of Usher is a psychological thriller that narrates the descent into oblivion of the last remaining survivors of an old family. The other stories part of this compilation also show us the strengths of Poe as an author, capable of crafting horror out of every aspect of the human experience.

This volume includes the lesser-known works of English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817). The first, a short epistolary novel, “Lady Susan” (1871), was published long after the death of its author, and may have been one of her first complete writings addressing the themes and styles that began to characterize her literary work. The second, “The Watsons” (1804), an unfinished novel famous for the attempts of many writers to finish it, including Austen's niece, Catherine Hubback, who finished it and published it with another title in the mid-19th century. The third and last of these novels, the also unfinished “Sanditon” (1817), continues the author's search for stories and situations that help her examine the society of the England of her time, conservative and impenetrable.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer and poet and one of the most preeminent figures of Gothic Literature. He is widely recognized as a master of the short story form, but also delved into poetry, essays and literary criticism. His work often revolved around dark and macabre themes, using death and the human mind’s deepest fears to craft complex stories about a vast array of subjects. The short stories selected in this volume are but an example of Edgar Allan Poe’s use of fear and mystery as a literary device for creating dark and immortal tales, and a continued statement of the author’s influential contribution to literature and pop culture.

Sense and Sensibility is perhaps one of the most famous novels by English writer Jane Austen (1775 -1817), along with the equally famous and important Pride and Prejudice. Through the contrast of the characters of two sisters, one all reasoning and judgment (sense) and the other all passion, emotion and romanticism (sensibility), as well as the vicissitudes of their loves and personal relationships, the author presents us with a thorough painting of the society of her time. Their reactions, sorrows and joys, in which the triumph of love is always present, with a very modern conception of the subject, overcoming obstacles and problems, with a subtle irony and humour that make reading the novel much more enjoyable and delightful.

“Macbeth” is one of William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) most famous and important tragedies. It was written before 1606, the year of its first performance, and was somewhat inspired on the historical accounts of the life of Macbeth, King of Scotland. The play weaves a tale of betrayal, murder and treachery while searching for power, as its protagonist kills and lies his way to the throne of his country. “Macbeth” shares the cultural significance of many of Shakespeare’s works and is an integral part of contemporary theatre and cinema.

King Lear was written between 1605 and 1606 by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The tragedy tells the tale of Lear, the King of Britain as he decides to retire and divide his kingdom between his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, depending on the amount of love and devotion they profess to him. This decision throws the kingdom into disarray, envelops the court in political intrigue and drives Lear mad out of despair. Like many of Shakespeare's works, King Lear draws inspiration from historical figures of England and Europe's past, adapted to more contemporary situations. The play remains to this day a very important part of Shakespeare's repertoire in popular culture

“Around the World in Eighty Days” is—perhaps—the best-known work of French writer Jules Verne (1828-1905). The novel narrates the adventures of British gentleman Phileas Fogg and his French valet Passepartout, as they attempt to travel around the world in eighty days to win a wager. The novel was a commercial success and helped Jules Verne achieve worldwide recognition. His work became synonymous with daring adventure, science and futurism.

Hamlet was probably written between 1599 and 1602, and is—along with Romeo and Juliet—perhaps one of the most famous works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The tragedy takes place in Denmark and tells the story of the descent into madness of prince Hamlet, in the search for revenge for the death of his father, by the hands of his uncle Claudius. A story of betrayal, conspiracy, moral corruption and rage, Hamlet has been a fertile ground for innumerable adaptations through four centuries. Hamlet’s soliloquies throughout the play have endured as a staple of popular culture and a welcome challenge for actors all around the globe.

“The Island of Doctor Moreau” is the third novel by English writer H. G. Wells (1866-1946). The story follows a man of science named Prendick rescued from a shipwrecked vessel in the Pacific Ocean. Prendick and the crew that saved him end up on a remote island owned by the mysterious Doctor Moreau. In time Prendick learns about the horrendous experiments of vivisection made by the mad Doctor and his efforts to turn animals into humans through science. “The Island of Doctor Moreau” remains to this day a pillar of early science fiction and a great example of how the actions and ideas of man define a literary genre that celebrates the best of us by showing us the worst we are capable of.

“To the Lighthouse” is the fifth novel by English modernist writer Virginia Woolf (1882-1941). Published in 1927, the novel narrates the visits of the Ramsay family to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. The story follows the tradition of modernist literature, focusing on philosophical introspection and stream of consciousness narration over plot. Virginia Woolf’s goal was to make an accurate depiction of the complexity of human relationships and the emotional spaces people inhabit through life.

“The Valley of Fear” is the fourth and final novel starring Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, written by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Like all previous Sherlock Holmes stories, it was first published in serialized form between 1914 and 1915, and later in book form. A mysterious murder takes place and Holmes and Watson must use all their wits to piece the puzzle together. The novel makes use of all the usual story beats of a Sherlock Holmes adventure but goes even further, introducing new narrative structures and the character of Moriarty, who would become in time Holmes’ greatest adversary.

The work of American writer H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) is vast and varied. His short stories represent the majority of his bibliography and cover every dark theme imaginable, with his characteristic and bombastic style. The stories contained in this volume revolve around many themes, without losing Lovecraft’s particular flavour of cosmic horror and impending doom. To this day he has remained a cult writer, remembered for his prolific imagination, his dark visions of the universe and for bringing horror literature into the new century and the future.

“The Return of Sherlock Holmes” is a collection of 13 short stories starring the famous crime- solving duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. The stories were individually published during 1903 and 1904 in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom and Collier’s in the United States. The events on this collection take place after Holmes’ apparent death in “The Final Problem”, the last story in “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes”, explaining his missing years and returning our hero to his adventures, furthering his reputation as the world’s greatest detective.

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is a collection of twelve stories of the crime-solving duo of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). This collection is presented without particular order, and it was the first time Conan Doyle experimented with a short form of storytelling for Holmes, proving that the adventures of the famous detective and his inseparable companion retain their mystery and wonder even in this more concise way. This collection helped cement the fame of Sherlock Holmes as a literary character, providing an easier way for new readers to jump into new stories and adventures.

“Pride and Prejudice” is the second published novel of English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817). The novel tells the story of how the arrival of two rich and eligible bachelors, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, affects the lives of the five unmarried Bennet sisters, especially Jane and Elizabeth, the main protagonists. “Pride and Prejudice” remains to this day one of the most important and famous novels in English literature for its social commentary, its riveting love story, its witty dialogue and many other aspects that deserve—and surely have—profound academic analysis.

Es una de las obras más largas y densas de la producción de la escritora inglesa Jane Austen. La protagonista principal es una cenicienta con características singulares que con las vicisitudes y acontecimientos vividos desde los diez años en Mansfield Park, en su nuevo entorno familiar, va desgranando una historia apasionante llena de romanticismo.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American writer and one of the most important voices of American literature in the 20th century. He is mainly known for his novels, the most famous among them being “The Great Gatsby” (1925), but he also wrote several notable short stories. “Tales of the Jazz Age” (1922) is a collection of short stories, previously published in different literary magazines and newspapers of the time. This collection stands out for its thematic diversity, its whimsical nature and the inclusion of two of Fitzgerald’s best-known stories, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz”.

“The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes” is a collection of short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, intended to be the last outing of Sherlock Holmes as a titular character. Conan Doyle wanted to focus in different literary genres and characters and presented eleven stories with a good assortment of situations for Holmes and Watson to shine in before their last bow as a crime solving duo. However, the retirement of the detective wouldn’t be too long as public demands for new Sherlock Holmes’ stories were overwhelming for the author who had no choice but to return to the character some years later.

Written by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 -1930), “The Sign of the Four” is the second novel starring Sherlock Holmes and his inseparable partner, Dr. John Watson. This time, the crime-solving duo must find an exotic treasure from far away lands and put an end to the trail of murders the robbers leave in their wake. This novel, like every Holmes story in their longer forms, introduces new aspects of our main protagonists and various characters that will accompany Holmes and Watson in future adventures. “The Sign of the Four” was published in 1890, keeping the flame alive for more stories starring the world’s greatest detective.