![]() ![]() This fantastical, over-the-top story will appeal to devotees of early horror. The protracted descriptions of riches and feasts are slow going, but in the stirring finale Beckford’s gothic prose shines, and it’s easy to see how this overlooked classic influenced the writing of Byron, Lovecraft, and Poe. The emphasis on how evil every element of Vathek’s life is (even his camel is nefarious) gives rise to some darkly comic moments. Reviews arent verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when. Along the way there are human sacrifices, spells, debauchery, and villainy. Prodded by his mother, Carathis, a woman more lustful and despicable than her son, Vathek undertakes a journey to the fabled Palace of Subterranean Fire, hoping to gain supernatural powers. He already has five palaces devoted to the senses (each given flowery names, including “The Palace of Perfumes or The Incentive to Pleasure” and “The Eternal or Unsatiating Banquet”), but when a giaour arrives with treasures unimaginable, Vathek wants more. The evil Caliph Vathek is a glutton for all things worldly. William Beckford was a novelist, travel writer, art critic and politician best known for his novel Vathek, a story with elaborate imagery, sardonic humour and. First published in 1782, this ornate, orientalist work of supernatural horror from Beckford (1759–1840) is a fever dream for the senses. ![]()
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