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pachypedia's review against another edition
5.0
Una magnífica edición, muy cuidada, con ilustraciones de Benjamin Lacombe. Los cuentos de Poe, traducidos por Cortázar, toman un nuevo carácter con las magníficas ilustraciones de este ejemplar, si Poe era capaz de describir con sus palabras las emociones que sentían sus personajes y que transmitían sus paisajes, estos dibujos plasman muy bien lo que el autor expresa en sus relatos. Ocho cuentos macabros, entre los que destaca el magnífico Corazón delator, en los que domina la locura que atrapa a los personajes masculinos.
bmg20's review
5.0
Tales of the Macabre was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Archaia Entertainment.
The cover of this collection caught my eye on Netgalley and I actually wanted to check it out before I even knew that Poe was involved. Once I knew that though, I was sold. This was a fantastic collection of macabre stories from the illustrious Edgar Allan Poe. Stories included are: Berenice, The Black Cat, The Island of the Fay, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Oval Portrait, Morella, and Ligeia. This was a real treat for me as I hadn't read any of these except for The Fall of the House of Usher. There was also an essay written by Charles Baudelaire on Poe's life and works. In addition to these short stories there are fantastic illustrations from Benjamin Lacombe that (if possible) managed to make the stories even creepier. This is one collection that I would love to own. I loved the illustrations and love Poe, it's a fantastic combination.
The fact that Benjamin is a fan of Tim Burton is definitely evident in his personal works. You can even find a depiction of Edward Scissorhands he's done which I love. I highly recommend checking out his website, it's is well worth the visit to check out his other works. Amazing, to say the least.
dahmen's review against another edition
5.0
Talento y genio culiao de Poe, transmite pesadez.
Es hora de hablar de mi amor por lo gótico, no es su romance que suele confundirse con irracionalidad, es la ambición por la belleza dentro del constante recuerdo de la fatalidad.
"Y los ángeles pálidos y exangües,
ya de pie, ya sin velos, manifiestan
que el drama es el del «Hombre», y que su héroe
el Vencedor Gusano" – relato 'Ligelia'
Me cuestiono el pequeñito pormenor de los artistas malditos que alcanzan la gloria a través de su propio desgaste, pero confío en que los malaventurados supieron que de esa ruina no queda esperanza, sino más belleza.
En fin; amor, locura y muerte; lean, consuman y beban románticos porque qué hace un poco de teatralidad angustiosa al alma que ya vive en una vertiginosa angustia constante, para mí es un espejo de la insanidad que cada uno lleva.
Es hora de hablar de mi amor por lo gótico, no es su romance que suele confundirse con irracionalidad, es la ambición por la belleza dentro del constante recuerdo de la fatalidad.
"Y los ángeles pálidos y exangües,
ya de pie, ya sin velos, manifiestan
que el drama es el del «Hombre», y que su héroe
el Vencedor Gusano" – relato 'Ligelia'
Me cuestiono el pequeñito pormenor de los artistas malditos que alcanzan la gloria a través de su propio desgaste, pero confío en que los malaventurados supieron que de esa ruina no queda esperanza, sino más belleza.
En fin; amor, locura y muerte; lean, consuman y beban románticos porque qué hace un poco de teatralidad angustiosa al alma que ya vive en una vertiginosa angustia constante, para mí es un espejo de la insanidad que cada uno lleva.
ellyra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thebookfetishist's review against another edition
tolle Geschichten, habe die ersten 2 gelesen, jedoch fehlte mir die Zeit diese Ausgabe ganz zu beenden
juliwi's review
4.0
Edgar Allan Poe is the kind of author and poet who draws you in and then lets you go again, waiting for the next moment in which to ensnare you. Although I had read some of Poe's short stories, I didn't know that much about his writing style, so I'm very glad to have picked up this collection of stories.
Poe's stories are absolutely tragic. Each of them is infused with this idea of an old world which has passed, when aristocrats were noble, when their houses were crumbling vestiges of intellect and class and when nature was infused with a sense of gravitas. I love reading his stories because they really do transport you to a different world. However, something can also be said for the fact that many of his stories share the same protagonist and the same wife. He has his own trope, the pale, withdrawn man who is curious about life and yet suffers. I will get to the suffering in a bit. Similarly, the wife is always on the brink of death, always floating between being transitory and eternal. It's like you can see through his characters into the fabric of eternity behind them. Once you get to know them, it's a comfort to return to them rather than getting bored with them. And all of that is due to Poe's writing. He seems to be completely in control of language. Whereas sometimes language runs away with authors, not giving them the time of day or giving them too much and overloading on adjectives, Poe seems to calmly direct language where he wants it to go. He can go on a tangent mid-sentence and yet no miss a beat. It can be confusing at times, but he always leads you back. It is a good thing this collection starts with 'Berenice', because it is a prime example of his eloquence.
One of the things that mark Poe's stories is his relentless drive, it seems, to understand guilt. Poe is famous for his drinking, his biggest vice, and for his tragic family life. He lost his natural parents at the age of two and his wife died and I always felt that this, his drinking and the sense of doom that pervades his stories are related. Many of his stories, especially The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat, centre around characters that seem to be tragically flawed into misunderstanding the world and their wrongdoings are punished not by others but by their very own nature that betrays them. Poe seems to have been very interested in how the human psyche explains doing wrong to itself and I don't think he ever found a satisfying answer. However, it made for fascinating stories that grip the reader in their claustrophobia and in their prose that brings mania as close as is safe. Although this doesn't always work for him, 'Ligeia' is a very confused story, his writing style usually carries him through.
Adding Baudelaire's essay tot he collection was a stroke of genius because reading Baudelaire's essay was an absolute delight. His writing style is completely different from Poe's, although in many ways, ironically, they are writing about the same kind of things. From his essay Poe emerges as a tragically flawed, yet beautiful hero who's lot in life it was to suffer and from which suffering he gave us, the readers, something worthwhile. Personally I also loved Baudelaire's ranting against what he perceived to be America's attitude towards its artists. It definitely made me want to read more of Baudelaire's work.
Something also needs to be said about Benjamin Lacombe fascinating artwork. For me, Tim Burton's animation always brought some Poe to mind. The darkness and yet humanity of his figures resembled Poe's stories quite closely. Lacombe paid very close attention, I feel, to Burton's style but improved on it. His drawings are absolutely beautiful and capture the essence of Poe's stories perfectly. Similarly to Poe, Lacombe worked with women a lot. They are shifting yet permanent, constantly there. His illustrations are a great addition to the stories and give the collection something different that sets it apart from many others.
I loved reading this collection. Poe was a magnificent author who had a gift and style unlike any other I have ever read. I have read other Gothic or "macabre" stories, but none reach Poe's level of clarity and humanity while being so other-worldly. Although there are some stories in which I feel Poe lost control of himself, he will always tell you a fascinating story. Benjamin Lacombe's illustrations for this collection make it a must-have, not only for Poe fans but also to fans of Gothic literature.
Poe's stories are absolutely tragic. Each of them is infused with this idea of an old world which has passed, when aristocrats were noble, when their houses were crumbling vestiges of intellect and class and when nature was infused with a sense of gravitas. I love reading his stories because they really do transport you to a different world. However, something can also be said for the fact that many of his stories share the same protagonist and the same wife. He has his own trope, the pale, withdrawn man who is curious about life and yet suffers. I will get to the suffering in a bit. Similarly, the wife is always on the brink of death, always floating between being transitory and eternal. It's like you can see through his characters into the fabric of eternity behind them. Once you get to know them, it's a comfort to return to them rather than getting bored with them. And all of that is due to Poe's writing. He seems to be completely in control of language. Whereas sometimes language runs away with authors, not giving them the time of day or giving them too much and overloading on adjectives, Poe seems to calmly direct language where he wants it to go. He can go on a tangent mid-sentence and yet no miss a beat. It can be confusing at times, but he always leads you back. It is a good thing this collection starts with 'Berenice', because it is a prime example of his eloquence.
One of the things that mark Poe's stories is his relentless drive, it seems, to understand guilt. Poe is famous for his drinking, his biggest vice, and for his tragic family life. He lost his natural parents at the age of two and his wife died and I always felt that this, his drinking and the sense of doom that pervades his stories are related. Many of his stories, especially The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat, centre around characters that seem to be tragically flawed into misunderstanding the world and their wrongdoings are punished not by others but by their very own nature that betrays them. Poe seems to have been very interested in how the human psyche explains doing wrong to itself and I don't think he ever found a satisfying answer. However, it made for fascinating stories that grip the reader in their claustrophobia and in their prose that brings mania as close as is safe. Although this doesn't always work for him, 'Ligeia' is a very confused story, his writing style usually carries him through.
Adding Baudelaire's essay tot he collection was a stroke of genius because reading Baudelaire's essay was an absolute delight. His writing style is completely different from Poe's, although in many ways, ironically, they are writing about the same kind of things. From his essay Poe emerges as a tragically flawed, yet beautiful hero who's lot in life it was to suffer and from which suffering he gave us, the readers, something worthwhile. Personally I also loved Baudelaire's ranting against what he perceived to be America's attitude towards its artists. It definitely made me want to read more of Baudelaire's work.
Something also needs to be said about Benjamin Lacombe fascinating artwork. For me, Tim Burton's animation always brought some Poe to mind. The darkness and yet humanity of his figures resembled Poe's stories quite closely. Lacombe paid very close attention, I feel, to Burton's style but improved on it. His drawings are absolutely beautiful and capture the essence of Poe's stories perfectly. Similarly to Poe, Lacombe worked with women a lot. They are shifting yet permanent, constantly there. His illustrations are a great addition to the stories and give the collection something different that sets it apart from many others.
I loved reading this collection. Poe was a magnificent author who had a gift and style unlike any other I have ever read. I have read other Gothic or "macabre" stories, but none reach Poe's level of clarity and humanity while being so other-worldly. Although there are some stories in which I feel Poe lost control of himself, he will always tell you a fascinating story. Benjamin Lacombe's illustrations for this collection make it a must-have, not only for Poe fans but also to fans of Gothic literature.
luciasanchezmu's review against another edition
4.0
Poe es de mis escritores favoritos, y aunque ha habido algún relato en este volumen que no me ha gustado demasiado, tanto el resto de historias como las preciosas ilustraciones me han ganado por completo.
dyanavelz's review against another edition
5.0
Bella edición de lujo, ilustrada magistralmente por Benjamin Lacombe.
En cuanto a lo principal: los cuentos.
Es el mismo texto que en los Cuentos Completos que tradujo el enormísimo cronopio en los 50s, fascinante. Quiero imaginar que si Poe hubiera escrito en español, sus cuentos quedarían redactados justamente así como la bonita traducción de Julio Cortázar.
En cuanto a lo principal: los cuentos.
Es el mismo texto que en los Cuentos Completos que tradujo el enormísimo cronopio en los 50s, fascinante. Quiero imaginar que si Poe hubiera escrito en español, sus cuentos quedarían redactados justamente así como la bonita traducción de Julio Cortázar.