Isuren
and Other Stories
Henri Martin
Translated by Brian Stableford
Henri Martin (1810-1883), a part of the coterie surrounding Honoré de Balzac, though largely forgotten today, deserves credit for writing “Isuren,” the first significant French contribution to what eventually became a subgenre of “prehistoric fantasy,” extensively developed in the belle époque, when the censorious privileges of the Church had finally evaporated, by such neo-Romantic writers as J. H. Rosny and Edmond Haraucourt.
“Isuren,” originally published anonymously in 1832, offers a fictional account of the emergence of the human race in the course of the geological evolution of the planet, and it represents that emergence explicitly as an initial “evolution of the soul.”
The present volume presents “Isuren” and five other proto-surrealist pieces, all translated for the first time into English by Brian Stableford, and all of which are sure to be read with great enjoyment, especially by connoisseurs of fantastic fiction.
About the Author
Henri Martin (1810-1883) was born in Saint-Quentin in the Aisne. After moving to Paris, he joined Charles Nodier’s cénacle and made the acquaintance of many of the leading figures of the Romantic Movement. Though mostly remembered today as a historian, due to his Histoire de France, a massive work in 13 volumes (1833-1836), he also wrote fiction of note, including the long historical melodrama, Wolfthurm, ou Le Tour du loup (1830), which was produced with his friend Félix Davin, and the story “Isuren,” the first significant French contribution to what eventually became a subgenre of “prehistoric fantasy.”
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, 164 pages. Release date: April 11, 2023
ISBN-13: 978-1-64525-127-9
Price: US$15.00
Hardcover, 166 pages. Limited edition of 100 copies
Release date: April 11, 2023
Price: US$30.00