The Assassins
and Other Stories
Marcel Schwob
The nineteen stories contained herein, all beautifully translated for the first time into English by Sue Boswell, combine work published by Marcel Schwob (1867-1905) in newspapers together with manuscripts never published in his lifetime.
From historical pieces, such as Poupa, an early unfinished novel which takes place in ancient Rome, to horrific tales, such as The Hand of Glory and The Maison Close, and others, such as On Umbrellas, which are completely unclassifiable, the present collection displays the diversity and genius of one of France’s greatest yet largely forgotten writers.
About the Author
Marcel Schwob (1867-1905) was sent to Paris in 1881 to study at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, where he met the future writers Léon Daudet and Paul Claudel; he lived with his uncle, the novelist Léon Cahun. He became a professional journalist in 1888, working on both L’Événement and L’Écho de Paris. His great admiration for Edgar Poe is very obvious in his story collections Coeur double (Ollendorf 1891) and Le Roi au masque d’or (1892), translations from which can be found in the sampler The King in the Golden Mask (Carcanet, 1985). Other works exhibiting a strong Symbolist influence include the quasi-autobiographical Le Livre de Monelle (1894) and a book of fictitious biographies, Vies imaginaires (1896), but his health deteriorated catastrophically as a result of an undiagnosable chronic condition, which eventually killed him.
About the Translator
Sue Boswell studied French Language and Literature at UCL and for a time taught French at Goldsmiths University of London. She then moved into university administration, specialising in university external relations and communications. Later she became a translator for the Wiener Library for the study of the Holocaust and Genocide. Her translations include The Last Train by Arnaud Rykner (Snuggly Books, 2020).
Paperback, 148 pages. Release date: July 21, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1-64525-036-4
Price: US$15.50
Hardcover, 150 pages. Limited to 100 copies
Release date: July 21, 2020
Price: US$29.00