Shirley Jackson
Список книг автора Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House (Horror Classic)
This eBook has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Hill House is an 80 year-old mansion built by long-deceased Hugh Crain. The story concerns four main characters: Dr. John Montague, an investigator of the supernatural; Eleanor Vance, a shy young woman who resents having lived as a recluse caring for her demanding invalid mother; Theodora, a flamboyant, bohemian, possibly lesbian artist; and Luke Sanderson, the young heir to Hill House, who is also the host to the others. Dr. Montague hopes to find scientific evidence of the existence of the supernatural. He rents Hill House for a summer and invites as his guests several people whom he has chosen because of their past experience with paranormal events. Of these, only Eleanor and Theodora accept. All four of the inhabitants begin to experience strange events while in the house, including unseen noises and ghosts roaming the halls at night, strange writing on the walls and other unexplained events. Eleanor tends to experience phenomena to which the others are oblivious. At the same time, Eleanor may be losing touch with reality…A finalist for the National Book Award, The Haunting of Hill House is considered as one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century, even by stalwarts like Stephen King. It has been made into two feature films, a TV series and a play. Jackson's novel relies on terror rather than horror to elicit emotion in the reader, utilizing complex relationships between the mysterious events in the house and the characters' psyches. A must read!
The Lottery
"The Lottery" was originally published in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. Although it has gained a well-earned reputation as a classic and become one of the most famous short stories in the history of American literature, it initially received a negative response, which surprised both Shirley Jackson and The New Yorker. After its appearance, readers cancelled subscriptions and sent hate mail throughout the summer. The Union of South Africa even banned the story.<P> This chilling tale of a lottery in a small town which ends in death remains a powerful piece of literature, however, and is a true classic in every sense of the word.
The Haunting of Hill House
Dr Montague, a scientific investigator of ghostly phenomena, has chosen to live for several weeks at Hill House, by repute a place of horror that will brook no human habitation. To check and contribute to his observations, he selects three companions previously unknown to him; two girls, Theo and Eleanor, and Luke, a young man, who is heir to Hill House. <P> What happens cannot, in fairness, be told. But Dr Montague’s words were prophetic: ‘A ghost cannot hurt anyone; only the fear of ghosts can be dangerous.’ Whether the ghosts at Hill House caused the fear, or the fear created the ghosts, there were such manifestations as to produce, finally, an ultimate terror that was all too palpable and down-to-earth.
Sempre hem viscut al castell
La Merricat Blackwood és una nena solitària i amb molta fantasia que viu al casalot familiar amb la seva germana gran, la Constance, i el seu oncle Julian, un home vell i minusvàlid que es mou en cadira de rodes. La Merricat passa les hores vagant pel jardí, enterrant tresors, jugant amb el seu gat Jonàs i somiant amb viatjar a la lluna i començar una vida nova. I, des que fa sis anys va morir la resta de la seva família, una de les seves obsessions és protegir la seva germana, i la casa, de la xafarderia, l'hostilitat i el rebuig agressiu de la gent del poble. Els dies transcorren tranquil·lament enmig d'una alegria plàcida i solitària fins que una visita inesperada es planta al bell mig del jardí i s'instal·la al casalot. Aterrida, només la Merricat aconsegueix veure-hi el perill; aquesta visita, i la presència constant i abassegadora del passat que no se'n va mai, capgirarà les seves vides definitivament."Una escriptora impressionant … Si encara no l'heu llegit, us esteu perdent una experiència meravellosa", Neil Gaiman"Les històries de Shirley Jackson són de les més aterridores que s'hagin escrit mai", Donna Tartt"El món de Shirley Jackson és inquietant i inoblidable", A. M. Homes."Shirley Jackson és una de les escriptores més idiosincràtiques, i inimitables, l'obra de la qual exerceix sobre el lector un encanteri etern", Joyce Carol Oates.
