Phantoms

Ghosts, dead people, femme fatales, ghosts with and without heads, the shadow of E. T. A. Hoffmann, the dark side of the theatre…

We offer all literary adventurers and lovers of dark curiosities another macabre delicacy, this time a collection of short stories by Karel Švanda ze Semčice (1867–1928), a native of Vršovice and a member of the famous theatrical family. Inspired by Poe and Hoffmann, Švanda tells colourful and imaginative spooky stories from a variety of settings. It takes readers on a trip to France, Germany, Vienna and Prague streets, to the cemetery, to a mental institution, to the theaters, saloons and inns.

In the 19th century, few authors dedicated an entire collection of short stories to ghost stories, let alone two. Švand published the volumes Fantastic Stories (1892) and Bizarr Stories (1897), and the best of them form the basis of this committee. As a bonus, we present an excerpt from Švand' s successful translation of Hoffman' s fairy tale novella The Golden Pot, and, as is customary, everything is crowned by an insightful and comprehensive afterword by Petr Boček, who compiled the book.

Content: Empty chaise longue; Adolfina; Fantasy; Phantom; A man without a head; Rose; Antonia; Ghost in the theater; Green diamond; Charlotte; In cigarette smoke; Beatrix + E. T. A. Hoffmann: The Golden Pot (excerpt from the translation by Karel Švanda)