Novel
Malpertuis
Jean Ray · 1943
Synopsis
In Ghent, in the parish of Saint-Jacques, Uncle Cassave lies dying in Malpertuis, a sinister old house. He gathers his family and those close to him and leaves them a fortune, on one condition: never to leave the house, the last survivor to receive everything. Jean-Jacques Grandsire, his sister Nancy and their cousin Euryale settle there with the other heirs, and the inhabitants begin to disappear. The story is made up of several manuscripts stolen from a convent, which overlap without telling everything.
Context
The novel appeared in Brussels in 1943, under the occupation, from Auteurs Associés, at the time when the author was returning under the name of Jean Ray with several collections. Four narrators follow one another in it, drawing on manuscripts found long after the events, between a prologue and an epilogue by a modern narrator. Harry Kümel made a film from it in 1971 with Orson Welles. Arnaud Huftier established the text for the Alma edition of 2017.
Who it is for
A fantasy novel made of nested manuscripts, written in French; translated into English by Iain White.
Prizes and reception
A masterpiece of Belgian fantasy according to ActuaLitté, adapted for the cinema by Harry Kümel in 1971.
Sources for this page 4
The pages consulted to check this page.