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Vathek
Vathek (1786), originally written in French, remains one of the strangest eighteenth-century novels and one of the most difficult to classify. Perverse and grotesque comedy alternates with scenes of 'oriental' magnificence and evocative beauty in the story of the ruthless Caliph Vathek's journey to superb damnation among the subterranean treasures of Eblis. Underlying the elegant prose is a strong element of self-indulgent personal fantasy on the part of Beckford, youthful millionaire, dreamer, and eventually social outcast. Byron, Poe, Mallarmé, and Swinburne are some of the literary figures who have admired Vathek's imaginative power.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1786
About the author
William Beckford
205 books81 followersWilliam Thomas Beckford was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed at one stage in his life to be the richest commoner in England. His parents were William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, daughter of the Hon. George Hamilton. He was Member of Parliament for Wells from 1784 to 1790, for Hindon from 1790 to 1795 and 1806 to 1820.
He is remembered as the author of the Gothic novel Vathek (1786), the builder of the remarkable lost Fonthill Abbey and Lansdown Tower ("Beckford's Tower"), Bath, and especially for his art collection.
He is remembered as the author of the Gothic novel Vathek (1786), the builder of the remarkable lost Fonthill Abbey and Lansdown Tower ("Beckford's Tower"), Bath, and especially for his art collection.
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January 13, 2022
Vathek, William Beckford
Edited with an introduction by Roger Lonsdale, London: Oxford university press, 1970=1349, 187 Pages
Vathek (alternatively titled Vathek, an Arabian Tale or The History of the Caliph Vathek) is a Gothic novel written by William Beckford. It was composed in French beginning in 1782, and then translated into English by Reverend Samuel Henley in which form it was first published in 1786 without Beckford's name as An Arabian Tale, From an Unpublished Manuscript, claiming to be translated directly from Arabic.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و سوم ماه می سال1978میلادی
واتک یا «واثق»؛ که با عنوان: «واتک، حکایتی عربی یا داستان خلیفه واتک» نیز شناخته میشود، رمانی گوتیک (داستانهای پر از دلهره، افسون و فریب، ارواح و جادو پیشگان و...)، به قلم توانای «ویلیام بکفورد»، نویسنده ی «بریتانیا» است؛ رمان در آغازین ماههای سال1782میلادی، به زبان «فرانسه» نوشته شده، و بعدها توسط «ساموئل هنلی» به «انگلیسی» ترجمه شده است؛
چکیده داستان: خلیفه واتک (واثق)، از نواده های «هارون الرشید» است؛ مادرش «کاتاریس»، ساحره ای «یونانی» بوده است؛ فساد و افزون طلبی، و میل بسیار او، به علوم قدغن شده، «واتک (واثق)» را، بنده ی «ابلیس» میکند؛ او میخواهد، به گنجهای توانمداران پیشین (پادشاهان ایران)، در خرابه های «ایستاکار (استخر)»، دست یابد؛ «واتک (واثق)»، پنجاه کودک را، قربان میکند، تا در نگاه یکی از چشمانش، توان کشتن پدیدار شود، از پایتختش «سامارا (سامرا)»، سفر خویش را آغاز میکند؛ در طول مسیر، عاشق دختر امیری، به نام «نورینهار» میشود، که در ادامه ی سفر، دختر نیز او را همراهی میکند؛ پس از رخدادهای عجیب، و پر و پیمان، در «ایستاکار (استخر)»، «واتک (واثق)» اجازه ی ورود، به شبستانهای «ابلیس»، در دنیای مردگان را، پیدا میکند، و در آن دنیای مردگان، به بیهودگی همه ی گنجها، و شگفتیهای همین زمین، و جهان زیرپا، پی میبرد؛ در پایان، «واتک (واثق)»، و همراهانش، در انتظار عذاب ابدی خویش، هستند؛ جسمشان دست نخورده باقی خواهد ماند، اما قلبشان همیشه در درون و اندرون، خواهد سوخت؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 22/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Edited with an introduction by Roger Lonsdale, London: Oxford university press, 1970=1349, 187 Pages
Vathek (alternatively titled Vathek, an Arabian Tale or The History of the Caliph Vathek) is a Gothic novel written by William Beckford. It was composed in French beginning in 1782, and then translated into English by Reverend Samuel Henley in which form it was first published in 1786 without Beckford's name as An Arabian Tale, From an Unpublished Manuscript, claiming to be translated directly from Arabic.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و سوم ماه می سال1978میلادی
واتک یا «واثق»؛ که با عنوان: «واتک، حکایتی عربی یا داستان خلیفه واتک» نیز شناخته میشود، رمانی گوتیک (داستانهای پر از دلهره، افسون و فریب، ارواح و جادو پیشگان و...)، به قلم توانای «ویلیام بکفورد»، نویسنده ی «بریتانیا» است؛ رمان در آغازین ماههای سال1782میلادی، به زبان «فرانسه» نوشته شده، و بعدها توسط «ساموئل هنلی» به «انگلیسی» ترجمه شده است؛
چکیده داستان: خلیفه واتک (واثق)، از نواده های «هارون الرشید» است؛ مادرش «کاتاریس»، ساحره ای «یونانی» بوده است؛ فساد و افزون طلبی، و میل بسیار او، به علوم قدغن شده، «واتک (واثق)» را، بنده ی «ابلیس» میکند؛ او میخواهد، به گنجهای توانمداران پیشین (پادشاهان ایران)، در خرابه های «ایستاکار (استخر)»، دست یابد؛ «واتک (واثق)»، پنجاه کودک را، قربان میکند، تا در نگاه یکی از چشمانش، توان کشتن پدیدار شود، از پایتختش «سامارا (سامرا)»، سفر خویش را آغاز میکند؛ در طول مسیر، عاشق دختر امیری، به نام «نورینهار» میشود، که در ادامه ی سفر، دختر نیز او را همراهی میکند؛ پس از رخدادهای عجیب، و پر و پیمان، در «ایستاکار (استخر)»، «واتک (واثق)» اجازه ی ورود، به شبستانهای «ابلیس»، در دنیای مردگان را، پیدا میکند، و در آن دنیای مردگان، به بیهودگی همه ی گنجها، و شگفتیهای همین زمین، و جهان زیرپا، پی میبرد؛ در پایان، «واتک (واثق)»، و همراهانش، در انتظار عذاب ابدی خویش، هستند؛ جسمشان دست نخورده باقی خواهد ماند، اما قلبشان همیشه در درون و اندرون، خواهد سوخت؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 22/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
April 8, 2020
An odd book, and not a completely successful one. I cannot deny it a wealth of ironic observation and an elegant style, but I believe the author indulges his hobbies and obsessions--his Orientalism, his ephebophilia, his loathing of his mother and other termagants--to an extent that distorts this tale of sensuality, pride and and destruction instead of informing and enriching it.
The last twenty pages or so, however, that relate Prince Vathek's damnation in the underground realm of the angel Eblis, are powerful and memorable, and very influential on the development of the gothic sensibility in writers as different as Poe and Hawthorne. All readers who care about the development of literature should read these last twenty pages, but in my opinion they could just as well skip most of the rest.
July 10, 2024
Caliph Vathek the ruler in fabulous Baghdad, and its extended Empire, the Middle East and Africa...Grandson of the illustrious Harun al -Rashid, but not his equal to say the least, from the Arabian Nights fame (this is fiction, folks , with only a very vague resemblance to a real man, so don't bother to look him up on Wikipedia). Being the 9th century, the Caliph has absolute power, also an evil eye, deadly when angered as a lot of his poor victims discovered much too late. Nobody looks at Vathek's fearsome eye, when the Caliph is in a very bad mood, for long... and lives. Five magnificent palaces he has built for his many amusements, full of exotic, expensive toys. A colossal tower to reach the heavens is erected, just for Vathek , so he can study the distant, perplexing stars... he needs amusement, the tallest in the world, at great cost to his impoverished and oppressed subjects. Most nights looking up at the mysterious dark sky and becomes a capable astronomer, the royal man, while the people below suffer because of the very high taxes. Still the Caliph spends money at a tremendous rate, his subjects hate him but keep their tongues quiet, too many have been silenced, butchered not to do otherwise. The easily bored, plainly wicked Vathek has a new bright city, Samarah, on the arid desert, established, who would refuse the command. Nevertheless his numerous wives fail to make him happy, still things change when a stranger arrives, the man though... maybe the ugliest on Earth... However he has unknown, enormous, demonic powers. The Caliph is given a stupendous saber, with carved words on it which are different every day, by the sinister stranger from India, Giaour (infidel). Yet they can't be read by the tyrant, the languages are unintelligible , Vathek cruel mother, Princess Carathis practices black magic, has committed worst crimes than her spoiled son, yes that's possible, she is that vicious. Trouble begins when they can't locate the eerie Indian. At last the stranger, Giaour, appears and tells Caliph Vathek to kill a few of his people, fifty children ( he survives the riots). The Sovereign of the World, will be richly rewarded with unlimited wealth, in the ruins of the mournful city, Istakar, (Persepolis) destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. Everyone feels relief as the Ruler leaves for the dead, ancient Persian capital , wishing he'd never come back. Picking up an Emir's willing young daughter, Nouronihar, on the way, is nature demands it. As an enchanting moon is shining down on his caravan, an intimidating Genie materializes and strongly advises the evil one, not to go any further when Vathek nears, the unnatural, lonely city, understandably deserted, but to quickly flee. The Caliph makes his ominous decision...I've read a lot of bizarre books, but this is one of the... weirdest.....oddest and creepiest... you've been warned.....
August 3, 2017
«Ο Φάουστ της Ανατολής»
Ένα εξωτικό ανατολίτικο παραμύθι συνδυασμένο με τη γοητεία του γοτθικού ρομαντισμού δημιουργούν την
"Ιστορία του χαλίφη Βατέκ".
Μια υπερφυσική μαγεία υποβλητικής ομορφιάς,
σχεδόν υπνωτιστικής,
που αφιερώνεται- φορώντας το μαύρο μανδύα του μεσαίωνα-
σαν σπάνιος πολύτιμος λίθος,στα αρώματα,τους ήχους και τα χρώματα της παράδοσης,της φαντασίας και της ύπαρξης του ανθρώπινου είδους ως θεϊκή δημιουργία.
Ο Βατέκ,ως ηγεμόνας των μουσουλμάνων και απόγονος της φυλής του προφήτη Μωάμεθ,
ειναι ο ένατος χαλίφης της γενιάς των Αββασιδών και ο νεότερος στο θρόνο της Βαγδάτης.
Ζώντας έντονα πάθη με αχόρταγη ακολασία και προκλητική χλιδή χάνεται μέσα στην απόλυτη ελευθερία σκέψης,σε μια πνευματική επανάσταση.
Προδίδει την πίστη του στις παραδόσεις και
τα θρησκευτικά του ιδεώδη και τολμάει να εναντιωθεί στην πατροπαράδοτη μοίρα της άγνοιας.
Με τη συμπαράσταση και την ενθάρρυνση της μητέρας του
-μια διαβολογυναίκα με το όνομα Κάραθις-δέχεται να συμφωνήσει με το Σατανά.
Χάρη σε αυτήν τη συμφωνία θα οικειοποιηθεί τους θησαυρούς των προαδαμιαίων σουλτάνων που είναι κρυμμένοι στα έγκατα της γης.
Στα παλάτια του ζόφου. Στα σκοτάδια της κόλασης.
Στη μαύρη ανέλπιδη και ασυγχώρητη σατανική μεγαλοπρέπεια.
Όταν ερωτεύεται παράφορα τη λατρεμένη του Νουρονιχάρ- η οποία συμμετέχει με ευχαρίστηση στο ανόσιο έργο κατά του Ισλαμικού πλαισίου-ξεκινούν μαζί το οδοιπορικό προς το παλάτι του μελαγχολικού άρχοντα του σκότους,στην έρημη πόλη του Ισταχάρ.
Φθάνοντας εκει,αναφορικά με τη σατανική συμφωνία θα γίνουν κάτοχοι πλούτου και δύναμης όλης της Ανατολίτικης μυθολογίας.
Στην ουσία το μοναδικό έγκλημα που κρύβεται περίτεχνα μέσα στο παραμύθι και τους ήρωες του είναι
η αναζήτηση και η μετάδοση γνώσης.
Είναι προδότης και υβριστής όποιος προσπαθήσει να μάθει, να ξεφύγει απο τα
θρησκευτικό-πολιτικά απαρχαιωμένα κατεστημένα.
Και όταν ανακαλύπτει τους θησαυρούς του μεγαλειώδη ζόφου τον κάνουν να αναρωτηθεί για την δημιουργία της ύπαρξης,τη σοφία και τη δύναμη της ανθρώπινης φύσης και την απέραντη γνώση σε όλα τα επίπεδα,πρέπει να τιμωρηθεί.
Πρέπει να ζει αιώνια σε έναν εφιάλτη με ανθρωπόμορφα τέρατα και σε τεράστιες αίθουσες κενές και σκοτεινές με μόνη λάμψη την πυρά της κόλασης.
Αν είχε μείνει απαθής,αδρανής σε κατώτερο νοηματικό επίπεδο Θα είχε συγχωρεθεί απο γήινες και θεϊκές αρχές απολαμβάνοντας την άγνοια των πολλών. Δούλος του εαυτού του.
Τώρα,ο χαλίφης Βατέκ που θεώρησε δικαίωμα του να γευτεί τους καρπούς της γνώσης θα τιμωρείται αιώνια στο τρομακτικό απεχθές άπειρο των καταραμένων ψυχών.
Είναι ένα διαχρονικό παραμύθι με έντονες σαγηνευτικές και ηδονιστικές περιγραφές ομορφιάς,
πολυτελείας, υπέροχου κακού και θανάτου.
Λάτρεψα την ειρωνεία του συγγραφέα που παρουσιάζει το κακό σαν αυτοδύναμο καλό κάτω απο ένα καρφί ηθικής.
Κάτω απο την μαγεία και τη λαμπρότητα ενός θρύλου που ασχολείται με τα δυο αντίπαλα μισά του εαυτού του.
Ο καθένας μας το ερμηνεύει όπως το θεωρεί κατάλληλο.
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς!!
Ένα εξωτικό ανατολίτικο παραμύθι συνδυασμένο με τη γοητεία του γοτθικού ρομαντισμού δημιουργούν την
"Ιστορία του χαλίφη Βατέκ".
Μια υπερφυσική μαγεία υποβλητικής ομορφιάς,
σχεδόν υπνωτιστικής,
που αφιερώνεται- φορώντας το μαύρο μανδύα του μεσαίωνα-
σαν σπάνιος πολύτιμος λίθος,στα αρώματα,τους ήχους και τα χρώματα της παράδοσης,της φαντασίας και της ύπαρξης του ανθρώπινου είδους ως θεϊκή δημιουργία.
Ο Βατέκ,ως ηγεμόνας των μουσουλμάνων και απόγονος της φυλής του προφήτη Μωάμεθ,
ειναι ο ένατος χαλίφης της γενιάς των Αββασιδών και ο νεότερος στο θρόνο της Βαγδάτης.
Ζώντας έντονα πάθη με αχόρταγη ακολασία και προκλητική χλιδή χάνεται μέσα στην απόλυτη ελευθερία σκέψης,σε μια πνευματική επανάσταση.
Προδίδει την πίστη του στις παραδόσεις και
τα θρησκευτικά του ιδεώδη και τολμάει να εναντιωθεί στην πατροπαράδοτη μοίρα της άγνοιας.
Με τη συμπαράσταση και την ενθάρρυνση της μητέρας του
-μια διαβολογυναίκα με το όνομα Κάραθις-δέχεται να συμφωνήσει με το Σατανά.
Χάρη σε αυτήν τη συμφωνία θα οικειοποιηθεί τους θησαυρούς των προαδαμιαίων σουλτάνων που είναι κρυμμένοι στα έγκατα της γης.
Στα παλάτια του ζόφου. Στα σκοτάδια της κόλασης.
Στη μαύρη ανέλπιδη και ασυγχώρητη σατανική μεγαλοπρέπεια.
Όταν ερωτεύεται παράφορα τη λατρεμένη του Νουρονιχάρ- η οποία συμμετέχει με ευχαρίστηση στο ανόσιο έργο κατά του Ισλαμικού πλαισίου-ξεκινούν μαζί το οδοιπορικό προς το παλάτι του μελαγχολικού άρχοντα του σκότους,στην έρημη πόλη του Ισταχάρ.
Φθάνοντας εκει,αναφορικά με τη σατανική συμφωνία θα γίνουν κάτοχοι πλούτου και δύναμης όλης της Ανατολίτικης μυθολογίας.
Στην ουσία το μοναδικό έγκλημα που κρύβεται περίτεχνα μέσα στο παραμύθι και τους ήρωες του είναι
η αναζήτηση και η μετάδοση γνώσης.
Είναι προδότης και υβριστής όποιος προσπαθήσει να μάθει, να ξεφύγει απο τα
θρησκευτικό-πολιτικά απαρχαιωμένα κατεστημένα.
Και όταν ανακαλύπτει τους θησαυρούς του μεγαλειώδη ζόφου τον κάνουν να αναρωτηθεί για την δημιουργία της ύπαρξης,τη σοφία και τη δύναμη της ανθρώπινης φύσης και την απέραντη γνώση σε όλα τα επίπεδα,πρέπει να τιμωρηθεί.
Πρέπει να ζει αιώνια σε έναν εφιάλτη με ανθρωπόμορφα τέρατα και σε τεράστιες αίθουσες κενές και σκοτεινές με μόνη λάμψη την πυρά της κόλασης.
Αν είχε μείνει απαθής,αδρανής σε κατώτερο νοηματικό επίπεδο Θα είχε συγχωρεθεί απο γήινες και θεϊκές αρχές απολαμβάνοντας την άγνοια των πολλών. Δούλος του εαυτού του.
Τώρα,ο χαλίφης Βατέκ που θεώρησε δικαίωμα του να γευτεί τους καρπούς της γνώσης θα τιμωρείται αιώνια στο τρομακτικό απεχθές άπειρο των καταραμένων ψυχών.
Είναι ένα διαχρονικό παραμύθι με έντονες σαγηνευτικές και ηδονιστικές περιγραφές ομορφιάς,
πολυτελείας, υπέροχου κακού και θανάτου.
Λάτρεψα την ειρωνεία του συγγραφέα που παρουσιάζει το κακό σαν αυτοδύναμο καλό κάτω απο ένα καρφί ηθικής.
Κάτω απο την μαγεία και τη λαμπρότητα ενός θρύλου που ασχολείται με τα δυο αντίπαλα μισά του εαυτού του.
Ο καθένας μας το ερμηνεύει όπως το θεωρεί κατάλληλο.
Καλή ανάγνωση!!
Πολλούς ασπασμούς!!
July 13, 2020
A preposterous proto-orientalist fantasia, full of afrits, genies, harems and evil plots. Based very loosely on the life of the ninth-century caliph al-Wathik, it is structured around a Faustian deal with the devil – it's a fast read and tonally quite a strange one. Obviously Beckford was enamoured of the 1001 Nights, but his story is also shot through with curious elements of his own, and it all builds to an unusually dark ending.
Vathek is sometimes described as a Gothic novel, and it does share some of those themes – a sense of the supernatural, a love of terror and other extreme emotions, a wallowing in non-mainstream religion. But it's really very different from the usual sense of ruined Catholic castles and continental European gloom that one normally associates with Ann Radcliffe, Horace Walpole, Matthew Lewis et al. Like the later orientalists, Beckford was motivated by a curious and not unproductive mix of serious scholarship (he studied Arabic and read intently in Islamic history – the book is densely footnoted) and prurient titillation. In many ways Vathek's mood of sensual indulgence looks forward to more consciously ‘decadent’ writers of a hundred years later like Huysmans. (Vathek, like Wilde's Salomé, was originally written in French, and seems to have had a similarly powerful effect on subsequent French writers.)
Beckford's own sense of decadence comes with a kind of sexual egotism which can feel comfortably thrilling at this distance, but which at the time was probably more concerning. He had a taste for underage boys (a predilection that, as Hester Thrale noted in her diary, is obvious throughout Vathek) and he had the money to indulge his tastes – he was staggeringly wealthy, making about £100,000 a year at a time when £400–500 was enough to live a life of leisure as a gentleman. Add to this the fact that his money came from sugar plantations in Jamaica – he gave speeches in parliament against abolishing slavery – and one is left with a rather unpleasant sense of the man behind the book.
Beckford had to flee England after he was caught with a thirteen-year-old boy (in an interesting twist, his seat in parliament went to ‘Monk’ Lewis – were all these MPs writing Gothic fiction??), and he emigrated to Switzerland, where Gibbon in Lausanne organised for him to be publicly shunned. But his novel did make waves, and was adored by Byron, whose The Giaour is heavily indebted to it. The ending, which takes places in the shadowy underground palace of Eblis, is justifiably famous and impressively dark, prefiguring a lot of modern horror all the way down to something like ‘I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream’, although the lush setting and language stops it from being quite that bleak. Overall, it's not especially edifying, but if you like the idea of literature written by pervy rich English bastards, this is an obvious touchpoint.
Vathek is sometimes described as a Gothic novel, and it does share some of those themes – a sense of the supernatural, a love of terror and other extreme emotions, a wallowing in non-mainstream religion. But it's really very different from the usual sense of ruined Catholic castles and continental European gloom that one normally associates with Ann Radcliffe, Horace Walpole, Matthew Lewis et al. Like the later orientalists, Beckford was motivated by a curious and not unproductive mix of serious scholarship (he studied Arabic and read intently in Islamic history – the book is densely footnoted) and prurient titillation. In many ways Vathek's mood of sensual indulgence looks forward to more consciously ‘decadent’ writers of a hundred years later like Huysmans. (Vathek, like Wilde's Salomé, was originally written in French, and seems to have had a similarly powerful effect on subsequent French writers.)
Beckford's own sense of decadence comes with a kind of sexual egotism which can feel comfortably thrilling at this distance, but which at the time was probably more concerning. He had a taste for underage boys (a predilection that, as Hester Thrale noted in her diary, is obvious throughout Vathek) and he had the money to indulge his tastes – he was staggeringly wealthy, making about £100,000 a year at a time when £400–500 was enough to live a life of leisure as a gentleman. Add to this the fact that his money came from sugar plantations in Jamaica – he gave speeches in parliament against abolishing slavery – and one is left with a rather unpleasant sense of the man behind the book.
Beckford had to flee England after he was caught with a thirteen-year-old boy (in an interesting twist, his seat in parliament went to ‘Monk’ Lewis – were all these MPs writing Gothic fiction??), and he emigrated to Switzerland, where Gibbon in Lausanne organised for him to be publicly shunned. But his novel did make waves, and was adored by Byron, whose The Giaour is heavily indebted to it. The ending, which takes places in the shadowy underground palace of Eblis, is justifiably famous and impressively dark, prefiguring a lot of modern horror all the way down to something like ‘I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream’, although the lush setting and language stops it from being quite that bleak. Overall, it's not especially edifying, but if you like the idea of literature written by pervy rich English bastards, this is an obvious touchpoint.
April 5, 2024
“¡Ay del mortal temerario que busca saber aquello que debería permanecer ignorante y emprender aquello que supera su poder!”
Borges me recomendó leer esta novela tres veces: en primer lugar leyendo sus “Otras inquisiciones” de 1952, luego cuando leí “Biblioteca personal” y finalmente recorriendo las páginas de sus afamados “Prólogos de la biblioteca de Babel”.
En todos ellos me instaba a leer las páginas de esta corta novela que el inglés William Beckford escribió en tan solo tres días y dos noches de 1781.
A Borges este libro lo hechizaba, le quitaba el sueño, ya que la ominosa historia del califa Haruk Benalmotásim Vatik Vilá o simplemente “Vathek” según él fue inspirada en las “Mil y una noches” con la salvedad de que lo que se cuenta aquí es mucho más terrible y trágico.
Además, para el maestro argentino supo decir que “el Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo fue la mayor gloria de Beckford”.
En la novela, el califa Vathek, cuya sed de conocimiento y poder aún más desesperante que los del “Fausto” de Goethe devienen en una obsesión luego de que un mercader recién llegado, cuyo rostro es tan atroz que los guardias que lo escoltan no lo miran a la cara, hace una profecía sobre una cimitarra que le regala a Vathek.
En ella le anticipa que un hombre llegará y le ofrecerá algo que el califa no podrá resistir para lograr su cometido. Esto sucede y el temible Giaur entra en escena. A partir de allí, todo lo que pasará será ominoso y condenarán la vida del califa.
Giaur le pide demasiadas cosas a cambio de dejarlo ingresar en el Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo en donde, engañándolo, le promete toda una serie de tesoros, talismanes y poderes.
Aquí, nuevamente Borges afirmará que el Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo es “el primer Infierno realmente atroz de la literatura... El más ilustre de los avernos literarios” , posicionándolo por sobre el de “La Divina Comedia” de Dante.
Hasta semejante punto llega Borges. El maestro se rinde ante semejante destreza literaria de Beckford que descolla especialmente en las últimas diez hojas de la novela.
En Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo, Beckford desarrolla una imaginería tan terrible que iguala efectivamente al Infierno de Dante Alighieri, con la diferencia de que el castigo de los que allí moran, además de ser eternos, es el mismo para todos: el corazón está envuelto en llamas y la mano derecha queda pegada al pecho.
Pero esta es una de las tantas cosas que se describen aquí. Vathek, que en su ciega ambición ingresa al Palacio, también deberá enfrentar los ataques de su temible madre, Carathis, así también como abjurar su fe en Mahoma y entregarse a los poderes de las tinieblas.
William Beckford nos ofrece una novela tan corta como atrapante y nos devela a través de sus páginas lo peligroso que pueden significar para los seres humanos los deseos prohibidos y de cómo estos nos pueden llevar a un doloroso infierno, que además tiene la facultad de ser eterno.
La suerte de Vathek está echada y todo esto se condensa en menos de ciento cuarenta páginas, lo cual pocos escritores pueden lograr a la hora de contarnos una poderosa historia.
William Beckford pudo hacerlo.
Borges me recomendó leer esta novela tres veces: en primer lugar leyendo sus “Otras inquisiciones” de 1952, luego cuando leí “Biblioteca personal” y finalmente recorriendo las páginas de sus afamados “Prólogos de la biblioteca de Babel”.
En todos ellos me instaba a leer las páginas de esta corta novela que el inglés William Beckford escribió en tan solo tres días y dos noches de 1781.
A Borges este libro lo hechizaba, le quitaba el sueño, ya que la ominosa historia del califa Haruk Benalmotásim Vatik Vilá o simplemente “Vathek” según él fue inspirada en las “Mil y una noches” con la salvedad de que lo que se cuenta aquí es mucho más terrible y trágico.
Además, para el maestro argentino supo decir que “el Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo fue la mayor gloria de Beckford”.
En la novela, el califa Vathek, cuya sed de conocimiento y poder aún más desesperante que los del “Fausto” de Goethe devienen en una obsesión luego de que un mercader recién llegado, cuyo rostro es tan atroz que los guardias que lo escoltan no lo miran a la cara, hace una profecía sobre una cimitarra que le regala a Vathek.
En ella le anticipa que un hombre llegará y le ofrecerá algo que el califa no podrá resistir para lograr su cometido. Esto sucede y el temible Giaur entra en escena. A partir de allí, todo lo que pasará será ominoso y condenarán la vida del califa.
Giaur le pide demasiadas cosas a cambio de dejarlo ingresar en el Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo en donde, engañándolo, le promete toda una serie de tesoros, talismanes y poderes.
Aquí, nuevamente Borges afirmará que el Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo es “el primer Infierno realmente atroz de la literatura... El más ilustre de los avernos literarios” , posicionándolo por sobre el de “La Divina Comedia” de Dante.
Hasta semejante punto llega Borges. El maestro se rinde ante semejante destreza literaria de Beckford que descolla especialmente en las últimas diez hojas de la novela.
En Palacio del Fuego Subterráneo, Beckford desarrolla una imaginería tan terrible que iguala efectivamente al Infierno de Dante Alighieri, con la diferencia de que el castigo de los que allí moran, además de ser eternos, es el mismo para todos: el corazón está envuelto en llamas y la mano derecha queda pegada al pecho.
Pero esta es una de las tantas cosas que se describen aquí. Vathek, que en su ciega ambición ingresa al Palacio, también deberá enfrentar los ataques de su temible madre, Carathis, así también como abjurar su fe en Mahoma y entregarse a los poderes de las tinieblas.
William Beckford nos ofrece una novela tan corta como atrapante y nos devela a través de sus páginas lo peligroso que pueden significar para los seres humanos los deseos prohibidos y de cómo estos nos pueden llevar a un doloroso infierno, que además tiene la facultad de ser eterno.
La suerte de Vathek está echada y todo esto se condensa en menos de ciento cuarenta páginas, lo cual pocos escritores pueden lograr a la hora de contarnos una poderosa historia.
William Beckford pudo hacerlo.
August 10, 2013
There is a story behind my purchasing this book. I occasionally bid on book lots at the local auction house. Recently I bid on a box of books which looked rather interesting. I managed to transpose the numbers and ended up with a different box of books, most of which I didn’t want. However there were seven folio society book from the late 1950s and early 1960s, which I have kept (sending the others back to auction). This was one of the folio society books.
I knew little about Vathek or William Beckford before this. It has been classified as a Gothic novel and was written in the 1780s. Byron cited it as a source and Keats certainly was influenced by Beckford’s descriptions of the underworld. Lovecraft and Poe were also influenced as have been other writers in the fantasy genre.
There is a touch of the Arabian Nights about this and it is set somewhere in the Middle East. It concerns wealthy potentate Caliph Vathek and his exceptionally cruel and evil mother Carathis. Vathek is fabulously wealthy, has lots of eunuchs, lots of wives, loves the pleasures of the flesh, has built a Babel like tower and is also thirsty for knowledge. The story is based around Islam and involves genies, djinn and even The Prophet putting in his views from heaven. Vathek desires more wealth and more power and that is where the “fun” begins. We have mysterious strangers, lots of acts of cruelty and immorality, magic artifacts and talismans, sacrifice (of children), pursuit of glory, feasting, pride and a journey to find treasure and fortune. The last twenty pages with the descriptions of hell are quite fun when everyone gets what they deserve.
These days the story is fairly unremarkable, although there are some unusual flourishes; it was originally written in French. It is effectively a pact with the devil novel; just set in an Islamic context. There are also some comic turns. The characters are predictable and rather flat and after a time the descriptions of even more fabulous wealth, debauchery and cruelty just become boring. As a whole it didn’t really work for me, but there are also other issues which revolve around Beckford himself.
Beckford was wealthy, very wealthy (inherited) and his income at the time was over£100,000 a year, which was a fabulous amount at the time. In later life he was a bit of a recluse and spent way too much money on pointless building projects. He wrote Vathek in his early twenties whilst in France. The reasons for leaving England are not entirely clear. It seems he was conducting an affair with a boy eight years his junior (William Courtenay, son of an aristocrat) . The boy’s uncle found out and advertised it in a newspaper. Beckford and his wife left the country for a while and he wrote Vathek whilst in France. Beckford continued to be noted for eccentricity and there are lots of stories about goings on at his home. All this is of little relevance really. What is of relevance is the source of his wealth; the slave trade and plantations in Jamaica. Byron, whilst appreciating Vathek made some rather acerbic comments about Beckford’s wealth. I am left with a picture of a man wasting large amounts of money of ornate buildings whilst the sources of his wealth suffer thousands of miles away. It left a bad taste.
I knew little about Vathek or William Beckford before this. It has been classified as a Gothic novel and was written in the 1780s. Byron cited it as a source and Keats certainly was influenced by Beckford’s descriptions of the underworld. Lovecraft and Poe were also influenced as have been other writers in the fantasy genre.
There is a touch of the Arabian Nights about this and it is set somewhere in the Middle East. It concerns wealthy potentate Caliph Vathek and his exceptionally cruel and evil mother Carathis. Vathek is fabulously wealthy, has lots of eunuchs, lots of wives, loves the pleasures of the flesh, has built a Babel like tower and is also thirsty for knowledge. The story is based around Islam and involves genies, djinn and even The Prophet putting in his views from heaven. Vathek desires more wealth and more power and that is where the “fun” begins. We have mysterious strangers, lots of acts of cruelty and immorality, magic artifacts and talismans, sacrifice (of children), pursuit of glory, feasting, pride and a journey to find treasure and fortune. The last twenty pages with the descriptions of hell are quite fun when everyone gets what they deserve.
These days the story is fairly unremarkable, although there are some unusual flourishes; it was originally written in French. It is effectively a pact with the devil novel; just set in an Islamic context. There are also some comic turns. The characters are predictable and rather flat and after a time the descriptions of even more fabulous wealth, debauchery and cruelty just become boring. As a whole it didn’t really work for me, but there are also other issues which revolve around Beckford himself.
Beckford was wealthy, very wealthy (inherited) and his income at the time was over£100,000 a year, which was a fabulous amount at the time. In later life he was a bit of a recluse and spent way too much money on pointless building projects. He wrote Vathek in his early twenties whilst in France. The reasons for leaving England are not entirely clear. It seems he was conducting an affair with a boy eight years his junior (William Courtenay, son of an aristocrat) . The boy’s uncle found out and advertised it in a newspaper. Beckford and his wife left the country for a while and he wrote Vathek whilst in France. Beckford continued to be noted for eccentricity and there are lots of stories about goings on at his home. All this is of little relevance really. What is of relevance is the source of his wealth; the slave trade and plantations in Jamaica. Byron, whilst appreciating Vathek made some rather acerbic comments about Beckford’s wealth. I am left with a picture of a man wasting large amounts of money of ornate buildings whilst the sources of his wealth suffer thousands of miles away. It left a bad taste.
March 30, 2009
Underground palaces! Concealed didacticism! Homosexual indiscretions!
May 22, 2016
دوستانِ گرانقدر، نامِ <واثق> در مغرب زمین و بخصوص در انگلستان، نامی شناخته شده است، زیرا زندگیِ افسانه آمیز او موضوع این کتاب است که یکی از موفق ترین اثار ادبیات انگلیس است که توسط < ویلیام بکفورد> نویسنده و شاعرِ انگلیسی در قرنِ هجدهم میلادی نوشته شد که بزرگان دیگر جهان ادب، همچون: لرد بایرن، کیتس، توماس مور، ادگار آلن پو، اسکار وایلد و آلدوس هکسلی، از آن به صورتِ گسترده ای الهام گرفتند... البته تا جاهایی نیز برایِ نوشتنِ این رمان از داستانِ < خسرو و شیرین> نظامی نیز بهره گرفته شده است
عزیزانم، داستانِ این کتاب از این قرار است که، < واثق> که تشنهٔ دستیابی به اسرارِ نهفتهٔ جهان است،در دربارِ خلافتِ خود فرستادهٔ اهریمن را به نزدِ خویش میپذیرد که پیامی از سویِ سرورِ خویش برایِ او دارد.و وی بر اساسِ این پیام، طرح نشستنِ خود بر تختِ جمشید را مطرح میکند و در اینباره با اهریمن پیمان میبندد... سپس سفرِ دشوارِ خود را آغاز میکند که مرحلهٔ نخستِ آن گذشتن از < درهٔ اقبال امیر فخرالدین> است... و در آنجا عاشقِ < نور النهار> دخترِ امیر می شود که با وسوسهٔ او از < گلشم> پسرعمویِ او که نامزدِ اوست، جدا میشود و خود را تسلیمِ عشقِ < واثق> میکند و با او راه سفرِ به سویِ < تخت جمشید> و گنج هایِ شاهانِ افسانه ای را در پیش میگیرد... هردو به شیراز می روند و سر از ویرانه هایِ < استخر> بر می آورند، اهریمن اجازه میدهد که در دروازه هایِ کاخِ او به رویِ آنها گشوده شود... ناگهان کوه از هم باز میشود و آنها را به تالارِ بزرگی می کشاند، که در آن انبوهی از زنان و مردان، همه در کنار یکدیگرند ولی از یکدیگر گریزانند، چنانکه گویی همیشه تنها بوده اند
در گوشه ای از تالار، اهریمن به جای آنکه صورت زشت و ترسناک داشته باشد به صورتِ جوانی زیبا و آراسته نشسته است و این شعرِ سعدی را به یاد می آورد که: که ای نیکبخت این نه شکلِ من است _ ولیکن قلم در کفِ دشمن است
دوستانِ عزیزم... خلاصه اهریمن به آنها اجازهٔ دیدارِ گنج هایِ افسانه ای و < تالارِ ارژنگ> را می دهد که در آن تمامیِ آفریدگان نقش بندی شده اند و میانِ آنها نالهٔ <سلیمان> را می شنوند که او نیز به نیرنگ اهریمن به سراغ گنج هایِ افسانه ای رفته بود... سرانجام با راهنمایی < سلیمان> بدین راز پی میبرند که دوزخِ جاوید در انتظارِ آنهاست... و این دوزخ این است که دیگر یکدیگر را دوست نداشته باشند و نباید امیدی به تغییرِ سرنوشتشان داشته باشند... و چنین است که این دو نفرین شده گرانبهاترین موهبت یعنی < امید> را از دست میدهند
دوستانِ گرامی، نویسنده در این رمان از واژگان و کلمات پارسی همچون: استخر، سیمرغ، جوی رکن آباد، دلارا، گلشن راز و دماوند و غیره... بهره برده است که زیربنایِ این رمان را تشکیل میدهند
لازم به توضیح است که < واثق> بیست و هفتمین امیرالمومنینِ مسلمانان بود... او به بیماریِ استسقا یا همان عطش دائمی دچار شد... پزشکان برای وی تجویز کردند که باید در تنور گرم بنشیند... در یکی از همان روزها از این نوع زندگی خسته شده بود و دستور داد تا تنور را بیشتر گرم کنند و در نتیجه در آن سوخت و جان باخت
امیدوارم فرزندانِ ایران زمین و دوستانِ عزیزم از این ریویو لذت برده باشند
< پیروز باشید و ایرانی>
عزیزانم، داستانِ این کتاب از این قرار است که، < واثق> که تشنهٔ دستیابی به اسرارِ نهفتهٔ جهان است،در دربارِ خلافتِ خود فرستادهٔ اهریمن را به نزدِ خویش میپذیرد که پیامی از سویِ سرورِ خویش برایِ او دارد.و وی بر اساسِ این پیام، طرح نشستنِ خود بر تختِ جمشید را مطرح میکند و در اینباره با اهریمن پیمان میبندد... سپس سفرِ دشوارِ خود را آغاز میکند که مرحلهٔ نخستِ آن گذشتن از < درهٔ اقبال امیر فخرالدین> است... و در آنجا عاشقِ < نور النهار> دخترِ امیر می شود که با وسوسهٔ او از < گلشم> پسرعمویِ او که نامزدِ اوست، جدا میشود و خود را تسلیمِ عشقِ < واثق> میکند و با او راه سفرِ به سویِ < تخت جمشید> و گنج هایِ شاهانِ افسانه ای را در پیش میگیرد... هردو به شیراز می روند و سر از ویرانه هایِ < استخر> بر می آورند، اهریمن اجازه میدهد که در دروازه هایِ کاخِ او به رویِ آنها گشوده شود... ناگهان کوه از هم باز میشود و آنها را به تالارِ بزرگی می کشاند، که در آن انبوهی از زنان و مردان، همه در کنار یکدیگرند ولی از یکدیگر گریزانند، چنانکه گویی همیشه تنها بوده اند
در گوشه ای از تالار، اهریمن به جای آنکه صورت زشت و ترسناک داشته باشد به صورتِ جوانی زیبا و آراسته نشسته است و این شعرِ سعدی را به یاد می آورد که: که ای نیکبخت این نه شکلِ من است _ ولیکن قلم در کفِ دشمن است
دوستانِ عزیزم... خلاصه اهریمن به آنها اجازهٔ دیدارِ گنج هایِ افسانه ای و < تالارِ ارژنگ> را می دهد که در آن تمامیِ آفریدگان نقش بندی شده اند و میانِ آنها نالهٔ <سلیمان> را می شنوند که او نیز به نیرنگ اهریمن به سراغ گنج هایِ افسانه ای رفته بود... سرانجام با راهنمایی < سلیمان> بدین راز پی میبرند که دوزخِ جاوید در انتظارِ آنهاست... و این دوزخ این است که دیگر یکدیگر را دوست نداشته باشند و نباید امیدی به تغییرِ سرنوشتشان داشته باشند... و چنین است که این دو نفرین شده گرانبهاترین موهبت یعنی < امید> را از دست میدهند
دوستانِ گرامی، نویسنده در این رمان از واژگان و کلمات پارسی همچون: استخر، سیمرغ، جوی رکن آباد، دلارا، گلشن راز و دماوند و غیره... بهره برده است که زیربنایِ این رمان را تشکیل میدهند
لازم به توضیح است که < واثق> بیست و هفتمین امیرالمومنینِ مسلمانان بود... او به بیماریِ استسقا یا همان عطش دائمی دچار شد... پزشکان برای وی تجویز کردند که باید در تنور گرم بنشیند... در یکی از همان روزها از این نوع زندگی خسته شده بود و دستور داد تا تنور را بیشتر گرم کنند و در نتیجه در آن سوخت و جان باخت
امیدوارم فرزندانِ ایران زمین و دوستانِ عزیزم از این ریویو لذت برده باشند
< پیروز باشید و ایرانی>
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November 7, 2020A sensualistic fantasy opera of immense decadence and depravity. Foundational in tone and content on so much 20th century fantasy - Jack Vance clearly took a leaf from this book - what I really like to do when I read books like this is imagine how it must have felt to experience the banquets and feasts here described as an 18th century Englishman who never saw a piece of fruit more exotic than a pear.
March 6, 2016
This is an 18th century Gothic novel written by an English author, but written in the French language. It's about an Arabian sultan who makes a deal with the devil, which almost never ends well. That's an odd mix of tags, but this is an odd story. It reminds me a bit of Castle Otranto, but more violent. Just not my cup of tea.
November 11, 2019
How can a book with an Arabian Nights setting and featuring magic, dwarves, harems, a trip to hell, jinn, and demons be boring? Read Vathek and find out. The book just felt so plodding and dull.
Overall, fantastic ideas but with an execution that didn't impress me.
Overall, fantastic ideas but with an execution that didn't impress me.
January 20, 2010
I seem to have embarked on a re-exploration of the gothic genre. After finishing a re-read of The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole a couple of days back, Last night I finished Vathek by William Beckford, a novel which also stems from the trend for Orientalist fiction which played upon the exoticism of an imagined Arabic setting, largely inspired by translations of The Thousand And One Nights.
It's the story of the Caliph Vathek, a sensualist and seeker of knowledge whose quest for novelty leads him into the snares of a diabolical plot. Promised the jewels and talismans of the pre-Adamic kings, he embarks on an inverted pilgrim's progress with a suitable ending.
Vathek was written in a burst of inspiration over the course of roughly three days. It shows. There are many holes in the plot, which is episodic and frequently seems to lose itself in byways. Vathek is depicted as having the power to strike down his foes with a look from one of his eyes when angered; yet he never uses this power at any point in this book. As mentioned above, he is portrayed as a seeker of knowledge; yet, his chief motivations in the course of the novel are greed and lust. We are suddenly informed that he has a brother more than two-thirds of the way through the story. At a certain point, as if realising he could meander about forever, Beckford visibly reins in his plot and forces a conclusion.
But these cavils are beside the point; style is the measure of Beckford's success here, and this novel has style in excess, weaving a sustained cavalcade of visions that must also be the result of its rapid, intense composition. The lush, sybaritic Palaces of the Senses, the many depictions of lavish banquets, the darkly comedic scenes of sorcerous doings by Vathek's mother Carathis and her minions, various scenes of Vathek's villainy and blasphemy and finally the portrayal of the devil and hell itself are all rendered with a fine eye for arresting, original detail. A vein of dark humour, occasionally tending to farce, runs through the story, giving us permission not take it all much more seriously than Beckford seems to have.
It's the story of the Caliph Vathek, a sensualist and seeker of knowledge whose quest for novelty leads him into the snares of a diabolical plot. Promised the jewels and talismans of the pre-Adamic kings, he embarks on an inverted pilgrim's progress with a suitable ending.
Vathek was written in a burst of inspiration over the course of roughly three days. It shows. There are many holes in the plot, which is episodic and frequently seems to lose itself in byways. Vathek is depicted as having the power to strike down his foes with a look from one of his eyes when angered; yet he never uses this power at any point in this book. As mentioned above, he is portrayed as a seeker of knowledge; yet, his chief motivations in the course of the novel are greed and lust. We are suddenly informed that he has a brother more than two-thirds of the way through the story. At a certain point, as if realising he could meander about forever, Beckford visibly reins in his plot and forces a conclusion.
But these cavils are beside the point; style is the measure of Beckford's success here, and this novel has style in excess, weaving a sustained cavalcade of visions that must also be the result of its rapid, intense composition. The lush, sybaritic Palaces of the Senses, the many depictions of lavish banquets, the darkly comedic scenes of sorcerous doings by Vathek's mother Carathis and her minions, various scenes of Vathek's villainy and blasphemy and finally the portrayal of the devil and hell itself are all rendered with a fine eye for arresting, original detail. A vein of dark humour, occasionally tending to farce, runs through the story, giving us permission not take it all much more seriously than Beckford seems to have.
Read
September 25, 2016“Vay haline, bilmemesi gerekeni bilmek isteyenin ve gücünü aşan bir işe girişen gözü pek kişinin.”
William Beckford, yaratıcısının koyduğu sınırları karanlık güçlerin peşine takılarak ihlal eden ve Yeraltı Ateşi Sarayı’na ulaşabilmek için halkına dehşet saçan Abbasi soyunun dokuzuncu halifesi Vathek’in yıkıma sürüklenişini kaleme aldığında daha yirmi bir yaşındaydı. Üstelik üç gün iki gece içerisinde Fransızca olarak yazdığı Vathek, barındırdığı estetikler arası şölenle nice yazarlara ışık tutan bir kaynak görevi gördü. Borges, Lovecraft, Mallarmé, Edgar Allan Poe ve daha niceleri Vathek’in oryantal şımarıklığının grotesk bir kötülük anlayışına dönüşmesine tanıklık ettiler ve içine daldıkları bu gotik “Arap Masalı”na duydukları hayranlığı her fırsatta dile getirdiler.
“Beckford, Doğu’ya olan düşkünlüğünde yalnız kalmıştır. Gotik geleneğe ve genel olarak Avrupai yaşantıya daha yakın olan diğer yazarlar ise Walpole’u daha sadık bir biçimde takip etmekten hoşnutturlar,” der Lovecraft, “Edebiyatta Doğaüstü Korku” isimli makale serisinde. İşte Vathek’i bu denli büyüleyici ve önemli bir eser yapan da Beckford’un bu yalnızlığı olmuştur.
Aslında her şey Antoine Galland’ın 18. yüzyılın başında yaptığı Binbir Gece Masalları çevirisiyle başlar. Avrupa edebiyatına girecek oryantal konular ve karakterler açısından adeta bir hayat çeşmesi görevi görecek olan bu Doğu masallarının ışığında Beckford, Vathek’in ana gövdesini oluşturur. Zaten kitap da başından itibaren masalsı özünü belli eder okuyucuya. Vathek’i okurken Binbir Gece Masalları’nın biraz uzunca bir kısmını okuyormuş gibi hissettiğimi söyleyebilirim fakat yine de elimdeki kitabın bir roman olduğunun da farkına varmak mümkündü. Beckford, Şehrazat’a Şahriyar’ın karşısında bir gün daha hayatta kalabilsin diye hediye etmiştir sanki Vathek’i, fakat Şehriyar’ın bu biraz fazla uzatılmış masaldan sıkılabileceğini aklına getirmemiştir.
Beckford’un gerçek yeteneğinin ortaya çıktığı kısmın Doğu’ya ait betimlemeler olduğunu da söylemem gerekir. Kitabına konu ettiği topraklara hiç ayak basmamış ve Doğu hakkında bildiği her şeyi araştırmaları sayesinde öğrenmiş bir yazara göre anlattığı manzaralar oldukça canlı ve hayal gücünün genişliğini yansıtır nitelikte. Bunun en güzel örneğini ise Doğu ihtişamını ve lüksünü -biraz abartılı olsa da- aktarabilmek için yarattığı Beş Duyu Sarayı’dır bence.
Bol kepçeden sunulan bütün bu oryantal manzaranın ortasına küçük kara bir leke olarak düşen Gotik unsurlar ise bana göre bu kitabın tadı tuzu olan kısım. Masalsı anlatımın getirdiği hafif mizahla birleşen ürpertici bazı detaylar bu ilginç karşıtlık sayesinde daha da ön plana çıkıyor. Bu yüzden de kitaba akıl karıştırıcı ve gerçekten de tuhaf bir atmosferin hakim olduğunu söylemek mümkün. Bir sayfa önce korkunç çirkinliğini okuyup hem ürperip hem de tiksindiğiniz Hintli karakterini bir sayfa sonra dertop olup kendini tekmeleterek yuvarlanırken bulunca insan ne hissedeceğini şaşırabiliyor pek tabii. Ancak bir kaç sahne sonra Vathek’in güle oynaya onlarca çocuğu kurban etmeye kalkışmasını okuyunca ürpermeye kaldığınız yerden devam edebiliyorsunuz.
Çok şey bilmesine rağmen hep daha fazlasını öğrenmek isteyen Vathek karanlık güçlerin oyunlarına açık hale gelecek ve servetiyle sarayından çok daha fazlasını kaybedecektir. Göklerin sırrına ermek için yaptırdığı Babil Kulesi benzeri kule de onu dinin çektiği sınırın ötesine götürecek bir çıkış noktası olur. Sınırda elinde tutmak için bekleyen provokatör karakter ise Hintli’dir. Hintli’nin Vathek’in aklına girmeye başladığı andan itibaren kitabın başında gördüğümüz tüm güzelliklerin yerini yavaş yavaş çirkinliğin almaya başladığını fark ederiz. Ballandıra ballandıra betimlenen doğunun tüm zevk ve gösterişi, yerini karanlığa, mide bulandırıcı ve ürkütücü sahnelere bırakmaya başlar.
Fakat okuyucunun üzerinde korkunç bir etki bırakan Hintli’den aynı oranda büyülenir Vathek. Bu çirkin elçinin Vathek’e vaat ettiği Yeraltı Ateşi Sarayı ve tüm zenginlikler halihazırda Vathek’in elinde olandan fazlası değildir, hatta onun zenginliklerinin yanında sönük bile kalan “harikalar”dır. Ama bu vaatler aslında sadece bahanedir. Çünkü genç hükümdarı bu denli yoldan çıkaran iki üç büyülü obje değil, bilinmeyenin ve yasaklı olanın cazibesidir. Kendisine yüklenen sorumluluktan ne pahasına olursa olsun kurtulup başka bir hayatı yaşama istediğidir. Bundandır ki Vathek aslında bu masalın içerisindeki gerçek kötü ve gotik karakter değildir bence. Başlangıçtan itibaren şeytani bir kötülük anlayışı yoktur. Arsızlığı ve yasaklı olana duyduğu şehvet onu kitabın sonunda dönüştüğü canavar haline getirir.
Jorge Luis Borges, “Beckford’ın Yeraltı Ateşi Sarayı, edebiyatın ilk korkunç cehennemidir. Hatırladığım kadarıyla da Vathek’ten önce yazılmış hiçbir eserin 'tekinsiz' olduğu söylenemez,” diyerek Vathek’in merak ve hırsın kollarında sürüklendiği cehennemi layığıyla betimlemiş olur.
Kitabın belki de en çok övgü alan kısmı olan cehennem bölümü anlatım itibariyle de kitabın genelinden farklıdır. Vathek giderek hedefine yaklaşırken biz de kitaba bolca yedirilmiş olan kara mizah ögelerinin kademeli olarak azaldığını fark ederiz. Kaçınılmaz sona yaklaştıkça masalsılık yavaşça kaybolur ve yerini Batılı anlamda yazılmış bir romanın kapanış sahnesine bırakır. Bu sayede okuyucu artık işlerin ciddileşmekte olduğunun ayırtına varabilir. Artık Vathek için cezalandırılma, okuyucular için de ders alma vakti gelmiştir.
Velhasıl, İthaki Yayınları etiketiyle elime geçen Vathek, bana üzerine düşünecek pek çok şey veren zengin bir kitaptı. Hızlı yazılmasının getirdiği bir takım aksaklıklar ve geçiştirmeler olsa da bunların kitaptan alınacak zevki baltalayacak kadar büyük sorunlar olduğunu düşünmüyorum. Kitabın sonunda yer alan, Selçuk Aylar ve Yankı Enki imzalı sonsözü ise mutlaka okumalısınız.
Unutmadan, Vathek’i okumaya hala niyetliyseniz tavsiyem tek oturuşta okumanız olacaktır. Vathek’i Doğu’nun diğer unutulmuş despotlarının yanına göndermeden önce, umudunuz el verdikçe merakın ve bilginin büyüsünden çıkmamanız dileğiyle.
- Beyza TAŞDELEN
İncelemenin tamamı için: http://kayiprihtim.com/inceleme/vathe...
William Beckford, yaratıcısının koyduğu sınırları karanlık güçlerin peşine takılarak ihlal eden ve Yeraltı Ateşi Sarayı’na ulaşabilmek için halkına dehşet saçan Abbasi soyunun dokuzuncu halifesi Vathek’in yıkıma sürüklenişini kaleme aldığında daha yirmi bir yaşındaydı. Üstelik üç gün iki gece içerisinde Fransızca olarak yazdığı Vathek, barındırdığı estetikler arası şölenle nice yazarlara ışık tutan bir kaynak görevi gördü. Borges, Lovecraft, Mallarmé, Edgar Allan Poe ve daha niceleri Vathek’in oryantal şımarıklığının grotesk bir kötülük anlayışına dönüşmesine tanıklık ettiler ve içine daldıkları bu gotik “Arap Masalı”na duydukları hayranlığı her fırsatta dile getirdiler.
“Beckford, Doğu’ya olan düşkünlüğünde yalnız kalmıştır. Gotik geleneğe ve genel olarak Avrupai yaşantıya daha yakın olan diğer yazarlar ise Walpole’u daha sadık bir biçimde takip etmekten hoşnutturlar,” der Lovecraft, “Edebiyatta Doğaüstü Korku” isimli makale serisinde. İşte Vathek’i bu denli büyüleyici ve önemli bir eser yapan da Beckford’un bu yalnızlığı olmuştur.
Aslında her şey Antoine Galland’ın 18. yüzyılın başında yaptığı Binbir Gece Masalları çevirisiyle başlar. Avrupa edebiyatına girecek oryantal konular ve karakterler açısından adeta bir hayat çeşmesi görevi görecek olan bu Doğu masallarının ışığında Beckford, Vathek’in ana gövdesini oluşturur. Zaten kitap da başından itibaren masalsı özünü belli eder okuyucuya. Vathek’i okurken Binbir Gece Masalları’nın biraz uzunca bir kısmını okuyormuş gibi hissettiğimi söyleyebilirim fakat yine de elimdeki kitabın bir roman olduğunun da farkına varmak mümkündü. Beckford, Şehrazat’a Şahriyar’ın karşısında bir gün daha hayatta kalabilsin diye hediye etmiştir sanki Vathek’i, fakat Şehriyar’ın bu biraz fazla uzatılmış masaldan sıkılabileceğini aklına getirmemiştir.
Beckford’un gerçek yeteneğinin ortaya çıktığı kısmın Doğu’ya ait betimlemeler olduğunu da söylemem gerekir. Kitabına konu ettiği topraklara hiç ayak basmamış ve Doğu hakkında bildiği her şeyi araştırmaları sayesinde öğrenmiş bir yazara göre anlattığı manzaralar oldukça canlı ve hayal gücünün genişliğini yansıtır nitelikte. Bunun en güzel örneğini ise Doğu ihtişamını ve lüksünü -biraz abartılı olsa da- aktarabilmek için yarattığı Beş Duyu Sarayı’dır bence.
Bol kepçeden sunulan bütün bu oryantal manzaranın ortasına küçük kara bir leke olarak düşen Gotik unsurlar ise bana göre bu kitabın tadı tuzu olan kısım. Masalsı anlatımın getirdiği hafif mizahla birleşen ürpertici bazı detaylar bu ilginç karşıtlık sayesinde daha da ön plana çıkıyor. Bu yüzden de kitaba akıl karıştırıcı ve gerçekten de tuhaf bir atmosferin hakim olduğunu söylemek mümkün. Bir sayfa önce korkunç çirkinliğini okuyup hem ürperip hem de tiksindiğiniz Hintli karakterini bir sayfa sonra dertop olup kendini tekmeleterek yuvarlanırken bulunca insan ne hissedeceğini şaşırabiliyor pek tabii. Ancak bir kaç sahne sonra Vathek’in güle oynaya onlarca çocuğu kurban etmeye kalkışmasını okuyunca ürpermeye kaldığınız yerden devam edebiliyorsunuz.
Çok şey bilmesine rağmen hep daha fazlasını öğrenmek isteyen Vathek karanlık güçlerin oyunlarına açık hale gelecek ve servetiyle sarayından çok daha fazlasını kaybedecektir. Göklerin sırrına ermek için yaptırdığı Babil Kulesi benzeri kule de onu dinin çektiği sınırın ötesine götürecek bir çıkış noktası olur. Sınırda elinde tutmak için bekleyen provokatör karakter ise Hintli’dir. Hintli’nin Vathek’in aklına girmeye başladığı andan itibaren kitabın başında gördüğümüz tüm güzelliklerin yerini yavaş yavaş çirkinliğin almaya başladığını fark ederiz. Ballandıra ballandıra betimlenen doğunun tüm zevk ve gösterişi, yerini karanlığa, mide bulandırıcı ve ürkütücü sahnelere bırakmaya başlar.
Fakat okuyucunun üzerinde korkunç bir etki bırakan Hintli’den aynı oranda büyülenir Vathek. Bu çirkin elçinin Vathek’e vaat ettiği Yeraltı Ateşi Sarayı ve tüm zenginlikler halihazırda Vathek’in elinde olandan fazlası değildir, hatta onun zenginliklerinin yanında sönük bile kalan “harikalar”dır. Ama bu vaatler aslında sadece bahanedir. Çünkü genç hükümdarı bu denli yoldan çıkaran iki üç büyülü obje değil, bilinmeyenin ve yasaklı olanın cazibesidir. Kendisine yüklenen sorumluluktan ne pahasına olursa olsun kurtulup başka bir hayatı yaşama istediğidir. Bundandır ki Vathek aslında bu masalın içerisindeki gerçek kötü ve gotik karakter değildir bence. Başlangıçtan itibaren şeytani bir kötülük anlayışı yoktur. Arsızlığı ve yasaklı olana duyduğu şehvet onu kitabın sonunda dönüştüğü canavar haline getirir.
Jorge Luis Borges, “Beckford’ın Yeraltı Ateşi Sarayı, edebiyatın ilk korkunç cehennemidir. Hatırladığım kadarıyla da Vathek’ten önce yazılmış hiçbir eserin 'tekinsiz' olduğu söylenemez,” diyerek Vathek’in merak ve hırsın kollarında sürüklendiği cehennemi layığıyla betimlemiş olur.
Kitabın belki de en çok övgü alan kısmı olan cehennem bölümü anlatım itibariyle de kitabın genelinden farklıdır. Vathek giderek hedefine yaklaşırken biz de kitaba bolca yedirilmiş olan kara mizah ögelerinin kademeli olarak azaldığını fark ederiz. Kaçınılmaz sona yaklaştıkça masalsılık yavaşça kaybolur ve yerini Batılı anlamda yazılmış bir romanın kapanış sahnesine bırakır. Bu sayede okuyucu artık işlerin ciddileşmekte olduğunun ayırtına varabilir. Artık Vathek için cezalandırılma, okuyucular için de ders alma vakti gelmiştir.
Velhasıl, İthaki Yayınları etiketiyle elime geçen Vathek, bana üzerine düşünecek pek çok şey veren zengin bir kitaptı. Hızlı yazılmasının getirdiği bir takım aksaklıklar ve geçiştirmeler olsa da bunların kitaptan alınacak zevki baltalayacak kadar büyük sorunlar olduğunu düşünmüyorum. Kitabın sonunda yer alan, Selçuk Aylar ve Yankı Enki imzalı sonsözü ise mutlaka okumalısınız.
Unutmadan, Vathek’i okumaya hala niyetliyseniz tavsiyem tek oturuşta okumanız olacaktır. Vathek’i Doğu’nun diğer unutulmuş despotlarının yanına göndermeden önce, umudunuz el verdikçe merakın ve bilginin büyüsünden çıkmamanız dileğiyle.
- Beyza TAŞDELEN
İncelemenin tamamı için: http://kayiprihtim.com/inceleme/vathe...
January 14, 2020
First published in 1786, William Beckford's Vathek was apparently written in the span of 3 days, which while it is not an extremely long book, is still incredible given its sheer imagination. It makes me wonder what else Beckford could have accomplished, if his greatest novel was put down on paper in a mere 3 days. He was very talented, as evidenced by his writing, yet apparently was never truly able to harness his talents. One may only wonder if he could have even surpassed the fame of writers like Poe had he written more.
Vathek is a wild, voluptuous, sensual, and decidedly dark and Gothic tale about a Middle Eastern Caliph who can have anything he wants - any woman or object he desires, yet slowly loses everything in his quest for constant sensual appetite. The last twenty pages alone put most contemporary Gothic stories to shame, and can easily stand with the best of Poe and others in the genre.
It's interesting that I read this directly following G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, a book that focuses on the central idea that the true proponents and supporters of anarchy are not the poor and downtrodden, but in fact the rich and privileged who sit at the top. Vathek certainly follows this line of thinking, and shows what can happen when one truly has risen to the top and has unchecked power and privilege. Beckford's tale reminded me of similar, real life stories I've heard in the news of the rich and elite who rose so high and were given so much, that they caved to their baser desires and the fall was prodigious as a result.
Vathek is a wild, voluptuous, sensual, and decidedly dark and Gothic tale about a Middle Eastern Caliph who can have anything he wants - any woman or object he desires, yet slowly loses everything in his quest for constant sensual appetite. The last twenty pages alone put most contemporary Gothic stories to shame, and can easily stand with the best of Poe and others in the genre.
It's interesting that I read this directly following G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, a book that focuses on the central idea that the true proponents and supporters of anarchy are not the poor and downtrodden, but in fact the rich and privileged who sit at the top. Vathek certainly follows this line of thinking, and shows what can happen when one truly has risen to the top and has unchecked power and privilege. Beckford's tale reminded me of similar, real life stories I've heard in the news of the rich and elite who rose so high and were given so much, that they caved to their baser desires and the fall was prodigious as a result.
July 18, 2020
"Βαθέκ"
Ένα σκοτεινό, γκροτέσκο παραμύθι. Ο συγγραφέας χρησιμοποίησε εύστοχα στοιχεία κ γεγονότα της προσωπικής του ζωής και συνέθεσε ένα τολμηρό ταξίδι συνάντησης με το διάβολο.
Η επιθυμία του χαλίφη Βαθέκ να αποκτήσει περίσσια φήμη κ εξουσία τον οδήγησαν στο έγκατα της κόλασης.
Παιχνίδια του μυαλού, εγκλήματα, θυσίες, αλόγιστες σκέψεις κ πράξεις κατευθύνουν τους πρωταγωνιστές της ιστορίας.
Δέσμιοι των κολασμένων τους προτιμήσεων θα υποστούν στη χώρα τους, στο μυαλό κ την ψυχή τους καταστροφές που θα τους κατατρύχουν για πάντα.
Το τίμημα δυστυχώς ήταν μεγάλο!
Με αυτόν τον τρόπο θέλησε ο συγγραφέας να παρουσιάσει στο αναγνωστικό κοινό χαρακτηριστικά του εαυτού του που συνάδουν με αυτόν του χαλίφη Βαθέκ.
Ένα σκοτεινό, γκροτέσκο παραμύθι. Ο συγγραφέας χρησιμοποίησε εύστοχα στοιχεία κ γεγονότα της προσωπικής του ζωής και συνέθεσε ένα τολμηρό ταξίδι συνάντησης με το διάβολο.
Η επιθυμία του χαλίφη Βαθέκ να αποκτήσει περίσσια φήμη κ εξουσία τον οδήγησαν στο έγκατα της κόλασης.
Παιχνίδια του μυαλού, εγκλήματα, θυσίες, αλόγιστες σκέψεις κ πράξεις κατευθύνουν τους πρωταγωνιστές της ιστορίας.
Δέσμιοι των κολασμένων τους προτιμήσεων θα υποστούν στη χώρα τους, στο μυαλό κ την ψυχή τους καταστροφές που θα τους κατατρύχουν για πάντα.
Το τίμημα δυστυχώς ήταν μεγάλο!
Με αυτόν τον τρόπο θέλησε ο συγγραφέας να παρουσιάσει στο αναγνωστικό κοινό χαρακτηριστικά του εαυτού του που συνάδουν με αυτόν του χαλίφη Βαθέκ.
October 16, 2022
[5/10]
My first pick for a spooky October reading hasn’t aged well, but at least it is short and fills in a continuity gap for researchers of the history of the horror genre in literature.
‘Vathek’ could be dismissed by the modern reader as a rather derivative Arabian Tales fan fiction, but the focus on monsters and demons and evil doers instead of humorous or educative fables paves the way for the rise in prominence of the gothic- romantic school, in particular Lord Byron who held Vathek in high appreciation and wrote his own orientalist poems.
By making Vathek a grandson of Haroun-al-Raschid and placing the story in Samarah, Beckford sets out to give free rain to a feverish imagination that pits the opulence and decadence of Arabian tyrants against malefic forces from Arab mythology . The fierceness of the gaze hides a feebleness of will for the Caliph and subject Vathek to the nefarious influence of the women in his life.
Being much addicted to women and the pleasures of the table, he thought by his affability, to procure agreeable companions; and he succeeded the better as his generosity was unbounded and his indulgencies unrestrained: for he did not think, with the Caliph Omar Ben Abdalaziz, that it was necessary to make a hell of this world to enjoy paradise in the next.
When we first meet him, the Caliph is an affable despot, much admired by his subjects for his generosity and much sought by visitors for the splendor of his parties. It all takes a turn for the Dark Side when a stranger comes to Samarah bearing gifts of a magical nature.
This Giaour [in Romanian language this is a word borrowed from Turkish, meaning foreigner or infidel] refuses to reveal the source of his artefacts or his own history, enflaming the passions of Vathek and inspiring him to acts of terrible cruelty against children and young men.
Convinced by his mother that the Giaour holds the keys to a whole realm of wonders, Vathek sets out on a journey to discover the fabled domain of Eblis, ruler over Arabic Hell, there to gain control of the known world through the infidel’s talismans.
Carathis, herself an adept in the magical dark arts, warns Vathek against visits to cities or palaces during the journey, but the Caliph and his extensive caravan soon take shelter from storms and fires in the palace of a benevolent Emir.
Here Vathek and his chief eunuch Bababalouk lay eyes on the Emir’s daughter, a tease named Nouronihar [ “melodious Philomel, I am thy rose; warble some couplet to ravish my heart!”], and on her nubile fiancee, a boy named Gulchenrouz.
Despite already carrying an extensive harem on the journey, Vathek decides to seduce the young Nouronihar, ignoring Muslim hospitality laws, while the ugly eunuch starts chasing after the innocent boy.
... no sooner did he perceive beneath the sofa the little one’s feet, than he drew him forth without ceremony, set him upon his shoulders, and lavished on him, as he went off, a thousand unwelcome caresses. Gulchenrouz cried out, and resisted till his cheeks became the colour of the blossom of pomegranates, and his tearful eyes sparkled with indignation.
The evil sorceress, mother Carathis, comes forward now to remind her son he has better things to do than fill his belly with sweets and chase skirts, so the journey towards Hell resumes.
>>><<<>>><<<
The plot is more complicated than I made it sound in this brief synopsis, but the points I was trying to touch are exactly these dated views about the decadence of Oriental cultures that were later used to justify Western Imperialism, the fear of women of power that led to burning them as witches, and the author’s fascination with the allure of young boys.
There is nothing so delicious, in his estimation, as the heart of a young boy palpitating with the first tumults of love. [the Giaour]
The mother of the Caliph fills a tower in Samarah with venomous serpents, animated mummies, mute and half blind demented black women servants, esoteric books and foulsome ingredients for potions.
This collection had been formed for a purpose like the present, by Carathis herself; from a persentiment, that she might one day, enjoy some intercourse with the infernal powers: to whom she had ever been passionately attached, and to whose taste she was no stranger.
The young girl Nouronihar will soon join Carathis in the pursuit of black magic, egging on Vathek to finish his journey to Hell – coupled with the way Gulchenrouz is treated as a sex toy, the implications I believe will make Freudian analysts drool over the text.
The biographical details of Beckford, from the lavish playboy lifestyle on the Continent to his monumental architectural follies, might reinforce the temptation to find subtext in what is ultimately an imaginative and well penned flight of fancy.
Beckford claims he wrote the story in only three days, following a vivid nightmare he had, but the careful research of sources and the elaborate phrasing make me highly doubtful of his claim.
The novel may seem dated, but its influence on the imagination of future generations of writers is undeniable. Beckford deserves this much recognition.
They all avoided each other; and, though surrounded by a multitude that no one could number, each wandered at random, unheedful of the rest, as if alone on a desert where no foot had trodden.
Probably equally revealing of the British Puritan morals and the upcoming Victorian strait-laced indignation at the pursuit of pleasure, it may also be significant that the novel was written in French originally and only later translated in English.
My first pick for a spooky October reading hasn’t aged well, but at least it is short and fills in a continuity gap for researchers of the history of the horror genre in literature.
‘Vathek’ could be dismissed by the modern reader as a rather derivative Arabian Tales fan fiction, but the focus on monsters and demons and evil doers instead of humorous or educative fables paves the way for the rise in prominence of the gothic- romantic school, in particular Lord Byron who held Vathek in high appreciation and wrote his own orientalist poems.
By making Vathek a grandson of Haroun-al-Raschid and placing the story in Samarah, Beckford sets out to give free rain to a feverish imagination that pits the opulence and decadence of Arabian tyrants against malefic forces from Arab mythology . The fierceness of the gaze hides a feebleness of will for the Caliph and subject Vathek to the nefarious influence of the women in his life.
Being much addicted to women and the pleasures of the table, he thought by his affability, to procure agreeable companions; and he succeeded the better as his generosity was unbounded and his indulgencies unrestrained: for he did not think, with the Caliph Omar Ben Abdalaziz, that it was necessary to make a hell of this world to enjoy paradise in the next.
When we first meet him, the Caliph is an affable despot, much admired by his subjects for his generosity and much sought by visitors for the splendor of his parties. It all takes a turn for the Dark Side when a stranger comes to Samarah bearing gifts of a magical nature.
This Giaour [in Romanian language this is a word borrowed from Turkish, meaning foreigner or infidel] refuses to reveal the source of his artefacts or his own history, enflaming the passions of Vathek and inspiring him to acts of terrible cruelty against children and young men.
Convinced by his mother that the Giaour holds the keys to a whole realm of wonders, Vathek sets out on a journey to discover the fabled domain of Eblis, ruler over Arabic Hell, there to gain control of the known world through the infidel’s talismans.
Carathis, herself an adept in the magical dark arts, warns Vathek against visits to cities or palaces during the journey, but the Caliph and his extensive caravan soon take shelter from storms and fires in the palace of a benevolent Emir.
Here Vathek and his chief eunuch Bababalouk lay eyes on the Emir’s daughter, a tease named Nouronihar [ “melodious Philomel, I am thy rose; warble some couplet to ravish my heart!”], and on her nubile fiancee, a boy named Gulchenrouz.
Despite already carrying an extensive harem on the journey, Vathek decides to seduce the young Nouronihar, ignoring Muslim hospitality laws, while the ugly eunuch starts chasing after the innocent boy.
... no sooner did he perceive beneath the sofa the little one’s feet, than he drew him forth without ceremony, set him upon his shoulders, and lavished on him, as he went off, a thousand unwelcome caresses. Gulchenrouz cried out, and resisted till his cheeks became the colour of the blossom of pomegranates, and his tearful eyes sparkled with indignation.
The evil sorceress, mother Carathis, comes forward now to remind her son he has better things to do than fill his belly with sweets and chase skirts, so the journey towards Hell resumes.
>>><<<>>><<<
The plot is more complicated than I made it sound in this brief synopsis, but the points I was trying to touch are exactly these dated views about the decadence of Oriental cultures that were later used to justify Western Imperialism, the fear of women of power that led to burning them as witches, and the author’s fascination with the allure of young boys.
There is nothing so delicious, in his estimation, as the heart of a young boy palpitating with the first tumults of love. [the Giaour]
The mother of the Caliph fills a tower in Samarah with venomous serpents, animated mummies, mute and half blind demented black women servants, esoteric books and foulsome ingredients for potions.
This collection had been formed for a purpose like the present, by Carathis herself; from a persentiment, that she might one day, enjoy some intercourse with the infernal powers: to whom she had ever been passionately attached, and to whose taste she was no stranger.
The young girl Nouronihar will soon join Carathis in the pursuit of black magic, egging on Vathek to finish his journey to Hell – coupled with the way Gulchenrouz is treated as a sex toy, the implications I believe will make Freudian analysts drool over the text.
The biographical details of Beckford, from the lavish playboy lifestyle on the Continent to his monumental architectural follies, might reinforce the temptation to find subtext in what is ultimately an imaginative and well penned flight of fancy.
Beckford claims he wrote the story in only three days, following a vivid nightmare he had, but the careful research of sources and the elaborate phrasing make me highly doubtful of his claim.
The novel may seem dated, but its influence on the imagination of future generations of writers is undeniable. Beckford deserves this much recognition.
They all avoided each other; and, though surrounded by a multitude that no one could number, each wandered at random, unheedful of the rest, as if alone on a desert where no foot had trodden.
Probably equally revealing of the British Puritan morals and the upcoming Victorian strait-laced indignation at the pursuit of pleasure, it may also be significant that the novel was written in French originally and only later translated in English.
October 10, 2022
Vathek’i İngiliz yazar William Beckford 1782 yılında, 21 yaşındayken kısa bir sürede Fransızca olarak yazmıştır, Vathek yazarın tek romanıdır. Bir dünyanın tüm krallıklarını görebilecek kadar yüksek bir kule inşa eden halife Vathek'in trajik hikayesini anlatıyor, fantastik buluş ve tuhaf detayların yeraldığı kısa masalların arka arkaya sıralandığı, her ne kadar Gotik roman olarak tanımlansa da bence belirli bir düzeni veya tanımlı bir biçimi olmayan bir romandır. Vathek 9. Abbasi halifesi olan el Vasık Billah’ın adıdır ve Mutasım'ın oğlu ve Harun Reşid'in torunudur. Kitabın yazıldığı O dönemi ve yazarın yaşını düşünürsek İslamiyet ve Doğu hakkında bana göre çok iyi bilgilere erişmiş. Sanırım yine o dönemde yayınlanan “Binbir Gece Masalları”nın etkisiyle Müslümanlık, Ortadoğu, Hindistan, yani oryantal dünya Beckford’un romanına konu olmuştur.
Vathek'in annesi Karathis'in Yunan olması, adı hiç duyulmamış bir ülkeden olağanüstü bir insanın gelip halifeye kesinlikle hiç görmediği ve varlıklarını bile aklına getiremeyeceği nadir bulunur nesneler sunan yabancının Hintli olması ilginçtir. Gavurlar, saray oğlanları, haremağaları, zenci cariyeler, çileciler, mollalar, şeyhler, kadılar ve imamlar hep müslüman halife, emir, hükümdar gibi üst düzey yöneticiler ile birlikte geçen kavramlar. Süleyman Peygamber de unutulmamış.
Vathek dünyanın yedinci katındaki cennette bulunan müslümanların peygamberi Muhammed'e meydan okur ve böylece yabancının söylediği “Yeraltı
Ateşi Sarayı” göstetişli ve tılsımlı zengin bir yere gönderilir. Kendisini lanetleterek karanlığın prensi İblis tarafından yönetilen bu saray cehennemdir. Halife Vathek kendisini pişmanlıklar, sonsuz ve sınırsız acılar içinde bulur.
Sevdiğimi söyleyemem bu gerçeküstü, fantastik, karışık, egzantrik romanı. Borges’in kendisi de egzantrik bir kişilik olduğundan seçimleti de bazen böyle olabiliyor.
Vathek'in annesi Karathis'in Yunan olması, adı hiç duyulmamış bir ülkeden olağanüstü bir insanın gelip halifeye kesinlikle hiç görmediği ve varlıklarını bile aklına getiremeyeceği nadir bulunur nesneler sunan yabancının Hintli olması ilginçtir. Gavurlar, saray oğlanları, haremağaları, zenci cariyeler, çileciler, mollalar, şeyhler, kadılar ve imamlar hep müslüman halife, emir, hükümdar gibi üst düzey yöneticiler ile birlikte geçen kavramlar. Süleyman Peygamber de unutulmamış.
Vathek dünyanın yedinci katındaki cennette bulunan müslümanların peygamberi Muhammed'e meydan okur ve böylece yabancının söylediği “Yeraltı
Ateşi Sarayı” göstetişli ve tılsımlı zengin bir yere gönderilir. Kendisini lanetleterek karanlığın prensi İblis tarafından yönetilen bu saray cehennemdir. Halife Vathek kendisini pişmanlıklar, sonsuz ve sınırsız acılar içinde bulur.
Sevdiğimi söyleyemem bu gerçeküstü, fantastik, karışık, egzantrik romanı. Borges’in kendisi de egzantrik bir kişilik olduğundan seçimleti de bazen böyle olabiliyor.
December 28, 2015
Οι χίλιες και μια νύχτες σε συνδυασμό με τον Φαούστ. Αρκετά παράξενο βιβλίο...
Ολόκληρη κριτική στην Λέσχη του Βιβλίου
http://www.λέσχη.gr/forum/showthread....
Ολόκληρη κριτική στην Λέσχη του Βιβλίου
http://www.λέσχη.gr/forum/showthread....
October 3, 2019
Some interesting parts, but overall not quite my jam.
October 12, 2008
So plodding, this book. It was painful to read. Even in Starbucks with wonderful smells of cinnamon and chocolate wafting around. Page by page, I trudged on.
Some great imagery, but at great expense!
Some great imagery, but at great expense!
August 7, 2007
Vathek was Caliph in the area of approximately present-day Iraq, at some unknown time in the past. He was generally a fair person, but woe unto him who got Vathek angry. He lived in an immense castle, with the absolute finest of everything. One day, a very strange, and very ugly, man stood before his throne. He had a hideous laugh, but didn’t speak. He showed Vathek all manner of rare and exotic items, including sabers inscribed in an unknown language, inscriptions which kept changing from day to day. The stranger was thrown in prison for his unwillingness to speak. The next morning, finding the stranger gone, Vathek totally blows his top.
Finding himself outside the castle, at the foot of the nearby mountains, Vathek hears a voice coming out of a huge crevasse. It is the stranger, called a giaour, who promises Vathek all the powers of heaven in exchange for the blood of fifty young boys. Vathek provides the boys, through the guise of a sporting competition, then the giaour reneges on its part of the deal. When the people, especially the parents, understand what’s happened, Vathek has to get back to the castle and lock the doors, until the anger subsides.
Later, Vathek commands the creation of a great caravan to a place called Rocnabad, home of famous springs. For various reasons, he needs to get away from the castle for a while. This is going to be the biggest, and grandest, caravan ever. On the journey, the caravan is attacked by wild animals, with a number of casualties. Vathek, his wives and senior advisers, can no longer be carried the rest of the way, because of lack of personnel, but actually have to walk to Rocnabad.
At Rocnabad, there is a castle as big or bigger than the one that Vathek left behind. He meets a young woman named Nouronihar, who he wants as one of his wives (as Caliph, what Vathek wants, Vathek gets). She is promised to a man named Gulchenrouz. The lovers drink a potion that will make them look dead for several days, then, the idea is that they go and live somewhere else, away from Vathek.
This is one of the very few novels set in the world of the Arabian Nights, a world of eunuchs, slaves and harem girls. It was first published over 200 years ago (in the 1780s), so the style of writing is very different than what is normal for a modern reader. Therefore, it will take some patience on the part of the reader. If you can find a copy, it is time, and money, very well spent.
Finding himself outside the castle, at the foot of the nearby mountains, Vathek hears a voice coming out of a huge crevasse. It is the stranger, called a giaour, who promises Vathek all the powers of heaven in exchange for the blood of fifty young boys. Vathek provides the boys, through the guise of a sporting competition, then the giaour reneges on its part of the deal. When the people, especially the parents, understand what’s happened, Vathek has to get back to the castle and lock the doors, until the anger subsides.
Later, Vathek commands the creation of a great caravan to a place called Rocnabad, home of famous springs. For various reasons, he needs to get away from the castle for a while. This is going to be the biggest, and grandest, caravan ever. On the journey, the caravan is attacked by wild animals, with a number of casualties. Vathek, his wives and senior advisers, can no longer be carried the rest of the way, because of lack of personnel, but actually have to walk to Rocnabad.
At Rocnabad, there is a castle as big or bigger than the one that Vathek left behind. He meets a young woman named Nouronihar, who he wants as one of his wives (as Caliph, what Vathek wants, Vathek gets). She is promised to a man named Gulchenrouz. The lovers drink a potion that will make them look dead for several days, then, the idea is that they go and live somewhere else, away from Vathek.
This is one of the very few novels set in the world of the Arabian Nights, a world of eunuchs, slaves and harem girls. It was first published over 200 years ago (in the 1780s), so the style of writing is very different than what is normal for a modern reader. Therefore, it will take some patience on the part of the reader. If you can find a copy, it is time, and money, very well spent.
June 10, 2016
I used to recall, with appalled amusement, the words of a former colleague of mine, who was slyly intrigued (and very proud of his cleverness) that anyone could read dead writers. What can I say? You don't usually argue with fools, whose minds are relaxed. Moreover, ignorance has many faces, and some of them are really funny even if in an involuntary way.
On the other hand though, maybe because there are strange points where ineptitude and intelligence seem to cross (not always clear whether for the benefit of one or for the decline of the other), Eugene Ionesco was convinced that literature of the past is already unreadable, because time dusts it irremediably.
This may be untrue for masterpieces (even if I have to ask myself who still reads Cervantes, Dante, Homer, etc., since I know many a so-called intellectual who didn't and who won't) but it definitely holds some truth for less illustrious works, like "Vahtek".
It goes without saying that Beckford is a gifted writer. His imagination is glorious, his descriptions powerful. For the 17th century, I mean. For a modern reader, it is not always easy to trust his plot with the tension he undoubtedly intended, to overlook his naive representation of good and evil, his too loaded imagination, his too conceptual characters, his too evident morale.
Overall, "The History of Caliph Vathek" looks like an oversized "1001 Nights" story - interesting in the beginning but increasingly boring towards the end (and I have to confess I browsed the final pages). A curiosity for gothic literature lovers and for philologists. Never an essential reading, however.
On the other hand though, maybe because there are strange points where ineptitude and intelligence seem to cross (not always clear whether for the benefit of one or for the decline of the other), Eugene Ionesco was convinced that literature of the past is already unreadable, because time dusts it irremediably.
This may be untrue for masterpieces (even if I have to ask myself who still reads Cervantes, Dante, Homer, etc., since I know many a so-called intellectual who didn't and who won't) but it definitely holds some truth for less illustrious works, like "Vahtek".
It goes without saying that Beckford is a gifted writer. His imagination is glorious, his descriptions powerful. For the 17th century, I mean. For a modern reader, it is not always easy to trust his plot with the tension he undoubtedly intended, to overlook his naive representation of good and evil, his too loaded imagination, his too conceptual characters, his too evident morale.
Overall, "The History of Caliph Vathek" looks like an oversized "1001 Nights" story - interesting in the beginning but increasingly boring towards the end (and I have to confess I browsed the final pages). A curiosity for gothic literature lovers and for philologists. Never an essential reading, however.
Read
February 15, 2021Bugünün yeraltı edebiyatı okurunun ilgi alanına girebilecek tarzda bir kitap olan Vathek; kendi tarzında ilk olmasına rağmen yazıldığı dönemden bu yana klasik kabul edilmeyi başarabilmiş bir eser.
Eserin yazıldığı dönemde son derece normal olan hastalıklı bir doğu algısı ile yazıldığı ortada. Bunun İslam'ın yükselişi ile başladığı göz önünde bulundurulursa yorulmaksızın yazılan cinler, halifeler, harem kızları ve büyülü olaylarla dolu bu edebiyatın bir süre sonra kabak tadı vermesi de beklenebilirdi.
Dolayısıyla okurken benim damağımda özgün bir tat bırakmadı. Kitabın ilk başlarında uyandırdığı merak duygusu yerini giderek sıkıcı bir "bitse artık" a bıraktı. Bu bakımdan kitaptaki her bir olayın ayrı ayrı öyküler halinde yazılmış da birleştirilmiş gibi bir havası var.
Yazarın tek romanı olan Vathek'in hastalıklı bir doğu algısıyla yazılmış romanların sonuncusu olmadığı açıksa da; doğuyu fantastik öğelerle süsleyen bu edebiyatın yazılmış belki de son eseri ve nadir muhteşem örneklerinden birisi olan Baudolino'yu tavsiye ederek yorumumu tamamlayım.
Eserin yazıldığı dönemde son derece normal olan hastalıklı bir doğu algısı ile yazıldığı ortada. Bunun İslam'ın yükselişi ile başladığı göz önünde bulundurulursa yorulmaksızın yazılan cinler, halifeler, harem kızları ve büyülü olaylarla dolu bu edebiyatın bir süre sonra kabak tadı vermesi de beklenebilirdi.
Dolayısıyla okurken benim damağımda özgün bir tat bırakmadı. Kitabın ilk başlarında uyandırdığı merak duygusu yerini giderek sıkıcı bir "bitse artık" a bıraktı. Bu bakımdan kitaptaki her bir olayın ayrı ayrı öyküler halinde yazılmış da birleştirilmiş gibi bir havası var.
Yazarın tek romanı olan Vathek'in hastalıklı bir doğu algısıyla yazılmış romanların sonuncusu olmadığı açıksa da; doğuyu fantastik öğelerle süsleyen bu edebiyatın yazılmış belki de son eseri ve nadir muhteşem örneklerinden birisi olan Baudolino'yu tavsiye ederek yorumumu tamamlayım.
April 30, 2024
Fabulously antique, wackadoodle, and batshit crazy. I wasn't expecting this to be a comedy. Vathek is written in a plush, decadent, maximalist style. If ever a book contains the phrase "undisturbed by fresh embassies," sign me up immediately. I read the translation in the Penguin Classics "Three Gothic Novels" and was rewarded with spellings like bawble and doated (by an Englishman, it was originally written in French).
March 11, 2020
William Beckford wrote "The History of Caliph Vathek" in French in 1784, but it was first published in an English translation by Samuel Henley in 1786. Widely regarded as one of the seminal works of Gothic literature, this strange, unclassifiable novel recounts its eponymous protagonist's quest for esoteric knowledge and carnal pleasure, a quest which ultimately leads to his damnation.
"Vathek" combines exotic descriptions of the Orient with passages of grotesque comedy and a dollop of supernatural derring-do. Indeed, one of the challenges for modern sensibilities (and possibly its original readers as well) is to determine which passages should be taken at face value and which ones are to be read as self-parody. Even allowing for the genre's excesses, episodes such as that of a wizard being turned into a ball and kicked around Vathek's kingdom are clearly intended as black comedy. But what about Vathek's damnation, described in language of poetic intensity? Is the moralistic ending to be taken at face value or is Beckford being ironic? The author's letters suggest the former to be the case - which is rather surprising considering the atmosphere of decadence which permeates the novel.
If read purely for narrative pleasure, Vathek might disappoint. The plot is episodic, there are too many changes of gear, and the novel's ultimate message - if it does have one - is elusive and unclear. Yet, for anybody interested in early Romanticism, Orientalism, supernatural fiction or, for that matter, unusual literary fare, this is a must-read.
The Oxford World Classics text follows the 1816 English language version, prepared by Beckford himself. It includes an informative introduction by Roger Lonsdale which, interestingly, makes the case for *not* considering Vathek a Gothic novel. Also included are the erudite endnotes which Beckford included in the 1816 edition of Vathek (although first-time readers might prefer just reading through it and then consulting the notes on subsequent readings).
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
"Vathek" combines exotic descriptions of the Orient with passages of grotesque comedy and a dollop of supernatural derring-do. Indeed, one of the challenges for modern sensibilities (and possibly its original readers as well) is to determine which passages should be taken at face value and which ones are to be read as self-parody. Even allowing for the genre's excesses, episodes such as that of a wizard being turned into a ball and kicked around Vathek's kingdom are clearly intended as black comedy. But what about Vathek's damnation, described in language of poetic intensity? Is the moralistic ending to be taken at face value or is Beckford being ironic? The author's letters suggest the former to be the case - which is rather surprising considering the atmosphere of decadence which permeates the novel.
If read purely for narrative pleasure, Vathek might disappoint. The plot is episodic, there are too many changes of gear, and the novel's ultimate message - if it does have one - is elusive and unclear. Yet, for anybody interested in early Romanticism, Orientalism, supernatural fiction or, for that matter, unusual literary fare, this is a must-read.
The Oxford World Classics text follows the 1816 English language version, prepared by Beckford himself. It includes an informative introduction by Roger Lonsdale which, interestingly, makes the case for *not* considering Vathek a Gothic novel. Also included are the erudite endnotes which Beckford included in the 1816 edition of Vathek (although first-time readers might prefer just reading through it and then consulting the notes on subsequent readings).
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
May 21, 2010
Surprisingly quite an interesting read! The plot is thick, interesting characters and definitely written by somebody with a very rich imagination! Wiki says that Mr. Beckford, at the young age of 21, wrote this straight 3 days and 2 nights in French in 1782. Now, after 228 years and the story is still interesting and can put to shame the contemporary fantasy gothic novels we have.
The character of Caliph Vathek, still from Wiki, is inspired by the life of Al-Wathiq ibn Mutasim (Arabic الواثق), an Abbasid caliph 842-847 CE (227-232 AH in the Islamic calendar) who had a great thirst for knowledge and became a great patron to scholars and artists. That real-life caliph, which means head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah, must have been a very ambitious scholarly leader to have inspired a fictitious character like Vathek who made pact with the devil to be able to rule the world.
The story, being a fantasy gothic, is peppered with stuff that YA and children's book fans would devour. There are those mysterious phrases miraculously appearing on Vathek's sword, there are those high-rise towers and palaces where Vathek and his evil occult-practicing equally ambitious mother, Carathis perform offerings to the devil, Eblis. It also has Giaour, an elderly man who can turn himself into a ball. These wonderful characters, among with a lot of others, brought back childhood komiks characters that I used to enjoy when I was a lot, lot younger.
Go YA fans! Read the novel that started it all!
The character of Caliph Vathek, still from Wiki, is inspired by the life of Al-Wathiq ibn Mutasim (Arabic الواثق), an Abbasid caliph 842-847 CE (227-232 AH in the Islamic calendar) who had a great thirst for knowledge and became a great patron to scholars and artists. That real-life caliph, which means head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah, must have been a very ambitious scholarly leader to have inspired a fictitious character like Vathek who made pact with the devil to be able to rule the world.
The story, being a fantasy gothic, is peppered with stuff that YA and children's book fans would devour. There are those mysterious phrases miraculously appearing on Vathek's sword, there are those high-rise towers and palaces where Vathek and his evil occult-practicing equally ambitious mother, Carathis perform offerings to the devil, Eblis. It also has Giaour, an elderly man who can turn himself into a ball. These wonderful characters, among with a lot of others, brought back childhood komiks characters that I used to enjoy when I was a lot, lot younger.
Go YA fans! Read the novel that started it all!
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October 27, 2020Orientalist tripe. Read it for my English degree, forgot everything about it in self defence, reread in the light of a bio of Beckford which was horrifying (the racism, the creepy paedo vibes, the evil female character closely based on his cousin's wife who acted as a go between when he was seducing a child). No plot as such, just a lot of wallowing in highly ineffectual wickedness. All Gothic trappings without decent foundations, much like Fonthill Abbey, snerk.
August 29, 2023
There was a point, around a third of the way through, where I started to feel like books were bad. Not just Vathek. Like the concept of reading was inherently evil. Abysmal book from start to finish
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March 23, 2017Ya bilmiyorum bana bu tarz kitapları yorumlatmayın, diyecek bir şey bulamıyorum pek. O yüzden bence bir hikaye anlatabilirim:
Elimde Vathek, babamın yanına gittim. Kitap zevklerimiz son zamanlarda benzemeye başladığı için ve genel olarak onun ne tarz şeyler okuduğunu bildiğim için, "Baba, bak senin hoşuna gidebilecek bir kitap aldım," dedim.
Sonra babam kitaba baktı, baktı, baktı ve dedi ki: "Bu bizim Vathek mi? Yoksa yeni mi?" Kitabı biraz karıştırdı ve "Bekle geliyorum," deyip salona gitti. Geri geldiğinde elinde Vathek'in, zamanında Dost Kitabevi tarafından Babil Kitaplığı için hazırlanmış bir baskısı vardı.
Ve bu da babamla kitap piştisi olduğum zamanın hikayesidir.
Elimde Vathek, babamın yanına gittim. Kitap zevklerimiz son zamanlarda benzemeye başladığı için ve genel olarak onun ne tarz şeyler okuduğunu bildiğim için, "Baba, bak senin hoşuna gidebilecek bir kitap aldım," dedim.
Sonra babam kitaba baktı, baktı, baktı ve dedi ki: "Bu bizim Vathek mi? Yoksa yeni mi?" Kitabı biraz karıştırdı ve "Bekle geliyorum," deyip salona gitti. Geri geldiğinde elinde Vathek'in, zamanında Dost Kitabevi tarafından Babil Kitaplığı için hazırlanmış bir baskısı vardı.
Ve bu da babamla kitap piştisi olduğum zamanın hikayesidir.
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