The Tarantulas' Parlor: And Other Unkind Tales

Praised by Borges the Unkind Tales of Léon Bloy were produced in a phase of literary evolution that was exploratory and experimental and hence intrinsically exciting. Lingering on the frontiers of Decadence Naturalism and Symbolism these stories of the damned and the foolish of terrible fates and ludicrous situations helped map out the terrain of the conte cruel and are probably the authors most noteworthy work.In this an authoritative translation of the volume originally published as Histories désobligeantes Brian Stableford in both his insightful introduction and his superb rendering of the tales shines a much-needed light on Bloys savage genius.