Bücher von William Beckford

The Gothic book "The History of Caliph Vathek" was written by William Beckford. The narrative follows the adventures of Caliph Vathek, the ninth caliph of the Abassides, as he succumbs to his unquenchable need for knowledge and power. Caliph Vathek enters a realm of darkness and evil after striking a deal with the devil because of his desire. Vathek sets out on a quest for forbidden knowledge and engages in illicit pleasures under the direction of his evil mother Carathis. He runs across strange creatures, sees unsettling scenery, and experiences horrific happenings while traveling. Vathek's deeds cause agony for others as his corruption deepens and his ambition for power increases. Vathek, however, finds himself caught in a cycle of damnation from which there seems to be no escape despite his unrelenting desire of power. "The History of Caliph Vathek" is renowned for its evocative descriptions, moody locations, and treatment of topics like ambition, pride, and the effects of unrestrained aspirations. It is regarded as one of the first works of Gothic literature and has inspired other pieces in the genre.

We rely on your support to help us keep producing beautiful, free, and unrestricted editions of literature for the digital age.Will you support our efforts with a donation?The titular Vathek is a powerful caliph who, though intelligent and capable, has a tendency to indulge in sensuality. A mysterious traveler arrives in his kingdom and mesmerizes Vathek with a promise of dark powers and hedonism beyond imagination. Vathek becomes obsessed with the supernatural possibilities, and, goaded on by his power-hungry mother, embarks on a journey of blasphemy and debauchery.Vathek is one of the best-known Gothic novels, frequently referenced in literature of the era and beyond. Beckford, an English novelist, wrote it in French over the course of just several days at the age of twenty-one, after having hosted a three-day-long party in a lavish Orientalist style. European culture at the time was delighting in Orientalism, and Beckford capitalized on this by merging a fashionable Gothic narrative with a lush Orientalist setting. The novel¿s emphasis on the supernatural and on the horror of ghosts, ghouls, efreets, and djinns, was something still new to many contemporary readers; and couching a familiar morality tale in the trappings of an exotic setting made the story both accessible and fresh, contributing greatly to its popularity.The story went on to inspire Romantic writers, including Lord Byron, Southey, Moore, and Keats; Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith were also influenced by Vathek¿s decadent and fantastic style.

William Thomas Beckford (29 September 1760 - 2 May 1844) was an English novelist, art collector, patron of decorative art, critic, travel writer, plantation owner and for some time politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's richest commoner. The son of William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, daughter of the Hon. George Hamilton, he served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in 1784-1790 and Hindon in 1790-1795 and 1806-1820. Beckford is remembered for a Gothic novel, Vathek (1786); for building the lost Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire and Lansdown Tower ("Beckford's Tower") in Bath; and for his art collection.

Vathek, a été considérée comme importante tout au long de l'histoire de l'humanité. Dans un effort pour s'assurer que ce travail ne soit jamais perdu, nous avons pris des mesures pour assurer sa préservation en republiant ce livre dans un format moderne pour les générations actuelles et futures. Ce livre complet a été retapé, remanié et reformaté. Comme ces livres ne sont pas des scans des publications originales des auteurs, le texte est lisible et clair.

William Thomas Beckford (29 September 1760 - 2 May 1844) was an English novelist, art collector, patron of decorative art, critic, travel writer, plantation owner and for some time politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's richest commoner. The son of William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, daughter of the Hon. George Hamilton, he served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in 1784-1790 and Hindon in 1790-1795 and 1806-1820. Beckford is remembered for a Gothic novel, Vathek (1786); for building the lost Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire and Lansdown Tower ("Beckford's Tower") in Bath; and for his art collection.

William Thomas Beckford (29 September 1760 - 2 May 1844) was an English novelist, art collector, patron of decorative art, critic, travel writer, plantation owner and for some time politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's richest commoner. The son of William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, daughter of the Hon. George Hamilton, he served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in 1784-1790 and Hindon in 1790-1795 and 1806-1820. Beckford is remembered for a Gothic novel, Vathek (1786); for building the lost Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire and Lansdown Tower ("Beckford's Tower") in Bath; and for his art collection.

Vathek (1786) is a novel by William Beckford. Inspired by his travels, Beckford wrote Vathek in French before supervising its translation into English by Reverend Samuel Henley. Recognized as an instrumental work in the popularization of Orientalist fiction, Vathek is an early Gothic novel that influenced such writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron, Robert Southey, and H. P. Lovecraft. Born into a royal family, Vathek is appointed the ninth caliph of the Abassides as a boy. Spoiled and enabled at every turn, he grows to be an insufferably vain and vindictive ruler, unschooled in diplomacy and always quick to anger. When a deformed stranger arrives at his palace claiming to be a merchant from India, Vathek purchases a set of inscribed sabers. At dinner that night, the merchant insults the caliph with his silence and is sentenced to prison. The next morning, the merchant escapes, killing every guard in his path. As Vathek examines the glowing blades, he sees that the messages inscribed on them have changed¿he has been cursed, and the only way to reverse his fate is to find the man he mistreated. Determined to remain his own master, he sets out for the mountain to clear his head, beginning a journey from which few return. Immersed in Islamic mythology, Vathek is a cautionary tale of power, faith, and desire that earned its author a reputation as a leading young artist with a gift for fantasy. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Beckford¿s Vathek is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Ein romantisch reisender Exzentriker. Seine »Feder schreibt im Schlaf«. Aus der realen Welt wird eine künstlich­poetische Gegenwelt, aus Wachen wird Träumen, aus Fiktion wird Wirklichkeit.William Beckford stammte aus einer der reichsten und angesehensten Familien Englands. Lord Byron bezeichnete ihn in einem Vers als »England's wealthiest son«. Zum Gentleman seiner Zeit gehörte die Grand Tour, die obligatorische Bildungs­ und Lustreise, die er im Juni 1780 als Zwanzigjähriger nach umfassender musikalischer und literarischer Ausbildung antrat: zweitausend Kilometer in sechs Wochen, vom heimatlichen Wiltshire im Südwesten Englands über Flandern, die Vereinigten Provinzen nach Deutschland, Österreich und zum eigentlichen Ziel: Italien.Während seiner Reise hielt der junge Beckford stichwortartig seine Eindrücke fest, die er zur späteren Niederschrift nutzte. Träume, Gedankenspiele und Begebenheiten verfasste er in der Form von stilisierten Briefen an einen fiktiven Adressaten in England, einen Maler, dem vermutlich sein weitgereister Zeichenlehrer und Förderer Alexander Cozens Vorbild stand.Im Mai 1782 brach Beckford zu einer zweiten Italienreise auf. Zur Equipage auf der gleichen Route wie zwei Jahre zuvor gehörte auch Cozens' Sohn Robert, der malerische Landschaften festhielt - von denen wir eine Auswahl abbilden.Als das Buch, mit Kupfern und Zeichnungen reich ausgestattet, in 500 Exemplaren gedruckt und annonciert war, gab William Beckford dem Drängen seiner Familie nach, die wegen homoerotischer Anspielungen um seinen und ihren Ruf fürchtete, und verbrannte fast die ganze Auflage - fünf Exemplare existieren heute noch. Obwohl dieses Werk im 19. Jahrhundert als Geheimtipp galt, kam es erst 1891 zu einer ersten Ausgabe.Bereits der Titel Träume, Gedankenspiele und Begebenheiten verdeutlicht den Unterschied zur traditionellen und konventionellen Reiseliteratur: Um »artige Berichte von fernen Ländern« ging es William Beckford keineswegs, traumverloren und »glücklich in den Armen dieses Blendwerks« entwirft er vielmehr von sich das Bild eines romantischen Reisenden, eines außergewöhnlichen Menschen und Künstlers, der sagt: »Meine Feder schreibt im Schlaf.« In seiner exzentrischen und enthusiastischen Erkundung von Städten, Bauwerken und Landschaften, in seinen Inspirationen und Visionen beschreibt er immer auch seine eigene Entwicklung - seine Reise wird immer mehr zur Pilgerfahrt ins eigene Innere, zugleich gewährt diese durch ihre unterhaltsamen, geistreichen und sprachlich brillanten Schilderungen Einblicke in die Sitten des ausgehenden 18. Jahrhunderts.»Keinesfalls bedarf ich eines Altertumskenners, der sich über jedes Bruchstück weitläufig auslässt und mir erklärt - bliebe ich auch fünf Jahre in Rom -, daß ich nicht einmal die Hälfte gesehen hätte. Allein der Gedanke einer solchen Fülle ist höchst beunruhigend und bestärkt mich in meinem Entschluß, wissenschaftlich überhaupt nichts zu erkunden; vielmehr auf Gutdünken umherzuschweifen und mich treiben zu lassen.«Erstmals liegt nun William Beckfords Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents auf Deutsch vor - übertragen und kommentiert von Wolfram Benda und mit einem Nachwort von Norbert Miller, der in seinem Buch Fonthill Abbey über den Ästheten William Beckford und sein künstliches Paradies schreibt (München 2012). Neben seinen Träumen, Gedankenspielen und Begebenheiten ist Vathek Beckfords berühmtestes Buch, eine Mischung aus Schauerroman, Conte philosophique und arabischer Erzählung. Es gilt in der Literatur (Byron, Poe, Mallarmé, Hofmannsthal, Borges, Benn, Auden) als Meisterwerk.

The History of France - from the most early records, to the death of Louis XVI - Vol. 2 is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1794.Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The book "" Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents , has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.