In a Glass Darkly: Five Unsettling Tales

About this book

In a Glass Darkly by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu brings together five tales of mystery, psychological horror and the supernatural. First published in 1872, the collection is framed through the papers of Dr Martin Hesselius, whose cases place attempts to explain strange experiences alongside questions of fear, guilt and perception. The stories range from a clergyman troubled by visions invisible to others to the return of a threatening past and plots that blur the distinction between human deception and supernatural events. The collection includes Carmilla, a vampire tale centred on an unsettling relationship and danger in an isolated setting. Across the stories, suspense develops through suggestion, watchfulness and uncertainty about how events should be understood. Translated into Arabic by Mostafa Younes, this 526-page edition is published by Kinzy Publishing Agency in the World Classics Library series.