Mary Burnet et Autres Contes

The Complete Edition.
Includes the engraved frontispiece and (fictional) dedication and with a new preface by Ian Rankin.

It is Scotland in the early eighteenth century. Fear and superstition grip the land. Robert Wringhim, a boy of strict Calvinist upbringing, is corrupted by a shadowy figure who calls himself Gil-Martin. Under his influence Robert commits a series of murders which he regards as 'justified' by God under the tenets of his faith.

Hogg's book is a brilliant portrayal of the power of evil and a scathing critique of organised religion. Superbly crafted and deftly executed, it resists any easy explanation of events: is this stranger a figment of Robert's imagination, or the devil himself?

'Hogg's enduring masterpiece is a triumph and deserves to be read, enjoyed and discussed by a new generation.' Ian Rankin 'One of the great works on that sinister border between the supernatural and the psychological. Its atmosphere is unique, its penetration is shocking, and the truthfulness of its account of religious mania is both timeless and timely.' Philip Pullman 'A work so moving, so funny, so impassioned, so exact and so mysterious that its long history of neglect came as a surprise which has yet to lose its resonance.' Karl Miller, Times Literary Supplement 'Hogg's masterpiece is a psychological thriller, a metaphysical puzzle and a theological and philosophical maze all in one. Its inconsistencies and unresolved questions are what makes it at once so gripping ad yet so hard to grasp. A strange, disturbing obsession of a book, and a key text of Scottish literature.' James Robertson, author of The Testament of Gideon Mack

The private memoirs and confessions of a justified sinner

He's the man with short fat hairy legs who kept us laughing for decades, his comic timing sparking perfectly with the genius of his partner Eric Morecambe. Yet little has been known about Ernie's amazing story, until now. Little Ern! takes us from Ernie's childhood in Leeds, where he supported his family by performing on stage, to being left to fend for himself in London at thirteen, a star in the making. We see his friendship with the young comic Eric grow when they toured the theatres of war-torn Britain as teenagers, and discover how their double-act evolved. They survived numerous setbacks on the road to television stardom - and we learn the impact fame had on their lives and friendship. Fully exploring the crucial contribution he made to the act, this charming biography reminds us why Ernie Wise deserves his place in the pantheon of comedy greats.

Little Ern - The authorised biography of Ernie Wise

Contes du soleil et de la brume

Contes méphitiques

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is a startling tale of murder and madness set in a time of troubles like our own. Robert Wringhim is a religious fanatic: one of God's chosen who believes himself free to disregard the strictures of morality—a view in which he is much encouraged by the elusive, peculiarly striking foreigner who becomes his dearest friend. Describing the seductive mutual dependence of these soulmates and the way—efficient at first, then increasingly intoxicated—they go about settling scores with their (and of course God's) enemies, James Hogg presents a powerful picture of evil in the world and in the heart and mind. This work of black humor, acute psychological insight, and, in the end, deeply compassionate humanity is one of the masterpieces of literature in English.

Confession du pécheur justifie

" Ce jour-là, je quittai la maison de la mort, en proie à un indescriptible sentiment d'horreur. Il me semblait que j'étais à peine éveillé. J'entendais et je voyais les choses comme sous l'emprise d'un cauchemar. " Une épouse est menacée par une revenante, un hypnotiseur ensorcelle une jeune fiancée, une femme-oiseau use de la " fleur du cauchemar " pour endormir son mari et se livrer à des pratiques occultes... Dans ces onze contes noirs, où la magie et l'épouvante règnent en maîtres, démons et fantômes s'infiltrent dans vos maisons, s'agrippent à vos draps, s'immiscent dans vos rêves... et vous empêchent de fermer l'oeil.

«James Hogg, contemporain et ami de Walter Scott, auteur d'élégies et de chansons populaires, a composé il y a plus de deux cent soixante ans cette féroce et profonde parabole sur le fanatisme. Il l'a située à l'époque triomphante du presbytérianisme en Écosse, après la victoire de Cromwell. Mais aucun récit n'est plus moderne dans sa structure et sa facture que ce roman en trois temps : récit d'un chroniqueur, confession du héros, épilogue un un siècle plus tard.» Dominique Aury.

Mary Burnet et Autres Contes

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