Great Britain

Roald Dahl: Man from the South

Roald Dahl: Man from the South

“Man from the South,” a Roald Dahl short story published in 1948, tells about an unusual bet that takes place in a hotel in Jamaica. The story begins when a man enjoys the hotel’s ambiance and talks with a peculiar older man. Later, an American naval cadet and a young Englishwoman join the group. During the chat, the cadet brags that his lighter always works. In response, the older man proposes a challenge: if the lighter works ten times in a row, he will win a Cadillac; if it fails just once, the cadet must give him the little finger of his left hand.

Rudyard Kipling - La marca de la bestia

Rudyard Kipling: The Mark of the Beast

“The Mark of the Beast,” a short story by Rudyard Kipling published in 1890, plunges into the depths of mysticism and cultural tensions in colonial India. The story recounts the experience of Fleete, an Englishman newly arrived in India, who, while under the influence of alcohol during a New Year’s Eve celebration, desecrates a temple of Hanuman, the monkey god. His disrespectful and mocking action towards the sacred provokes supernatural revenge when he is branded on the chest by a mysterious leper known as the Silver Man. As the mark on Fleete’s chest transforms, he changes alarmingly, displaying animalistic behaviors and appetites. His friends are then embroiled in a desperate attempt to understand and remedy his condition, facing the clash between Western rationality and the inexplicable forces of an ancient local faith.

Charles Dickens - El velo negro

Charles Dickens: The Black Veil

“The Black Veil,” a short story by Charles Dickens, narrates the disturbing visit of a mysterious woman to the office of a young, newly established doctor. The woman, concealed by a black veil, requests the doctor’s help for a sick person with one peculiar condition: he must not see the patient until the following day. Despite the urgency and seriousness that the woman conveys, the doctor is forced to agree to her strange request. The next day, the doctor goes to the specified location, a bleak and desolate environment, to uncover a disturbing reality that challenges his understanding and tests his humanity. The story delves into themes of mystery, guilt, and redemption, enveloped in a gothic and gloomy atmosphere characteristic of Dickens’ work.