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: The Mark of the Beast

Rudyard Kipling - La marca de la bestia

“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: The Black Veil

Charles Dickens - El velo negro

Synopsis: The Black Veil is a short story by Charles Dickens, published in February 1836 as part of the volume Sketches by Boz. The story begins on a winter’s night when a young doctor, recently installed in his practice, receives an unexpected visit from a mysterious woman, tall and dressed in mourning, her face covered by a thick black veil. Disturbed and distressed, she asks for urgent help, not for herself, but for someone else. Her disconcerting request leads the doctor to become involved in a disturbing situation marked by pain, fear, and a dark secret.