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Vathek (Oxford World's Classics)

By: William Beckford
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
ISBN: 0192836560
ISBN-13: 9780192836564
Released: 26 Nov 1998
RRP: £6.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Often overlooked, but a brilliant pice of English literature - By: Mr. A. Willmer, 11 Jan 2006
'Vathek' the novel is peverse, twisted & politicallly incorrect to the extreme. The main protagonist himslef is likewise viscious & completely 'evil' if such a thing does exist. Yet it is perhaps these two facets that help to make 'Vathek' so compelling, so fresh & so orignal & down-right funny. That's right, if you have a wicked sense of humour & enjoy the odd toilet joke then this book is certainly for you.

However, it would be wrong to suggets that 'Vathek' is nothing more than a series of smutty jokes & grusome scenes. It is much more. Beckford supposedly wrote the novel within 48hrs - without sleep! In spite of this he has somehow managed to create a world that pushes the imaginative envelope to the extreme. This book will live with me for life. READ IT!

not an easy read - By: x, 09 Feb 2001
I read Vathek in my late teens when I had a fascination with alll things macabre. I was not dissapointed with Vathek on this point but what irritated me then, & still does now, is the rather contrived & inpenetrable style in which it is written (or possibly translated). There is not much of a story to it, but some of the episodes are entertaining- I was particularly amused by the one about someone having half their beard burned off.

If you are a big fan of the gothic genre then you'll probably take great delight in Vathek, but for the more general reader it is something of a pain. The elements are there, it's just not done with enough finesse.

I read an unillustrated edition myself- I'm sure that Redon's illustrations add a lot to the reading experience.