The Reverberator (published in 1888) - A classic story by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City in to a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Reverberator is a comic love story in which James explores the public hunger for gossip. He explores the journalistic voyeurism akin to todays page 3, which is actually due to the indiscretions on the part of the public itself.



The Dossons are a nouveau rich family who are rising steadily in the society. In contrast are the Proberts who are American born, but cling to their old French roots for societal recognition. The Proberts are the snobbish aristocracy of the town who look down upon Dossons new money. The Dossons in Paris get acquainted with George Flack who writes for an American Gossip paper “The Reverberator” who introduces them to the finer points of Parisian life and art. Young Francie Dosson poses as a model for a painting and gets introduced to Gaston Probert and their whirlwind romance culminates in to an engagement.
Francie even though had turned down Flack's proposal, she remains friends with him. The Proberts are dismayed by the engagement but everything remains hunky dory on the surface. But the lull before the storm does not last long when Francie talks about the intimate going-on's within the Probert's circle. Flack promptly prints the juicy details in his newspaper and all hell breaks loose. The Proberts are sickened by the reports and even Gaston is horrified by Francie's indiscretion. But the Dossons and Francie are not very apologetic as they find nothing disturbing about the reports. They even find the publicity mildly amusing.
So does the scandal cause a wedge between Gaston and Francie? Well this may turn out to be a spoiler - Suzanne, Gaston's sister supports Francie in an unexpected turn of events and this urges Gaston too to put his weight behind her. After a little heart burn both Gaston and Francie do get married.
This book also chronicles James's pet subject about the clash of cultures, between the old world snobbery and new world indiscretions. This is one of the rare comedies written by Henry James and certainly deserves a look.

The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales (Published in 1888) - Written by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling, a Nobel laureate was born in India to a vivacious Alice Kipling and sculptor Painter, John Kipling. His works range from poems, to children's books. Rudyard was a English language writer whose prose is peppered with colloquial usage and languages mainly from India which opens a window to the prevailing culture and customs of the time. His children's stories are the most endured classics of the time and his short stories are the most sought after. Many of his works are deemed to be controversial as the time progressed. Rudyard Kipling was the product of an imperial India where imperialism under Queen Victoria was at its heights. His poems like White Mans burden are often sited as a clarion call for the imperialist and has been criticized by subsequent humanist. But a s an youngest Nobel Prize recipient for English Language, the place for Kipling in human history cannot be discounted and his prose and poems enthuse millions even today. Kipling died in 1936 in London and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
This book brings together the four widely appreciated short stories of Rudyard Kipling. These deal with the supernatural beings who haunt the real world because of their unrequited passion. The exotic, powerful and extravagant descriptions of the places, passions and people brings goose-pimples to the reader. These stories may not scare you like many other horror tales, but the eerie feeling it brings cannot be taken away.



The first story is about a Phantom Rickshaw. Jack repudiates the love of Mrs Wessington after a brief affair and gets engaged to the young Kitty Mannerling. Mrs Wessington continue to plead with him to come back to her and he spurns her. Eventually to his relief she dies with a broken heart. Soon Jack sees phantoms bearing her on her old rickshaw towards him and these visions drive him mad. His engagement is broken and he is wanders as a lunatic still pursued by the ghost.
The second story is “My Own True Ghost Story” in which the narrator comes across the ghost of a billiard playing ghost of an engineer in a dak bunglow in Katmal.
The third story is “The Strange Ride of Morowbie Jukes” which tells the story of Englishman Morowbie Jukes who gets trapped in a lepers colony while pursuing the dogs. He cannot escape from the colony as it is surrounded by quick sand with a lone snipper picking out escapees across the river. He is taken care of Gunga Dass who is a ruthless Brahmin trapped like him. He gets a note from an Englishman's corpse giving the means to escape the quicksand. Jukes an Gunga Dass plan to escape under the cover of the dark. But Gunga Dass who has murdered the Englishman strikes Jukes and escapes alone. But Jukes wakes up to find himself safe with a boy who rescued him making the experience very surreal.
The last story is "The Man Who could be King” and is one of most famous story of the lot. The narrator helps two fortune seekers Dravot and Carnahan to find the map to Kafiristan, where they plan to be king. Later he meets Carnahan who tells him about their violent adventure of ambition, riches, power and horror where Dravot is killed. Carnahan is carrying his head with the crown and ultimately dies a lunatic.
Scary, fascinating narrative which keeps you looking behind your back.

Plain tales from the hills (published in 1888) - Written by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling, a Nobel laureate was born in India to a vivacious Alice Kipling and sculptor Painter, John Kipling. His works range from poems, to children's books. Rudyard was a English language writer whose prose is peppered with colloquial usage and languages mainly from India which opens a window to the prevailing culture and customs of the time. His children's stories are the most endured classics of the time and his short stories are the most sought after. Many of his works are deemed to be controversial as the time progressed. Rudyard Kipling was the product of an imperial India where imperialism under Queen Victoria was at its heights. His poems like "White Mans Burden" are often sited as a clarion call for the imperialist and has been criticized by subsequent humanist. But as one of the youngest Nobel Prize recipient for English Language, the place for Kipling in human history cannot be discounted and his prose and poems enthuse millions even today.
Plain stories from the hills are a collection of short stories penned by Kipling during his stay in India as a journalist. Out of the 40 stories, about 15 to 20 of them were published in the Civil and Military gazette, the paper for which Kipling worked for and the rest were new ones. These stories depict the various facets of life in imperial India, the lives of the natives and the English Sahibs. He often puts up a satirical look on the ways and behavior of the English who treat the natives like untouchables.



Many of the stories are set in Shimla which used to be the summer capital of British India. Most of the Englishmen would shift to the hill station to escape from the heat of the plains. Here the traditions of British India along with the Indian elite produced a different world itself. The stories also are set up among the natives who are portrayed in a simple fashion and in the plains of India.
Here his recurring characters namely Mrs Hauksbee, Policeman Strickland and the Soldiers three appear. The most common refrain of Mrs Hauksbee who cannot suffer stupidity "What fools men are!" starts from this book. The tales include Lispeth,Three and - an Extra, Thrown Away, Miss Youghal's Sais, Yoked with an Unbeliever, False Dawn, The Rescue of Pluffles Cupid's Arrows, The Three Musketeers, "His Chance in Life", Watches of the Night, "The Other Man", Consequences, The Conversion of Aurelian McGoggin, The Taking of Lungtungpen, A Germ-Destroyer, Kidnapped, The Arrest of Lieutenant Golightly, In the House of Suddhoo, His Wedded Wife, The Broken-link Handicap, Beyond the Pale, In Error, A Bank Fraud, Tod's' Amendment, The Daughter of the Regiment, In the Pride of his Youth, Pig, The Rout of the White Hussars, The Bronckhorst Divorce-case, Venus Annodomini, The Bisra of Pooree, A Friend's Friend, The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows, The Madness of Private Ortheris, The Story of Muhammad Din, On the Strength of a Likeness, Wressley of the Foreign Office, By Word of Mouth, To be Filed for Reference
My personal favorite is Miss Youghal's Sais, which tells the story of the class divide. Strickland is a policeman of English Origin who has to mix with the locals and is looked down upon by the English Elite. He meets and falls in love with Youghal, a English girl whose mother forbids the relation. He disappears and disguises as a native and gains employment as her groom. As their love affair continues, a General who is smitten by Youghal's charm flirt with her. This is too much for Strickland who reprimands him. The good natured General forgives him and get them together. Good stories for the soul.