The ninth Abbasid caliph, Vathek, has an eye whose glance can kill and a hunger for forbidden knowledge. Goaded by his sorceress mother Carathis and a hideous Giaour, he sacrifices children, seduces the young Nouronihar and sets out for the ruined city of Istakhar, where the subterranean palace of Eblis promises the treasures of the pre-Adamite kings. Henry Morley’s introduction tells Beckford’s extraordinary life.
Written in French by a wealthy young eccentric, this Gothic Arabian tale haunted Byron and later fantasists. Download the free EPUB.