5 good reasons to read "The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Vol. 1"

 

The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1

Edited by James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle

For those of you who are new to Valancourt Books, a brief introduction is in order. Valancourt Books is an independent small press based in Richmond, Virginia which specializes in rare, neglected and out-of-print fiction.  Although this press has given a new lease of life to many long-forgotten 19^th and 20^th century works in different genres, it has a particular predilection for Gothic and horror, as well as gay interest titles.  In the Gothic/horror department, Valancourt has published (and re-published) several novels and short story collections, but is particularly sought out by aficionados for its brilliant anthologies, particularly the series of “Valancourt Books of Horror Stories” (now in its fourth instalment) and its seasonal offerings of Victorian Christmas Ghost stories (a fourth volume was issued in December). 

Interesting as these publications may be, Valancourt has just added to its catalogue what might well be the jewel in its (Gothic) crown: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories.  In this veritable labour of love, editors (and Valancourt founders) James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle have combed through stories in a myriad of languages to come up with a selection of twenty-one contemporary horror stories from around the world, all of which are being published in English for the first time ever.  Choosing the stories must have been a mammoth task. What is even more remarkable is that Jenkins prepared most of the translations himself.  Having a command of so many languages is an achievement – but what is even more impressive is that these are no workaday renditions, but readable, fluent translations into English which manage to retain the different narrative voices and styles of the original. 

How to start reviewing such a wealth of remarkable stories? I will not even attempt to do so but will simply list some reasons why you should check out this anthology.

1.  Although some of the featured authors are very well-known in their respective countries, they are hardly household names in the English-speaking world.  The lover of horror stories seeking new voices from outside the established English-language canon will find plenty to discover here.

2.     The authors who make an appearance in this anthology are not “different” just because they are little-known, but because they genuinely bring something new to the horror genre.  More often than not, their stories reflects folklore which will be unfamiliar to most readers. To cite just a couple of examples, Yvette Tan’s All the Birds incorporates elements from Filipino mythology and folklore, while Bathie Ngoye Thiam’s The House of Leuk Dawour taps into Senegal’s long tradition of supernatural storytelling. Down, in their World by Flavius Ardelean revives the scarier aspects of Romanian folklore.

3.      Even when not directly inspired by local myths, many of the stories reflect aspects, landscapes and issues of the authors’ countries of origin. Menopause by Flore Hazoumé, for instance, provides social commentary on African society’s approach to womenhood whereas Luigi Musolino’s Uironda – a strong opener to this anthology – evokes the dreary highways of Northern Italy’s industrial hinterland.

4.     Diversity and variety are two key characteristics of this anthology. As the editors explain in their foreword, they aimed to ensure a high rate of inclusion of women writers, authors of colour, and LGBT-interest material. This is no mere tip of the hat to political correctness but a genuine desire to make this anthology as inclusive as possible.  And, ultimately, this is reflected in the sheer literary variety found between the book’s covers. Certainly, all the featured stories qualify as horror.  But this is a broad church indeed. Just come inside and take your seat in your favourite aisle – whether the horror you love is psychological and Aickman-like, Lovecraftian (cosmic or reptilian), gory, surreal, or tinged with crime, folklore or comedy… you’ll find something for you.

5.     The best reason to savour this anthology however is the quality of the writing.  Judging from the reviews I’ve read, the horror community is showing this anthology well-deserved love. But this should honestly be more than a “niche interest” collection – this is great contemporary world literature, independently of its genre.      

Here’s the roll call of stories:

Pilar Pedraza, 'Mater Tenebrarum' (Spain)
Flavius Ardelean, 'Down, in Their World' (Romania)
Anders Fager, 'Backstairs' (Sweden)
Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)
Frithjof Spalder, 'The White Cormorant' (Norway)
Jose María Latorre, 'Snapshots' (Spain)
Luigi Musolino, 'Uironda' (Italy)
Martin Steyn, 'Kira' (South Africa)
Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)
Lars Ahn, 'Donation' (Denmark)
Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)
Cristina Fernández Cubas, 'The Angle of Horror' (Spain)
Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)
Elisenda Solsona, 'Mechanisms' (Catalonia)
Michael Roch, 'The Illogical Investigations of Inspector André Despérine' (Martinique)
Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)
Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)
Marko Hautala, 'Pale Toes' (Finland)
Yvette Tan, 'All the Birds' (Philippines)
Ariane Gélinas, 'Twin Shadows' (Québec)
Flore Hazoumé, 'Menopause' (Ivory Coast)

Tantalizingly, The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories bears the subtitle “Volume 1”.  The editors have announced on social media that they’re already working on the next instalment in what promises to be another great series from Valancourt. Bring them on!  

Paperback, 420 pages

Published December 2020 by Valancourt Books