[.ca] Le horla (ISBN 2253136468)

Chronique amazon.fr:
Le narrateur mène une vie tranquille dans sa maison au bord de la Seine, en Normandie, lorsque d'étranges phénomènes commencent à se produire. C'est la carafe d'eau sur sa table de nuit qui est bue, des objets qui disparaissent ou se brisent, une fleur cueillie par une main invisible... Peu à peu, le narrateur acquiert la certitude qu'un être surnaturel et immatériel vit chez lui, se nourrit de ses provisions. Pire encore, cet être, qu'il baptise le Horla, a tout pouvoir sur lui, un pouvoir grandissant... S'il quitte sa maison, ce pouvoir disparaît ; mais bientôt, il ne peut plus sortir de chez lui, il est prisonnier. D'où vient cet esprit ? Du Horla ou de l'homme, l'un des deux doit périr. Le Horla comme les contes fantastiques écrits par Maupassant à la fin de sa vie, alors qu'il sombrait dans la folie, joue délicieusement avec nos nerfs en traitant de thèmes très actuels comme l'angoisse, la hantise du suicide, la peur de l'invisible. --Céline Darner

The rest of the story...:
The story behind the story is that deMaupassant, at the time he wrote Le Horla, was himself going insane, dying of syphilis. So is the horla in the story only in the story, or did deMaupassant actually think that HE saw the creature? Or did he really see the creature...?

The Master of Horror and Terror:
We have all heard of Stephen King - but check out Guy De Maupassant. The Horla is probably the greatest short horror story ever written. If you like psychological horror and are looking for a new title or author then I strongly advise you to try the stories of Maupassant. Maupassant (who eventually went insane himsef) knows the real terrors that lurk around us...He's been there... If you want the ultimate collection of his horror fiction then a 'must-buy' is The Divided Self by the same author.

Outstanding!:
I simply loved it.A must buy and a great value for your money.

La Horla:
This book is written in French. Since I do not reed this language I am unable to review the book. I am looking for one written in English.You should indicate the language the book is written in before selling. I am giving the book to my local library.

Absolutely outstanding:
It's not for no reason that The Horla is widely regarded as the best horror story ever told. I advise anyone who contemplates reading this to pour themselves a good stiff gin before turning the pages! The Horla is written in the style of a diary, and is set in a rural area of northern France, near the medieval city of Rouen. The author of the diary is a rich, reclusive gentleman who wants for nothing, and spends most his time and energy contemplating the great philosophical questions of life. He enjoys the simple pleasures of his existence - such as watching ships whizz along the Seine. The story begins in a happy mood with the diarist full of life and complety content, but as the days pass by he becomes ill. At first he believes the ailment is physical, but it soon becomes apparent that the illness is mental. As strange things begin to happen around him - which can only be explained rationally by his own actions of which he is not aware - the reader is drawn into the mystery that forms the crux of the plot: is he really mad, or are supernatural forces at work? Maupassant leaves us guessing all the way, and while initially it looks like a clear-cut case of madness, the diarist contemplates other, more terrifying explanations of the bizarre incidents that seem to take place in his house. The story ends in a shocking climax - which I won't spoil by revealing it here! What makes The Horla the masterpiece that it is, is that it "works" on so many levels. The entries in the diary reveal that the author is completely clear-headed and lucid, and because he admits the possibility of being mad, this gives his later ideas of the supernatural the credibility they need to make the reader think twice about his condition. The horror builds gradually, and much of it is left unsaid. The reader is forced to employ a lot of imagination. This a gem of a tale, and no self-respecting connoisseur of horror worth their salt should go without The Horla on their bookshelf!