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The Lost Stradivarius
Chilling in the extreme, The Lost Stradivarius is a classic tale of the supernatural. While practicing in his rooms in Oxford, gifted violinist John Maltravers notices a strange whenever a certain air is played, a mysterious presence seems to enter. Unable to rationalize this away, Maltravers becomes increasingly unsettled, until he makes a startling discovery—tucked away in a hidden cupboard in his room is a priceless Stradivarius! Obsessed by his find, he becomes increasingly withdrawn from those around him, choosing instead to explore more sinister pursuits, little knowing the spell that this seemingly perfect violin is unleashing upon him. English poet and novelist J. Meade Falkner is best remembered for his novel, Moonfleet.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1895
59 people are currently reading
944 people want to read
About the author
John Meade Falkner
142 books61 followersJohn Meade Falkner, the son of a country cleryman, was born in 1858. After taking his degree at Oxford, he went to Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a private tutor to the sons of Andrew Noble. When they had grown up he stayed on with the family, and entered the firm where Sir Andrew worked. He travelled a great deal for the firm, particularly to the Balkans, helping to export warships and armaments, for which he received many decorations from appreciative foreign governments.
Meade Falkner was a great collector of books, and an expert palaeographer - he even received a medal from the Pope for this. He was a benefactor to libraries, not only in England, but also to the Vatican library in Rome. He loved the small Cotswold town of Burford which it was said of in 1970 that it owed its then present state of preservation to his generosity. He was buried in its churchyard after his death in 1932.
He published guide books, historical essays, and some poetry, but his best work was in his novels. He wrote four, but only published three as he lost one while on a train. Of these, Moonfleet, his best adventure story, was made into a feature film.
Meade Falkner was a great collector of books, and an expert palaeographer - he even received a medal from the Pope for this. He was a benefactor to libraries, not only in England, but also to the Vatican library in Rome. He loved the small Cotswold town of Burford which it was said of in 1970 that it owed its then present state of preservation to his generosity. He was buried in its churchyard after his death in 1932.
He published guide books, historical essays, and some poetry, but his best work was in his novels. He wrote four, but only published three as he lost one while on a train. Of these, Moonfleet, his best adventure story, was made into a feature film.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
February 5, 2021
Πολύ όμορφη και ιδιαίτερα καλογραμμένη ιστορία μυστηρίου με ένα φάντασμα. Ξεκινώντας το βιβλίο και καθώς διαβάζεις περισσότερες σελίδες, δεν φαντάζεσαι που θα καταλήξει ενώ έχεις τόσες απορίες σε πολλά σημεία. Όσο για την σκοτεινή και γοτθική ατμόσφαιρα και η συγκεκριμένη τεχνική της αφήγησης του συγγραφέα σου προκαλεί ακόμα και τρόμο, καθώς εξελίσσεται η ιστορία. Απολαυσα τις λεπτομερείς περιγραφές των τοπίων.
Πολύ συχνά γίνεται αναφορά για τον ίδιο τον Στραντιβαριους και το έργο του.
Ο Falkner είχε γράψει 4 μυθιστορήματα. Λέγεται ότι το τέταρτο χάθηκε στο τρένο και δεν γράφτηκε ποτέ ξανά.
Ενα γνωστό του έργο από αυτά είναι το Moonfleet το οποίο επιθυμώ να διαβάσω κάποια στιγμή. Το Χαμένο Στραντιβαριους ήταν μια ευχάριστη εμπειρία και το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα!!!
Πολύ συχνά γίνεται αναφορά για τον ίδιο τον Στραντιβαριους και το έργο του.
Ο Falkner είχε γράψει 4 μυθιστορήματα. Λέγεται ότι το τέταρτο χάθηκε στο τρένο και δεν γράφτηκε ποτέ ξανά.
Ενα γνωστό του έργο από αυτά είναι το Moonfleet το οποίο επιθυμώ να διαβάσω κάποια στιγμή. Το Χαμένο Στραντιβαριους ήταν μια ευχάριστη εμπειρία και το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα!!!
October 27, 2022
This was surprisingly good.Really great gothic/horror classic. A hidden gem.Very glad to have discovered it.
September 11, 2025
La editorial Valdemar es mi editorial favorita. Nunca falla: libro que editan, libro que compro. Y si es un Gótica sé que mi compra va a estar amortizada. Aunque trato de hacerme con todo el catalogo, de los ciento y pico libros que ya llevan publicados solo tengo unos 20, por lo que la mayor parte de los títulos ahí recogidos siguen siendo un misterio para mi (eso en 2018, ahora tengo más de 50).
Cuando pille este libro de titulo tan sugerente y de autor tan, para entonces, desconocido -luego supe que es el señor que escribió Moonfleet- me sentí como un niño pequeño: novela gótica, música clásica, fantasmas, misterios... ¿Cómo no me iba a gustar? Veamos.
La historia es muy sencilla. Contada en forma de carta, se nos relata la historia de un jovencísimo, guapísimo, excelentísimo lord ingles muy aficionado a la música que descubre que, al tocar una pieza con su violín en su habitación, una presencia misteriosa se sienta a escucharle. Todo se enrarece aun más cuando, investigando la habitación, descubre un compartimento secreto con un Stradivarius de calidad superlativa y dueño desconocido en su interior. Dejemos estas dos frases como resumen grosso modo, porque lo que pasa despues os lo podeis imaginar: se va de madre.
Problemas del libro: es una novela gótica de cuando el romanticismo estaba ya dando sus últimos coletazos, con todos lo que ello implica. En cuanto a sus cualidades, es muy sugerente, sabe crear atmósferas inquietantes, las descripciones de los paisajes mutan y reflejan las emociones exaltadas de los protagonistas, el misterio resulta interesante, pero poco más se puede decir. Entre sus defectos destacar que el tipo de narración utilizada es horrible, el formato carta larga a estas alturas no hay quien se lo crea, más cuando el narrador no deja de explayarse atosigándonos con detalles; es inconcebible que alguien escribiera una carta así, y aparte de ser poco creíble le resta muchísima fluidez al relato. Los diálogos, al estar transcritos por un narrador testigo, se hacen artificiales y pesados -¿vosotros de verdad creéis que alguien se tomaría la molestia de IMAGINAR lo que habría dicho alguien literalmente en una situación?-, y para colmo en muchos de ellos abundan las exclamaciones sonrojantes y rozan peligrosamente el monólogo. Y por último, y con esto termino ya, la mojigatería y dramatismo, tan deliciosos en algunas novelas góticas, aquí queda anticuado y cursi, sobre todo porque las cosas que ocurren no tienen el impacto de obras como El Monje, donde verdaderamente entiendes por qué a los personajes se les termina yendo la pinza.
En resumen, es una novela bastante mediocre, anticuada para su época, y para nuestros días ya ni os digo; de un puritanismo vergonzoso por lo falso e impostado. Una obra, ademas, con su tufillo xenófobo-fantástico, como todas las escritas por románticos anglosajones, que veían en los habitantes del mediterráneo bárbaros, paganos casi, admirables por su exotismo, pero inferiores en todo. De esto no me quejo, total, menudo retrato hace Lewis en El Monje de la España barroca. Pero como es un novelón a él se lo perdono, a Falkner, no.
Cuando pille este libro de titulo tan sugerente y de autor tan, para entonces, desconocido -luego supe que es el señor que escribió Moonfleet- me sentí como un niño pequeño: novela gótica, música clásica, fantasmas, misterios... ¿Cómo no me iba a gustar? Veamos.
La historia es muy sencilla. Contada en forma de carta, se nos relata la historia de un jovencísimo, guapísimo, excelentísimo lord ingles muy aficionado a la música que descubre que, al tocar una pieza con su violín en su habitación, una presencia misteriosa se sienta a escucharle. Todo se enrarece aun más cuando, investigando la habitación, descubre un compartimento secreto con un Stradivarius de calidad superlativa y dueño desconocido en su interior. Dejemos estas dos frases como resumen grosso modo, porque lo que pasa despues os lo podeis imaginar: se va de madre.
Problemas del libro: es una novela gótica de cuando el romanticismo estaba ya dando sus últimos coletazos, con todos lo que ello implica. En cuanto a sus cualidades, es muy sugerente, sabe crear atmósferas inquietantes, las descripciones de los paisajes mutan y reflejan las emociones exaltadas de los protagonistas, el misterio resulta interesante, pero poco más se puede decir. Entre sus defectos destacar que el tipo de narración utilizada es horrible, el formato carta larga a estas alturas no hay quien se lo crea, más cuando el narrador no deja de explayarse atosigándonos con detalles; es inconcebible que alguien escribiera una carta así, y aparte de ser poco creíble le resta muchísima fluidez al relato. Los diálogos, al estar transcritos por un narrador testigo, se hacen artificiales y pesados -¿vosotros de verdad creéis que alguien se tomaría la molestia de IMAGINAR lo que habría dicho alguien literalmente en una situación?-, y para colmo en muchos de ellos abundan las exclamaciones sonrojantes y rozan peligrosamente el monólogo. Y por último, y con esto termino ya, la mojigatería y dramatismo, tan deliciosos en algunas novelas góticas, aquí queda anticuado y cursi, sobre todo porque las cosas que ocurren no tienen el impacto de obras como El Monje, donde verdaderamente entiendes por qué a los personajes se les termina yendo la pinza.
En resumen, es una novela bastante mediocre, anticuada para su época, y para nuestros días ya ni os digo; de un puritanismo vergonzoso por lo falso e impostado. Una obra, ademas, con su tufillo xenófobo-fantástico, como todas las escritas por románticos anglosajones, que veían en los habitantes del mediterráneo bárbaros, paganos casi, admirables por su exotismo, pero inferiores en todo. De esto no me quejo, total, menudo retrato hace Lewis en El Monje de la España barroca. Pero como es un novelón a él se lo perdono, a Falkner, no.
October 20, 2024
John Meade Falkner's body of work was very small, but if "The Lost Stradivarius" is any indication of his talent, then he is certainly a writer worthy of being honored. A Victorian ghost story, "The Lost Stradivarius" is a frightening story of a man's passion for music that leads him into extremely dark places. This story actually gave me goosebumps and cold chills at times, and it would make an excellent little horror movie, even by today's standards. It's a short novel, almost a novella, so it could be a quick read, although I recommend taking your time and enjoying the beauty of Falkner's prose.
January 13, 2019
What a shame. The first few chapters of this book promised a very convincing ghost story. The atmosphere was brilliant, a ghost appearing at the sound of its favorite song being played from its prized instrument, the ghost slowly possessing the body of the man that played the song so passionately.
And then it dissolved into a nonsensical, dragged out mess that was tedious, needlessly long and the tension became little more than a boring rant of moralism.
And then it dissolved into a nonsensical, dragged out mess that was tedious, needlessly long and the tension became little more than a boring rant of moralism.
February 20, 2022
Tajemnicza, niepokojąco i barwnie napisana.
June 8, 2015
This has the trappings of a truly classic supernatural tale - the obscure piece of music that seems to conjure an unseen presence, the mysterious musical instrument of fabulous value that seems to conjure additional voices when it is played, rumours of a Satanic hellraiser who met an untimely end in Italy and whose fate is somehow tied in with this music and this violin.
But Falkner's prolix style, flair for tedious melodrama and his Victorian morality - we are somehow meant to find the 2nd century CE philosopher Porphyry a deeply sinister figure because he was an opponent of Christianity - and to take the activities of the Hell-Fire Club seriously - make it all a bit of a slog. Too much exposition, too much explanation and too much pedestrian agonising and the bits of weird atmosphere and surmise are almost suffocated.
But Falkner's prolix style, flair for tedious melodrama and his Victorian morality - we are somehow meant to find the 2nd century CE philosopher Porphyry a deeply sinister figure because he was an opponent of Christianity - and to take the activities of the Hell-Fire Club seriously - make it all a bit of a slog. Too much exposition, too much explanation and too much pedestrian agonising and the bits of weird atmosphere and surmise are almost suffocated.
January 30, 2025
Ένα ατμοσφαιρικό, γοτθικό βιβλίο τρόμου που φέρει έντονα τα στοιχεία γραφής ενός αλλοτινού καιρού.
January 11, 2020
This was a great Saturday for a spooky tale. It was foggy out, cold, damp, and I had my coffee in hand. I was ready!
This story had a great beginning but seemed to meander from the middle to the end. The haunted musical theme it had made for a great story, I just wish it finished strong from beginning to end.
This story had a great beginning but seemed to meander from the middle to the end. The haunted musical theme it had made for a great story, I just wish it finished strong from beginning to end.
September 3, 2018
Ό,τι και να πεις είναι λίγο
https://pepperlines.blogspot.com/2018...
https://pepperlines.blogspot.com/2018...
September 21, 2023
"If you marry the musician, he'll always have his instrument in his hand." -- alternative lyric to Sicilian folk song "Cc'è la luna n menzu ô mari"
This novel will be familiar to you gothic horror and ghost story readers, as it involves a musician who seems to be possessed, or at least slowly descending into madness.
At first, whenever John would play a certain air on his violin, he would hear a chair creaking as if an invisible someone were sitting down to listen. But gradually things would get more spooky and more intense surrounding this musical piece, leading John to the discovery of a secret panel containing a valuable instrument which obsesses him to the point where he neglects everything else in his life.
A very common theme in horror literature is addiction, which has been explored in various facets from Jekyll and Hyde to the work of Stephen King. Why, even the book I just read previously, Tim Curran's Nightcrawlers, ended up being about psychedelic mushrooms.
This story explores how addiction does not have to be about a drug. Addiction can also be a process. It can be exercise, extreme sports, social media, sex, gambling, or work. In this case, the tragic main character becomes obsessed with his hobby, especially when it comes to one particular song.
Kind of reminds me of my 9-year-old son playing "Megalovania" on his synth for the umpteenth time.
Instead of being intimate with his hot new devoted wife, John stays up all night playing his violin. Instead of enjoying a Christmas party, he can't wait to get back to his room and "fiddle about". He becomes distant and secretive so that he loses his best friend. While life is going on around him, he has his chin on the rest and a rosined bow in his hand.
Obviously modern audiences will see a timely message in this book as they watch their loved ones disappear behind their smart phones or, worse, shoot up behind closed doors. One thing that this novel captures so well is not so much the time an addiction process takes away from your life, but how it changes you when you are not in the process. Anyone with a partner who has a porn addiction, for example, knows that they always "play second fiddle" to the pixels on a screen, that their loved one is irritable or not fully present, not able to even make eye contact, slowly consumed by the process itself. That's the true strength of this novel.
The main drawback is that even though the message is timeless, the writing itself is definitely a product of the time and culture. We are once again dealing with very wealthy British aristocrats who never seem to run out of money despite never doing a minute of work, who faint at every clap of thunder and then are told to stay in bed for months by a doctor who also seems to have the time to sit at their bedside all that while for no reason. There's also quite a bit of unnecessary "hiding of the truth" among characters, often seen in stories of this period. There's always some pseudo-noble excuse to keep secret something important, not only because the plot requires it, but because it is feared the character may be too fragile to know it. I swear that Victorians must have been the least blunt society, and thus the most neurotic, in history. If any of that kind of thing really annoys you, then this book may not be your cup of tea.
Also, you could probably guess that this is a classic "slow burn." And it is. The book is more about the tragedy of losing a young person to an addiction from the point of view of those who love him, rather than about the ghosts and the mystery that surrounds them. That being said, I think the impact of this slow degeneration would have been greater if the main character did not come across so wooden from the get go. Had we learned a little more about what was so great about him in the first place, if he displayed a little more vivaciousness or selflessness before his downfall, the loss of his personality would have been more jarring and meaningful.
But it is overall a very creepy and haunting read, which can be enjoyed in a single rainy night. If you like vintage supernatural thrillers from the late 1800s, give this a try.
SCORE: 4 fiddles out of 5
WORD OF THE DAY: Encomiums
This novel will be familiar to you gothic horror and ghost story readers, as it involves a musician who seems to be possessed, or at least slowly descending into madness.
At first, whenever John would play a certain air on his violin, he would hear a chair creaking as if an invisible someone were sitting down to listen. But gradually things would get more spooky and more intense surrounding this musical piece, leading John to the discovery of a secret panel containing a valuable instrument which obsesses him to the point where he neglects everything else in his life.
A very common theme in horror literature is addiction, which has been explored in various facets from Jekyll and Hyde to the work of Stephen King. Why, even the book I just read previously, Tim Curran's Nightcrawlers, ended up being about psychedelic mushrooms.
This story explores how addiction does not have to be about a drug. Addiction can also be a process. It can be exercise, extreme sports, social media, sex, gambling, or work. In this case, the tragic main character becomes obsessed with his hobby, especially when it comes to one particular song.
Kind of reminds me of my 9-year-old son playing "Megalovania" on his synth for the umpteenth time.
Instead of being intimate with his hot new devoted wife, John stays up all night playing his violin. Instead of enjoying a Christmas party, he can't wait to get back to his room and "fiddle about". He becomes distant and secretive so that he loses his best friend. While life is going on around him, he has his chin on the rest and a rosined bow in his hand.
Obviously modern audiences will see a timely message in this book as they watch their loved ones disappear behind their smart phones or, worse, shoot up behind closed doors. One thing that this novel captures so well is not so much the time an addiction process takes away from your life, but how it changes you when you are not in the process. Anyone with a partner who has a porn addiction, for example, knows that they always "play second fiddle" to the pixels on a screen, that their loved one is irritable or not fully present, not able to even make eye contact, slowly consumed by the process itself. That's the true strength of this novel.
The main drawback is that even though the message is timeless, the writing itself is definitely a product of the time and culture. We are once again dealing with very wealthy British aristocrats who never seem to run out of money despite never doing a minute of work, who faint at every clap of thunder and then are told to stay in bed for months by a doctor who also seems to have the time to sit at their bedside all that while for no reason. There's also quite a bit of unnecessary "hiding of the truth" among characters, often seen in stories of this period. There's always some pseudo-noble excuse to keep secret something important, not only because the plot requires it, but because it is feared the character may be too fragile to know it. I swear that Victorians must have been the least blunt society, and thus the most neurotic, in history. If any of that kind of thing really annoys you, then this book may not be your cup of tea.
Also, you could probably guess that this is a classic "slow burn." And it is. The book is more about the tragedy of losing a young person to an addiction from the point of view of those who love him, rather than about the ghosts and the mystery that surrounds them. That being said, I think the impact of this slow degeneration would have been greater if the main character did not come across so wooden from the get go. Had we learned a little more about what was so great about him in the first place, if he displayed a little more vivaciousness or selflessness before his downfall, the loss of his personality would have been more jarring and meaningful.
But it is overall a very creepy and haunting read, which can be enjoyed in a single rainy night. If you like vintage supernatural thrillers from the late 1800s, give this a try.
SCORE: 4 fiddles out of 5
WORD OF THE DAY: Encomiums
January 11, 2022
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Δυο βιβλία του Τζον Μιντ Φόκνερ έχω στη συλλογή μου, αυτό καθώς και το πιο γνωστό του "Μούνφλιτ", και αποφάσισα να... γνωριστώ μαζί του με το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, που γράφτηκε πρώτο. Λοιπόν, από τη μια πέρασα καλά, ευχαριστήθηκα ατμόσφαιρα καθώς και αυτό το στιλ γραφής που συνήθιζαν να έχουν οι Άγγλοι συγγραφείς κατά τη Βικτωριανή εποχή και που τόσο πολύ απολαμβάνω αραιά και πού, από την άλλη όμως δεν ενθουσιάστηκα κιόλας, δεν διάβασα κάτι το φοβερό και το τρομερό που να με ανατριχιάσει ή, έστω, να με καθηλώσει. Η ελληνική έκδοση (πολύ καλή και προσεγμένη) περιέχει το μυθιστόρημα "Το Χαμένο στραντιβάριους", το οποίο ξεκίνησε πολύ καλά, έχτισε μια εξαιρετική ατμόσφαιρα, αλλά από ένα σημείο και μετά έχασε μάλλον τον στόχο του και τελείωσε κάπως ξαφνικά και αδιάφορα, καθώς και δυο διηγήματα έκτασης σχεδόν σαράντα σελίδων το καθένα, το καλό και ατμοσφαιρικό "Η γαμήλια νύχτα του μεσοκαλόκαιρου" και το μάλλον αδιάφορο "Χαραλαμπία". Γενικά, είναι ένα καλό και ψυχαγωγικό βιβλίο γοτθικού τρόμου, αρκετά παλιομοδίτικο και όχι πάντα ενδιαφέρον, σίγουρα οι λάτρεις του είδους όλο και κάτι ωραίο θα βρουν σε αυτό, έστω και αν σε καμία περίπτωση δεν φτάνει το επίπεδο γνωστών μυθιστορημάτων/ιστοριών του είδους. Ωραία πέρασα την ώρα μου, μέχρι εκεί όμως!
Δυο βιβλία του Τζον Μιντ Φόκνερ έχω στη συλλογή μου, αυτό καθώς και το πιο γνωστό του "Μούνφλιτ", και αποφάσισα να... γνωριστώ μαζί του με το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, που γράφτηκε πρώτο. Λοιπόν, από τη μια πέρασα καλά, ευχαριστήθηκα ατμόσφαιρα καθώς και αυτό το στιλ γραφής που συνήθιζαν να έχουν οι Άγγλοι συγγραφείς κατά τη Βικτωριανή εποχή και που τόσο πολύ απολαμβάνω αραιά και πού, από την άλλη όμως δεν ενθουσιάστηκα κιόλας, δεν διάβασα κάτι το φοβερό και το τρομερό που να με ανατριχιάσει ή, έστω, να με καθηλώσει. Η ελληνική έκδοση (πολύ καλή και προσεγμένη) περιέχει το μυθιστόρημα "Το Χαμένο στραντιβάριους", το οποίο ξεκίνησε πολύ καλά, έχτισε μια εξαιρετική ατμόσφαιρα, αλλά από ένα σημείο και μετά έχασε μάλλον τον στόχο του και τελείωσε κάπως ξαφνικά και αδιάφορα, καθώς και δυο διηγήματα έκτασης σχεδόν σαράντα σελίδων το καθένα, το καλό και ατμοσφαιρικό "Η γαμήλια νύχτα του μεσοκαλόκαιρου" και το μάλλον αδιάφορο "Χαραλαμπία". Γενικά, είναι ένα καλό και ψυχαγωγικό βιβλίο γοτθικού τρόμου, αρκετά παλιομοδίτικο και όχι πάντα ενδιαφέρον, σίγουρα οι λάτρεις του είδους όλο και κάτι ωραίο θα βρουν σε αυτό, έστω και αν σε καμία περίπτωση δεν φτάνει το επίπεδο γνωστών μυθιστορημάτων/ιστοριών του είδους. Ωραία πέρασα την ώρα μου, μέχρι εκεί όμως!
May 11, 2025
الحمدلله أنهيت قراءة العمل بترجمتي، لسه عند رأيي الرواية أو النوفيلا قصيرة ولكنها وصفت الهوس وانهياره النفسي كويس، وصفت الشخصيات والأماكن وإنجلترا وقتها كويس جدا، لعبت علي عناصر الرعب القوطي وما وراء الطبيعي كويس جدا، لسه مشكلتي مع الفصل الأخير وزي ما صديق لي قرأ الترجمة وعجبته وكان عنده نفس ملاحظتي تحس ان القصة مش مكتملة، عجبني التعليقات اللي في الاخر علي الفن والوثنية وحاسه توثيق للتعاليم المسيحية الموجودة في وقتها لكت النهاية فعلا مش كاملة بتحاول متقفلش كل الخيوط وتسيبك تتخيل بس فيها حاجة ناقصة، وحاولت اعمل بحث أعمق هل في نهايات اخري أو الكاتب مثلا غير حاجة في النهاية لكن موصلتش لحاجة زي المرة الأولي وانا بترجم، لكن لسه قراءة ممتعة بالنسبة لي.
May 8, 2020
This had a little too much affectation for my liking.
October 13, 2015
This Review Contains Heavy Spoilers, So Be Warned.
The Lost Strativarius is a very quaint story indeed. Written by some Falkner guy who thought it necessary to devote 296 pages on the curse of popular music; "That though since the day of Sir John's death I have never heard a note of it, the air is still fresh in my mind and has at times presented itself to me unexpectedly, and always with an unwholesome effect". Truly gruesome to have such a melody stuck in your head. It must thus be that "Areopagita" is an 18th century version of the song "Gangnam Style". A true horror indeed. Gothic style.
The story focuses on John who is basically like an obsessed fan of Graziani. Graziani is the composer of the Gagliarda in the Areopagita, which John likes so swell. The Gagliarda is like his favourite part or something. After his friend Mr. Gaskell introduced him to Graziani, he became too quickly too obsessed. This obsession became worse when he found a random Strativarius in a random hidden desk in his room. How very coincidental indeed that the Strativarius also seemingly used to be in the possession of an ancestor of the chick he'll marry.
The rest of the story can be summarized as an obsession in Italian culture, which his sis finds very pagan (even though the Pope sort of lives there), and a mental deterioration which is a direct result of listening to the same song for years on end. His sis basically blames everything on being unchristian and as him having been led astray. She is also a lil bit too emotional. The moral of the story can be summarised in the following quote; "There is no doubt in my mind that the music of the Gagliarda of Graziani helped materially in this process of mental degradation."
Also don't take this too serious :).
The Lost Strativarius is a very quaint story indeed. Written by some Falkner guy who thought it necessary to devote 296 pages on the curse of popular music; "That though since the day of Sir John's death I have never heard a note of it, the air is still fresh in my mind and has at times presented itself to me unexpectedly, and always with an unwholesome effect". Truly gruesome to have such a melody stuck in your head. It must thus be that "Areopagita" is an 18th century version of the song "Gangnam Style". A true horror indeed. Gothic style.
The story focuses on John who is basically like an obsessed fan of Graziani. Graziani is the composer of the Gagliarda in the Areopagita, which John likes so swell. The Gagliarda is like his favourite part or something. After his friend Mr. Gaskell introduced him to Graziani, he became too quickly too obsessed. This obsession became worse when he found a random Strativarius in a random hidden desk in his room. How very coincidental indeed that the Strativarius also seemingly used to be in the possession of an ancestor of the chick he'll marry.
The rest of the story can be summarized as an obsession in Italian culture, which his sis finds very pagan (even though the Pope sort of lives there), and a mental deterioration which is a direct result of listening to the same song for years on end. His sis basically blames everything on being unchristian and as him having been led astray. She is also a lil bit too emotional. The moral of the story can be summarised in the following quote; "There is no doubt in my mind that the music of the Gagliarda of Graziani helped materially in this process of mental degradation."
Also don't take this too serious :).
Read
August 17, 2024Trafiłam na tę książkę zupełnym przypadkiem. Nigdy o niej nawet nie słyszałam, a okazuje się, że to jest całkiem przyzwoita powieść gotycka.
Zawsze się trochę waham sięgając po stare powieści gotyckie, bo one potrafią mnie albo całkowicie rozczarować (bo są np. anachroniczne i nie przetrwały próby czasu) albo całkowicie zachwycić.
Z "Zaginionym Stradivariusem" jestem chyba gdzieś pomiędzy – zachwyt to nie jest, ale jednak historia mi się podobała.
Widać, że jest to książka swoich czasów – jest dekadentyzm, moralne zepsucie, estetyzm, wpływ sztuki na człowieka, mistycyzm, chrześcijaństwo vs. pogaństwo, duchy – czyli wszystko to, co niedźwiadki z końca XIX wieku lubią najbardziej.
Faktycznie coś tutaj jest z Doriana Graya – być może warto byłoby się zastanowić nad tymi powiązaniami, inspiracjami (ciekawe, że sytuacje na początku dzieją się w Magdalen College w Oksfodzie – a to przecież Alma Mater Wilde'a). Trochę mi też przypominała "Pogankę" Żmichowskiej.
Nie jest tak pięknie napisana jak Dorian czy Poganka, ale momentami autor naprawdę świetnie buduje napięcie. Cała historia jest frapująca i losy bohaterów śledzi się z zaciekawieniem.
Myślę, że warto dać tej książce szansę – szczególnie jeśli ktoś lubi powieści gotyckie.
Zawsze się trochę waham sięgając po stare powieści gotyckie, bo one potrafią mnie albo całkowicie rozczarować (bo są np. anachroniczne i nie przetrwały próby czasu) albo całkowicie zachwycić.
Z "Zaginionym Stradivariusem" jestem chyba gdzieś pomiędzy – zachwyt to nie jest, ale jednak historia mi się podobała.
Widać, że jest to książka swoich czasów – jest dekadentyzm, moralne zepsucie, estetyzm, wpływ sztuki na człowieka, mistycyzm, chrześcijaństwo vs. pogaństwo, duchy – czyli wszystko to, co niedźwiadki z końca XIX wieku lubią najbardziej.
Faktycznie coś tutaj jest z Doriana Graya – być może warto byłoby się zastanowić nad tymi powiązaniami, inspiracjami (ciekawe, że sytuacje na początku dzieją się w Magdalen College w Oksfodzie – a to przecież Alma Mater Wilde'a). Trochę mi też przypominała "Pogankę" Żmichowskiej.
Nie jest tak pięknie napisana jak Dorian czy Poganka, ale momentami autor naprawdę świetnie buduje napięcie. Cała historia jest frapująca i losy bohaterów śledzi się z zaciekawieniem.
Myślę, że warto dać tej książce szansę – szczególnie jeśli ktoś lubi powieści gotyckie.
July 27, 2021
I first heard of John Meade Falkner through the online literary club Soteria when Robin Davies spoke on him this year (2021). My curiosity sufficiently aroused, I purchased a copy of The Lost Stradivarius via ebay. I read it in two days.
The Lost Stradivarius is a short novel or long short story first published in 1895, a Gothic romance in the best tradition of She, Dracula and the tales of Sheridan Le Fanu, MR James and Edgar Allen Poe. I was also reminded of HP Lovecraft in the hinting in the tale at evils too horrific to be disclosed. Unspeakable blasphemies. The novel is an account of the sinister haunting and decline and fall of a young man blessed with all possible fortune, immense wealth, intelligence, good looks, a healthy body, musical talent and a beautiful and devoted wife.
This is a tale of a haunted and haunting Stradivarius and its long deceased owner, the Byronic Adrian Temple. (Nomen est omen). There is an underlying current in this well narrated tale of Christian belief in its struggle with Paganism and even neo-Platonism, being, it is suggested here, a portal which may open the way to a fatal vision, the vision of the Visio malefica. The slant of this book is towards the religion of the Cross against the wild natural impuslses of licentious pagan man. Music is posited as leading man either “high” into a finer awareness of his spiritual capacity or “lower” by scintillating his sensuous appetite.
This is a very well written gothic tale, a fine example of its kind.
If anyone is interested in Soteria, send me a message. Membership is free. One of our aims to draw attention to writers whom members may not be aware of or little are of, for example John Meade Falkner.
The Lost Stradivarius is a short novel or long short story first published in 1895, a Gothic romance in the best tradition of She, Dracula and the tales of Sheridan Le Fanu, MR James and Edgar Allen Poe. I was also reminded of HP Lovecraft in the hinting in the tale at evils too horrific to be disclosed. Unspeakable blasphemies. The novel is an account of the sinister haunting and decline and fall of a young man blessed with all possible fortune, immense wealth, intelligence, good looks, a healthy body, musical talent and a beautiful and devoted wife.
This is a tale of a haunted and haunting Stradivarius and its long deceased owner, the Byronic Adrian Temple. (Nomen est omen). There is an underlying current in this well narrated tale of Christian belief in its struggle with Paganism and even neo-Platonism, being, it is suggested here, a portal which may open the way to a fatal vision, the vision of the Visio malefica. The slant of this book is towards the religion of the Cross against the wild natural impuslses of licentious pagan man. Music is posited as leading man either “high” into a finer awareness of his spiritual capacity or “lower” by scintillating his sensuous appetite.
This is a very well written gothic tale, a fine example of its kind.
If anyone is interested in Soteria, send me a message. Membership is free. One of our aims to draw attention to writers whom members may not be aware of or little are of, for example John Meade Falkner.
March 14, 2017
John encuentra una partitura para violín y cuando la toca oye que alguien se sienta en una silla, sin embargo decide ignorar esto hasta que un día ve un hombre que le provoca terror.
La historia se enreda mas cuando encuentra un stradivarius.
La historia se enreda mas cuando encuentra un stradivarius.
January 16, 2023
Una godibile storia vittoriana dai toni gotici a base di fantasmi, violini stregati e misteriosi riti a cavallo tra l'Inghilterra e l'Italia di metà Ottocento.
Nel libro si racconta la sfortunata storia di John Maltravers, di come la scoperta di una meravigliosa melodia e il ritrovamento di un rarissimo violino di enorme valore (ma dall'oscuro passato) abbiano trascinato il giovane appassionato di musica in una spirale discendente di incubi e ossessione, il tutto sotto forma di resoconto destinato al figlio di quest'ultimo, ormai adulto.
Piacevole, fondata sulla suggestione come molti romanzi dell'epoca: per gli standard moderni è abbastanza low-key come horror, ma fa il suo lavoro ed è lunga il giusto.
Nel libro si racconta la sfortunata storia di John Maltravers, di come la scoperta di una meravigliosa melodia e il ritrovamento di un rarissimo violino di enorme valore (ma dall'oscuro passato) abbiano trascinato il giovane appassionato di musica in una spirale discendente di incubi e ossessione, il tutto sotto forma di resoconto destinato al figlio di quest'ultimo, ormai adulto.
Piacevole, fondata sulla suggestione come molti romanzi dell'epoca: per gli standard moderni è abbastanza low-key come horror, ma fa il suo lavoro ed è lunga il giusto.
April 6, 2023
Well written, suspenseful, and very vivid, descriptive scenes. Contrary to some factual contradictions in the text, the characters were very distinct and their behaviour was reasonable according to their dispositions.
Some lack of information in Sir Gaskell's final note and thus more mystery being left in the chain of events may have done some good, but it's alright as is too. One may require more knowledge of Neo-Platonism and aestheticism than I certainly have, but it's still fairly digestible.
Overall, 3.5 stars, .5 being deducted only due to the fact that I won't want to read this again.
Some lack of information in Sir Gaskell's final note and thus more mystery being left in the chain of events may have done some good, but it's alright as is too. One may require more knowledge of Neo-Platonism and aestheticism than I certainly have, but it's still fairly digestible.
Overall, 3.5 stars, .5 being deducted only due to the fact that I won't want to read this again.
February 12, 2020
Le vicende ruotano attorno ad una suite di un compositore settecentesco dalle caratteristiche molto particolari, quasi diaboliche, una suite che riesce ad irretire il giovane Sir John Maltravers fino a portarlo all'ossessione. Nulla potrà dissuaderlo dall'approfondire una storia ambigua e perversa legata a quella musica, ad un violino nascosto e ad un giovane sir, vissuto un secolo prima e morto in circostanze poco chiare a Napoli.
Questo breve romanzo è stato pubblicato nel 1895 ma è stato scritto in maniera davvero intrigante, con uno stile fluente e una precisa ed efficace caratterizzazione dei personaggi.
Questo breve romanzo è stato pubblicato nel 1895 ma è stato scritto in maniera davvero intrigante, con uno stile fluente e una precisa ed efficace caratterizzazione dei personaggi.
Want to read
April 25, 2023******************
*Moonfleet 4 stars
*The Lost Stradivarius TBR
*Moonfleet 4 stars
*The Lost Stradivarius TBR
November 22, 2024
Pubblicato nel 1895 è un bel romazo vittoriano, in stile gotico con una buona dose di fantasmi e spiritismo.
John Maltravers studia vive ad Oxford e ama passare le sue serate in compagnia dell'amico, Mr Gaskell, suonando uno il violino e l'altro il piano.
Quando l'amico porta da un viaggio in Italia delle nuove melodie, una in particolare, Aeropagita, crea una strana atmosfera ricca di suggestioni inquietanti.
Come ogni buona storia vittoriana, anche questa viene narrata dalla sorella di John al nipote ormai adulto sotto forma di una lunga lettera.
La melodia sembra riportare in vita uno strano spettatore che occupa puntualmente una sedia a dondolo e non manca mai di farla cigolare quando lascia la stanza.
Il ritrovamento di uno Stradivari nascosto in uno stipo ormai murato da anni di stati di vernice complica la situazione del giovane.
Questo fatto causa il primo mutamento in lui. Si chiude in se stesso, non fa partecipe del ritrovamento neanche il suo amico, la cupidigia sembra impossessarsi di lui che ormai brama l'oggetto e la sua storia.
Dopo questo primo cedimento al lato oscuro, ci sarà un progressivo deterioramento, fisico e morale, con un epilogo tristemente immaginabile.
Inutile dilungarsi sull'identità dell'uomo misterioso e sulla vita dissoluta del primo possessore dello Stradivari "posseduto".
Le coincidenze e le rivelazioni vanno ad incastrarsi in un puzzle perfetto.
La nota finale di Mr Gaskell giunge a chiarire ciò che Sophia Maltravers ignorava e che solo un buon amico poteva sapere.
John Maltravers studia vive ad Oxford e ama passare le sue serate in compagnia dell'amico, Mr Gaskell, suonando uno il violino e l'altro il piano.
Quando l'amico porta da un viaggio in Italia delle nuove melodie, una in particolare, Aeropagita, crea una strana atmosfera ricca di suggestioni inquietanti.
Come ogni buona storia vittoriana, anche questa viene narrata dalla sorella di John al nipote ormai adulto sotto forma di una lunga lettera.
La melodia sembra riportare in vita uno strano spettatore che occupa puntualmente una sedia a dondolo e non manca mai di farla cigolare quando lascia la stanza.
Il ritrovamento di uno Stradivari nascosto in uno stipo ormai murato da anni di stati di vernice complica la situazione del giovane.
Questo fatto causa il primo mutamento in lui. Si chiude in se stesso, non fa partecipe del ritrovamento neanche il suo amico, la cupidigia sembra impossessarsi di lui che ormai brama l'oggetto e la sua storia.
Dopo questo primo cedimento al lato oscuro, ci sarà un progressivo deterioramento, fisico e morale, con un epilogo tristemente immaginabile.
Inutile dilungarsi sull'identità dell'uomo misterioso e sulla vita dissoluta del primo possessore dello Stradivari "posseduto".
Le coincidenze e le rivelazioni vanno ad incastrarsi in un puzzle perfetto.
La nota finale di Mr Gaskell giunge a chiarire ciò che Sophia Maltravers ignorava e che solo un buon amico poteva sapere.
March 9, 2021
Come svaccare delle buone premesse.
Recensione in arrivo (probabilmente)...
Recensione in arrivo (probabilmente)...
January 29, 2018
Secondo i filosofi e i teologi medievali il male è, nella sua essenza, talmente orrendo che, se la mente umana riuscisse ad averne piena coscienza, nel contemplarlo morirebbe.
Definire come una ghost story uno dei pochi racconti lunghi di John Meade Falkner è veramente riduttivo. L'ambientazione è gotica, la tematica quasi una disserzione della lotta tra le forze del Bene del Male sull'uomo, ma il tono non è solo quello di una ghost story: è (soprattutto) un'indagine, un segreto che ha atteso secoli (e ancora ne attenderà) prima di essere completamente svelato.
Nonostante poi questa sia una traduzione dell'opera originale, lo stile mantiene un registro squisitamente ricercato del XIX secolo.
Unica nota negativa (parere soggettivo): le annotazioni finali di Mr Gaskell, come aggiunta e chiarimento dell'intera vicenda, anche se contribuiscono innegabilmente all'atmosfera del libro. Non da ultimo, è stato un personaggio che ha saputo conquistarmi fin dalle prime pagine, quindi è una "pecca" facilmente perdonabile.
[...] Una sera, mentre John riponeva il violino dopo una lunga serie di sonate senza aver eseguito l"Areopagita", Mr Gaskell, che si era alzato dal pianoforte, come mosso da un impulso improvviso tornò a sedersi e disse: "Johnnie, non mettere ancora via il violino. Sono quasi le dodici e resterò chiuso fuori dai cancelli, ma questa sera non posso finire senza suonare la gagliarda. Poniamo che tutte le nostre teorie su vibrazioni e affinità siano errate, che veramente qui, una sera dopo l'altra, ci venga ad ascoltare qualche strano visitatore, qualche povera creatura il cui cuore è inestricabilmente legato a quell'aria; non sarebbe ingeneroso lasciarlo andar via senza sentire il pezzo che sembra piacergli più di tutti? Non siamo scortesi, passiamogli questo capriccio; suoniamo la gagliarda".
January 25, 2020
This book tapped that feeling I sometimes get that the spirit world is very close, just out of reach, and that maybe with the right incantation, or talisman, or amulet I might be able to break through the divide that separates me from it and have some converse with it. And how the story is told draws on that feeling you get when someone you trust is telling you a story concerning something supernatural or paranormal that may have happened to them. Exchanges like those can make the skin crawl on all but the most unimaginative of people. Using these Falkner tells a tale of the seductiveness of the occult, and the ultimate destruction waiting for those who might dabble with it, or court it.
I’ve read several of these English Gothic novels and I would rank "The Last Stradivarius" at the very top of them in terms of effectiveness. It’s more memorable to me than "The Castle of Otranto", or "The Mysteries of Udolpho", or "The Monk". It reminded me at times of Bram Stoker’s "Dracula" with its epistolary voice, and especially with its pacing, economy and ability to pull me along irresistibly. I was hooked by page five and the enchantment never flagged.
This novel might also be read as a metaphor for the artist, and for the artist’s obsession with his or her craft, or the artist’s effort to transcend the mundane. And there might be something important here in the idea of “resonance.”
I’ve read several of these English Gothic novels and I would rank "The Last Stradivarius" at the very top of them in terms of effectiveness. It’s more memorable to me than "The Castle of Otranto", or "The Mysteries of Udolpho", or "The Monk". It reminded me at times of Bram Stoker’s "Dracula" with its epistolary voice, and especially with its pacing, economy and ability to pull me along irresistibly. I was hooked by page five and the enchantment never flagged.
This novel might also be read as a metaphor for the artist, and for the artist’s obsession with his or her craft, or the artist’s effort to transcend the mundane. And there might be something important here in the idea of “resonance.”
March 28, 2011
This was the first book I read on my new e-reader, and the dictionary-at-my-fingertips feature was much used and appreciated. It is written in elegant Victorian -era English. The book is billed as a ghost story or a horror story, but I would categorize it more along the lines of a mystery. Victorian horror stories bear no resemblance to the modern horror genre !
An English gentleman finds a fine Stradivarius violin, along with the diary of its former owner, hidden in a secret cupboard. He becomes obsessed with duplicating the music and lifestyle of the past owner, even to the point of being snagged into the Neo-Platonistic and pagan philosophies that he
practiced. Sadly, this constituted the demise of the new owner, from which he never recovered. There was no "happily ever after" but yet there was a satisfying conclusion that drew meaning from sordid events.
This is a short book, with well drawn characters and a moral point. The point is that music has power over the human spirit, and as such can be an instrument to lead one into temptation.
I had never heard of this book or its author; I downloaded it as a freebie because I liked the evocative title. It was a little gem of a find and I have now scouted out 2 other titles by this author that I plan to read.
An English gentleman finds a fine Stradivarius violin, along with the diary of its former owner, hidden in a secret cupboard. He becomes obsessed with duplicating the music and lifestyle of the past owner, even to the point of being snagged into the Neo-Platonistic and pagan philosophies that he
practiced. Sadly, this constituted the demise of the new owner, from which he never recovered. There was no "happily ever after" but yet there was a satisfying conclusion that drew meaning from sordid events.
This is a short book, with well drawn characters and a moral point. The point is that music has power over the human spirit, and as such can be an instrument to lead one into temptation.
I had never heard of this book or its author; I downloaded it as a freebie because I liked the evocative title. It was a little gem of a find and I have now scouted out 2 other titles by this author that I plan to read.
January 1, 2021
The Lost Stradivarius by John Meade Falkner is a gripping tale of a young well-to-do man, John Maltravers, finding the Lost Stradivarius hidden while away at Oxford. The finding would not have been so bad, but he chose to keep and play it, and then suffered the associated evil. This was a stunning story that kept my attention for the entire book. I can't wait to read more from John Meade Falkner,
August 24, 2013
Music brings an uncanny being into the life of a young Oxford student and upon finding a certain violin in a hidden compartment in his room, he only exacerbates these unwanted supernatural forces which control his life to his death... Causing him to travel miles and sacrifice his values to find the source of this evil...
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