Bøger af Shirley Jackson

The best-known of Shirley Jackson's novels and a major inspiration for writers like Neil Gaiman and Stephen King as well as the hit Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House is a chilling story of the power of fear'Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written' Donna TarttAlone in the world, Eleanor is delighted to take up Dr Montague's invitation to spend a summer in the mysterious Hill House. Joining them are Theodora, an artistic 'sensitive', and Luke, heir to the house. But what begins as a light-hearted experiment is swiftly proven to be a trip into their darkest nightmares, and an investigation that one of their number may not survive. Twice filmed as The Haunting, and the inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House is a powerful work of slow-burning psychological horror.'An amazing writer ... If you haven't read her you have missed out on something marvellous' Neil Gaiman 'As nearly perfect a haunted-house tale as I have ever read' Stephen King'The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable' A. M. Homes 'Shirley Jackson is one of those highly idiosyncratic, inimitable writers...whose work exerts an enduring spell' Joyce Carol Oates

Shirley Jackson's masterpiece: the deliciously dark and funny story of Merricat, tomboy teenager, beloved sister - and possible lunatic. 'Her greatest book ... at once whimsical and harrowing, a miniaturist's charmingly detailed fantasy sketched inside a mausoleum ... Through depths and depths and bloodwarm depths we fall, until the surface is only an eerie gleam high above, nearly forgotten; and the deeper we sink, the deeper we want to go' Donna Tartt, author of The GoldfinchLiving in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family. This Penguin edition includes an afterword by the acclaimed novelist Joyce Carol Oates. All Shirley Jackson's other novels, plus The Lottery and Other Stories, are available in Penguin Modern Classics.Shirley Jackson was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lotterywas first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the most iconic American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial,The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. In addition to her dark, brilliant novels, she wrote lightly fictionalized magazine pieces about family life with her four children and her husband, the critic Stanley Edgar Hyman. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep in 1965 at the age of 48.'The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable ... She is a true master' A. M. Homes'A masterpiece of Gothic suspense' Joyce Carol Oates'If you haven't read We Have Always Lived in the Castle ... you have missed out on something marvellous' Neil Gaiman

The perfect read for Hallowe'en, this new hardback volume of Jackson's finest stories reveals the queen of American gothic at her unsettling, mesmerising bestThere's something nasty in suburbia. In these deliciously dark tales, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the country manor, and from the small-town apartment to the dark, dark woods...

The unsettling story of a young woman's descent into mental illness, from the author of The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived at the Castle. 'An amazing writer' Neil GaimanElizabeth Richmond is almost too quiet to be believed, with no friends, no parents, and a job that leaves her strangely unnoticed. But soon she starts to behave in ways she can neither control nor understand, to the increasing horror of her doctor, and the humiliation of her self-centred aunt. As a tormented Elizabeth becomes two people, then three, then four, each wilder and more wicked than the last, a battle of wills threatens to destroy the girl and all who surround her. The Bird's Nest is a macabre journey into who we are, and how close we sometimes come to the brink of madness. Shirley Jackson's chilling tales of creeping unease and casual cruelty have the power to unsettle and terrify unlike any other. She was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the most iconic American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48. 'The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable ... It is a place where things are not what they seem; even on a morning that is sunny and clear there is always the threat of darkness looming, of things taking a turn for the worse' - A. M. Homes Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders' - Dorothy Parker 'Shirley Jackson is one of those highly idiosyncratic, inimitable writers ... whose work exerts an enduring spell' - Joyce Carol Oates

This is the definitive collection of Shirley Jackson's short stories, including 'The Lottery' - one of the most terrifying and iconic stories of the twentieth century, and an influence on writers such as Neil Gaiman and Stephen King.'Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written' Donna TarttIn these stories an excellent host finds himself turned out of home by his own guests; a woman spends her wedding day frantically searching for her husband-to-be; and in Shirley Jackson's best-known story, a small farming village comes together for a terrible annual ritual. The creeping unease of lives squandered and the bloody glee of lives lost is chillingly captured in these tales of wasted potential and casual cruelty by a master of the short story. Shirley Jackson's chilling tales have the power to unsettle and terrify unlike any other. She was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the greatest American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48. 'An amazing writer ... if you haven't read any of her short stories ... you have missed out on something marvellous' Neil Gaiman'Her stories are stunning, timeless - as relevant and terrifying now as when they were first published ... 'The Lottery' is so much an icon in the history of the American short story that one could argue it has moved from the canon of American twentieth-century fiction directly into the American psyche, our collective unconscious' A. M. Homes

Hun drejede bilen ind på det sidste stykke af indkørslen og befandt sig pludselig ansigt til ansigt med Hill House, og uden at tænke trampede hun bremsen i bund og stirrede måbende frem for sig.Huset var afskyeligt. Hun skælvede, og i hendes sind opstod uden videre tanken: Hill House er afskyeligt, det er sygt; skynd dig væk herfra med det samme. Fire søgende sjæle flytter ind i det forladte Hill House, der står stolt og uligevægtigt mellem sine bakker. Dag for dag strammer huset sit greb om dem. Det smækker med dørene, hvisker i natten og rækker ud ef­ter dem med sit mørke. Måske bør de alle bryde op, før det er for sent. Men Hill House er ved at samle sine kræfter, og det har ikke i sinde at slippe gæsterne så let. Shirley Jacksons Mørket i Hill House (engelsk: The Hauting of Hill House) er skrevet i 1959 og anses for en af det tyvende århundredes bedste gyserromaner. Den er forlæg for to film og en populær tv-serie på Netflix. Dette er første gang, romanen udkommer på dansk.

Elizabeth Richmond er stille og ordentlig. Hun nærer ingen stærke følelser, hverken for sit kedelige job eller den aparte tante Morgen, hun bor hos. Men pludselig begynder hendes ensformige liv at brydes af sære optrin, anonyme trusselsbreve og spildte timer, hun ikke kan gøre rede for.Ved psykiateren doktor Wrights tvivlsomme mellemkomst begynder det langsomt at stå klart, at der er mere end én personlighed på spil i Elizabeths krop, og snart bliver både tante og doktor vidne til den bizarre magtkamp, der udspiller sig mellem den unge kvindes stridende personaer.Fuglereden giver et indfølende og humoristisk portræt af en spaltet personlighed og kaster lys over den galskab, som sitrer lige under overfladen hos os alle.Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) var med sin sorte humor, sine sære karakterer og sin foruroligende indsigt i menneskesindets skyggesider en af det tyvende århundredes mest banebrydende forfatterstemmer.

Lige siden giftmordet, der tog livet af næsten hele familien Blackwood, har de lokale set skævt til huset bag det høje hegn. Merricat Blackwood bor der stadig med sin søster Constance og deres gamle onkel, og livet går roligt videre for dem alle tre. Constance pusler i haven og køkkenet, onkel Julian nusser med sine papirer, og Merricat begraver sølvmønter ved bækken og hvisker hemmelige ord i mørket for at holde dem fri for onde øjne. Men der er forandring på vej. Da søstrenes fætter Charles trænger ind i huset og begynder at forstyrre de faste rutiner, er det kun Merri­cat, der aner faren. Og kun hun kan drive ham bort, før det er for sent, og Blackwoodfamiliens hemmeligheder kommer frem i lyset. Vi har altid boet på slottet et af Shirley Jacksons mesterværker. Den udkom første gang i 1962, men det er først nu, at den findes i en dansk oversættelse. Leonora Christina skov har skrevet bogens forord. Shirley Jackson var en foregangskvinde inden for den moderne gotiske litteratur og er blevet kaldt en af det tyvende århundredes mest indflydelsesrige forfattere. Hun har inspireret en lang række forfattere inden for gyser- og gotikgenren, bl.a. Stephen King og Donna Tartt.

The greatest haunted house story ever written, the inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, and Timothy Hutton First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a ';haunting'; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powersand soon it will choose one of them to make its own. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Reminiscent of her classic story 'The Lottery', Jackson's disturbing and darkly funny first novel exposes the underside of American suburban life.'Her books penetrate keenly to the terrible truths which sometimes hide behind comfortable fictions, to the treachery beneath cheery neighborhood faces and the plain manners of country folk; to the threat that sparkles at the rainbow's edge of the sprinkler spray on even the greenest lawns, on the sunniest of midsummer mornings' Donna TarttIn Pepper Street, an attractive suburban neighbourhood filled with bullies and egotistical bigots, the feelings of the inhabitants are shallow and selfish: what can a neighbour gain from another neighbour, what may be won from a friend? One child stands alone in her goodness: little Caroline Desmond, kind, sweet and gentle, and the pride of her family. But the malice and self-absorption of the people of Pepper Street lead to a terrible event that will destroy the community of which they are so proud. Exposing the murderous cruelty of children, and the blindness and selfishness of adults, Shirley Jackson reveals the ugly truth behind a 'perfect' world.Shirley Jackson's chilling tales have the power to unsettle and terrify unlike any other. She was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the greatest American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48.'An amazing writer' Neil Gaiman'Shirley Jackson is one of those highly idiosyncratic, inimitable writers ... whose work exerts an enduring spell' Joyce Carol Oates'An unburnished exercise in the sinister' The New York Times

Shirley Jackson's Hangsaman is a story of lurking disquiet and haunting disorientation, inspired by the real-life, unsolved disappearance of a female college student.'Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written' Donna Tartt, author of The GoldfinchNatalie Waite, daughter of a mediocre writer and a neurotic housewife, is increasingly unsure of her place in the world. In the midst of adolescence she senses a creeping darkness in her life, which will spread among nightmarish parties, poisonous college cliques and the manipulations of the intellectual men who surround her, as her identity gradually crumbles.This edition includes a Foreword by Francine Prose.Shirley Jackson's chilling tales have the power to unsettle and terrify unlike any other. She was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the greatest American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five more: Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48.'An amazing writer' Neil Gaiman'The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable ... It is a place where things are not what they seem; even on a morning that is sunny and clear there is always the threat of darkness looming, of things taking a turn for the worse' A. M. Homes'Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders' Dorothy Parker

»I rollen som mor tager jeg nu og da mig selv i at sidde måbende og rædselsslagen over for mine egne børn.«Shirley Jackson er bredt anerkendt for sin underspillede horror og uhyggelige sans for menneskesindets skyggesider, og klassikerne Lotteriet og Mørket i Hill House er blevet genopdaget i hele verden. Samtidig med at hun var det makabres mester, var Shirley Jackson en skarpsynet portrættør af hverdagens familieliv.Livet blandt de vilde er en samling ætsende morsomme og stærkt selvbiografiske fortællinger om at være forfatter på deltid og hjemmegående husmor på fuldtid – en jobbeskrivelse, der kunne være lige så frygtindgydende som hendes mørkeste gyserhistorier.I bogens fortællinger slås hun med fyret i kælderen, børnenes løbske fantasi, en lykkeligt uvidende ægtemand og et evigt voksende husligt kaos. Det hele beskrives med stor humor og kærlighed – men også altid med bid.Bogen er af The New York Times omtalt som »overraskende moderne – primært fordi hun nægter at sentimentalisere eller idealisere moderskabet«, mens Joyce Carol Oates har fremhævet, hvordan »en husmorkones frustrationer forvandles med et kyndigt vrid i håndleddet, ikke til en dyster beskrivelse af galskab og opløsning, ej heller til en historie om at forgifte sin familie, men til munter komedie.«Det er første gang, Livet blandt de vilde udkommer på dansk. Bogen udkom i 1953, men teksterne blev oprindeligt bragt i magasiner som Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day og Mademoiselle.Cecilie Lind har skrevet forord.

"Jackson at her best: plumbing the extraordinary from the depths of mid-twentieth-century common. [Just an Ordinary Day] is a gift to a new generation."-San Francisco ChronicleAcclaimed in her own time for her short story "The Lottery" and her novel The Haunting of Hill House-classics ranking with the work of Edgar Allan Poe-Shirley Jackson blazed a path for contemporary writers with her explorations of evil, madness, and cruelty. Soon after her untimely death in 1965, Jackson's children discovered a treasure trove of previously unpublished and uncollected stories, many of which are brought together in this remarkable collection. Here are tales of torment, psychological aberration, and the macabre, as well as those that display her lighter touch with humorous scenes of domestic life. Reflecting the range and complexity of Jackson's talent, Just an Ordinary Day reaffirms her enduring influence and celebrates her singular voice, rich with magic and resonance. Praise for Shirley Jackson "[Jackson's] work exerts an enduring spell."-Joyce Carol Oates "Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written."-Donna Tartt "An amazing writer . . . If you haven't read [Jackson] you have missed out on something marvelous."-Neil Gaiman "Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders."-Dorothy Parker "An author who not only writes beautifully but who knows what there is, in this world, to be scared of."-Francine Prose "The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable."-A. M. Homes "Jackson enjoyed notoriety and commercial success within her lifetime, and yet it still hardly seems like enough for a writer so singular. When I meet readers and other writers of my generation, I find that mentioning her is like uttering a holy name."-Victor LaValle

Eighteen-year-old Merricat may, or may not be, a mass murdererSix years ago everyone in the Blackwood family was poisoned by sugar laced with arsenic - everyone, that is, apart from Merricat and her elder sister Constance. They live in peaceful, ordered isolation, away from prying eyes in the nearby village, until one day boorish cousin Charles arrives with designs on their father's fortune. Whether by practical or magical means, Merricat will do whatever is necessary to protect their home.

»I rollen som mor tager jeg nu og da mig selv i at sidde måbende og rædselsslagen over for mine egne børn.«Shirley Jackson er bredt anerkendt for sin underspillede horror og uhyggelige sans for menneskesindets skyggesider, og klassikerne Lotteriet og Mørket i Hill House er blevet genopdaget i hele verden. Samtidig med at hun var det makabres mester, var Shirley Jackson en skarpsynet portrættør af hverdagens familieliv.Livet blandt de vilde er en samling ætsende morsomme og stærkt selvbiografiske fortællinger om at være forfatter på deltid og hjemmegående husmor på fuldtid – en jobbeskrivelse, der kunne være lige så frygtindgydende som hendes mørkeste gyserhistorier.I bogens fortællinger slås hun med fyret i kælderen, børnenes løbske fantasi, en lykkeligt uvidende ægtemand og et evigt voksende husligt kaos. Det hele beskrives med stor humor og kærlighed – men også altid med bid.Bogen er af The New York Times omtalt som »overraskende moderne – primært fordi hun nægter at sentimentalisere eller idealisere moderskabet«, mens Joyce Carol Oates har fremhævet, hvordan »en husmorkones frustrationer forvandles med et kyndigt vrid i håndleddet, ikke til en dyster beskrivelse af galskab og opløsning, ej heller til en historie om at forgifte sin familie, men til munter komedie.«Det er første gang, Livet blandt de vilde udkommer på dansk.Cecilie Lind har skrevet forord.Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) betegnes ofte som dronningen af moderne gotisk litteratur. Hun har inspireret en lang række forfattere i det 20. og 21. århundrede. På dansk er tidligere udkommer Vi har altid boet på slottet, Mørket i Hill House, Fuglereden og Lotteriet og andre noveller.

Novellen 'Lotteriet' er pensum på mange amerikanske skoler og ses som et af Shirley Jacksons hovedværker. I denne samling er den ikoniske noveller suppleret af 19 andre udvalgt særligt til Jacksons danske publikum.Fortællingerne i Lotteriet og andre noveller er både lette og humoristiske, psykologisk spidsfindige og uforglemmeligt skræmmende. De viser tilsammen Jacksons spændvidde og evne til at beskrive den menneskelige psyke og dens mange lag. For hun forstod, at det moderne livs uhygge ikke skulle findes i hjemsøgelser og vold, men i menneskesindets mørke understrøm.Dette er fjerde bind i Alhambras serie af Jackson-udgivelser og indledes med et forord af forfatter Ursula Scavenius.

In a hilariously charming domestic memoir, America's celebrated master of terror turns to a different kind of fright: raising children-a lighthearted gift for your literary mother on Mother's Day. In her celebrated fiction, Shirley Jackson explored the darkness lurking beneath the surface of small-town America. But in Life Among the Savages, she takes on the lighter side of small-town life. In this witty and warm memoir of her family's life in rural Vermont, she delightfully exposes a domestic side in cheerful contrast to her quietly terrifying fiction. With a novelist's gift for character, an unfailing maternal instinct, and her signature humor, Jackson turns everyday family experiences into brilliant adventures.

In the uproarious sequel to Life Among the Savages, the author of The Haunting of Hill House confronts the most vexing demons yet: her childrenIn the long out-of-print sequel to Life Among the Savages, Jackson's four children have grown from savages into full-fledged demons. After bursting the seams of their first house, Jackson's clan moves into a larger home. Of course, the chaos simply moves with them. A confrontation with the IRS, Little League, trumpet lessons, and enough clutter to bury her alive—Jackson spins them all into an indelible reminder that every bit as thrilling as a murderous family in a haunted house is a happy family in a new home.

Stories of magic, superstition, and witchcraft were strictly forbidden in the little town of Salem Village. But a group of young girls ignored those rules, spellbound by the tales told by a woman named Tituba. When questioned about their activities, the terrified girls set off a whirlwind of controversy as they accused townsperson after townsperson of being witches. Author Shirley Jackson examines in careful detail this horrifying true story of accusations, trials, and executions that shook a community to its foundations.

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil.Step into the unsettling world of Shirley Jackson with a collection of her finest, creepiest short stories, revealing the queen of American gothic at her mesmerising best. This selection includes 'The Lottery', Jackson's masterpiece and one of the most terrifying and iconic stories of the twentieth century.'An amazing writer ... If you haven't read her you have missed out on something marvellous' Neil Gaiman

»Tanken om at smadre det tunge askebæger ned i hans hoved var aldrig tidligere faldet Margaret ind, men nu kunne hun ikke komme af med den. Hun flyttede uroligt på sig i stolen og tænkte: Sikke en forfærdelig tanke at få, hvad i alverden fik mig dog til at tænke sådan?«fra novellen ‘Sikke en tanke’Shirley Jacksons ‘Lotteriet’ er blandt det engelske sprogs mest læste og omdiskuterede noveller. I denne samling, der for første gang præsenterer Jacksons korte fiktion på dansk, optræder den sammen med 19 andre særligt udvalgte fortællinger.Nogle er skæve og humoristiske, andre behandler menneskers hverdagsondskab og fremmedgørelse for sig selv, og andre igen er næsten rene gyserhistorier. Fælles for dem alle er, at de hver især er præget af Jacksons følsomme og mørkt humoristiske udforskning af den menneskelige psykologi og det moderne livs subtile uhygge.Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) var foregangskvinde inden for den moderne gotiske litteratur og en af det tyvende århundredes mest indflydelsesrige forfattere. Hun har inspireret en lang række forfattere inden for gyser- og gotikgenren, bl.a. Stephen King og Donna Tartt, og har også en stor fanskare blandt danske forfattere.

Ved psykiateren doktor Wrights tvivlsomme mellemkomst begynder det langsomt at stå klart, at der er mere end én personlighed på spil i Elizabeths psyke, og snart bliver både tante og doktor vidne til den bizarre magtkamp, der udspiller sig mellem den unge kvindes stridende personaer.Fuglereden kaster lys over vores indre dæmoner og den galskab, som kan sitre lige under overfladen hos os alle. Hvem er ’den rigtige’ Elizabeth? Hvilken rolle spiller tante Morgen? Har dr. Wright rent mel i posen? Hvem tør man tro på?Fuglereden er et mesterværk fra Shirley Jacksons hånd. Vi ledes og forledes, vi opdager, at intet er, som det ser ud, og at gåden ikke nemt lader sig løse. Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen skriver i bogens forord:»Romanen stiller sin læser over for et mysterium, et stykke detektivarbejde. Den giver tegn, der skal tydes, lokker med falske ledetråde, er en kode, der skal knækkes. Fortællerperspektivet skifter fra karakter til karakter. Som læser må man vælge, hvem man vil tro på, men Shirley Jackson giver ingen simple svar. I hendes univers er svaret sjældent enten/eller.«

From the author of The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, four classic novels of subtle psychological horror.Shirley Jackson--the beloved author of The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle--is more and more being recognized as one of the finest writers of the American gothic tradition, a true heir of Edgar Allan Poe and Henry James. Now, Jackson''s award-winning biographer Ruth Franklin gathers the subtle, chilling, hypnotic novels with which she began her unique career. Her haunting debut tale The Road Through the Wall (1948) explores the secret desires, petty hatreds, and ultimate terrors that lurk beneath the picture-perfect domesticities of a suburban California neighborhood. In Hangsaman (1951)--inspired by the real-life disappearance of a Bennington College sophomore--the precocious but lonely Natalie Waite grows increasingly dependent on an imaginary friend. The Bird''s Nest (1954) has not one but four protagonists: the shy, demure young Elizabeth and, revealed with a series of surprising twists, her other, multiple personalities. At the beginning of The Sundial (1958), the eccentric Halloran clan, gathered at the family manse for a funeral, becomes convinced that the world is about to end and that only those who remain in the house shall be saved. In what is perhaps her most unsettling novel, Jackson follows their crazed, violent preparations for the afterlife. Here is the perfect companion to Shirley Jackson: Novels & Stories, Library of America''s edition of Jackson''s landmark story collection, The Lottery, and her brilliant late novels The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

En rigtig gyser foregår i hjemmet. Huset som den ukendte modstander går helt tilbage til Horace Walpoles Slottet i Otranto fra 1764, og det bruges stadig i horrorlitteraturen i dag. Det, der burde være vores base og vores skjold, vender sig pludselig imod os. Sådan er det også i Shirley Jacksons mesterværk fra 1959, hvor huset har den altoverskyggende hovedrolle. I Mørket i Hill House følger vi fire søgende sjæle. De flytter ind i det forladte Hill House, der står stolt og uligevægtigt mellem sine bakker. Dag for dag strammer huset sit greb om dem. Det smækker med dørene, hvisker i natten og rækker ud ef­ter dem med sit mørke. Måske bør de alle bryde op, før det er for sent. Men Hill House er ved at samle sine kræfter, og det har ikke i sinde at slippe gæsterne så let.Shirley Jackson (1919-1965) var foregangskvinde inden for den moderne gotiske litteratur og en af det tyvende århundredes mest indflydelsesrige forfattere. Hun har inspireret en lang række forfattere inden for gyser- og gotikgenren, bl.a. Stephen King og Donna Tartt.

»Mit navn er Mary Katherine Blackwood. Jeg er atten år gammel, og jeg bor sammen med min søster Constance. Jeg har ofte tænkt, at jeg med lidt held kunne være blevet født som varulv, for de to midterste fingre på begge mine hænder er lige lange, men jeg har måttet stille mig tilfreds med det, jeg har. Jeg kan ikke lide at vaske mig, hunde eller støj. Jeg kan godt lide min søster Constance, Richard Plantagenet og Amanita phalloides, den grønne fluesvamp. Alle andre i min familie er døde«.Sådan begynder Vi har altid boet på slottet. Og sådan fortsætter den. Romanen er en klassiker inden for den moderne gotik, et heksebryg af sære karakterer, stemningsmættet prosa og sort, sort humor. Lige siden giftmordet, der tog livet af næsten hele familien Blackwood, har de lokale set skævt til huset bag det høje hegn. Merricat Blackwood bor der stadig med sin søster Constance og deres gamle onkel, og livet går roligt videre for dem alle tre. Constance pusler i haven og køkkenet, onkel Julian nusser med sine papirer, og Merricat begraver sølvmønter ved bækken og hvisker hemmelige ord i mørket for at holde dem fri for onde øjne. Men der er forandring på vej. Da søstrenes fætter Charles trænger ind i huset og begynder at forstyrre de faste rutiner, er det kun Merricat, der aner faren. Og kun hun kan drive ham bort, før det er for sent, og Blackwoodfamiliens hemmeligheder kommer frem i lyset.