The Box of Playing Stamps

The classic of German literature invites you on an astonishing journey through abandoned attics of Berlin, smoke-filled clubs of London, dark castles of France, depraved Algerian variety theaters, and exotic ports of China. In this setting, the most terrifying horror that a sophisticated mind can invent comes to life. Listen and decide for yourself—what is worse: revenge by a wife who betrayed you, or revenge by a husband who was deceived; experiments of a mad scientist or obsession of a talented artist?

At the beginning of the 20th century, Hans Ewers was called the heir of Hoffmann and rightly considered the main continuator of the traditions of gothic novels. The writer created intricate stories that were enthusiastically received not only in Germany, but also in France, England, the USA, and the Russian Empire. H. P. Lovecraft admired how the author “grounds his dark concepts in excellent knowledge of psychology.” In addition, Ewers was fascinated by cinema, and in 1913 wrote a screenplay for the film “The Student of Prague”—which, according to critics, is the first full-length horror film in world cinema.

For this collection, we recorded stories translated into Russian by the “A. F. Marx Publishing and Printing Partnership” in 1908–1911: “The Spider,” “The Egyptian Bride,” “Stanislava d’Aspe’s Last Will,” “A Box for Playing Cards,” “The End of John Hamilton Llewelyn.”