Henry James’ acclaimed suspense novel
Set in a crumbling Venetian villa, The Aspern Papers is the story of an American editor’s determination to acquire a collection of unpublished letters ... at any cost. The letters were written by the editor’s favorite Romantic poet, Jeffrey Asper, to his mistress.
In hopes of gaining access to the letters, he presents himself to the now elderly mistress, Miss Bordereau, who lives a modest existence in a dilapidated old palazzo. Posing as a prospective lodger, he introduces himself to Miss Bordereau and begins courting her spinster niece, Tina. As the editor’s obsessive mission leads him into increasingly unscrupulous behavior, he finds that his desire can be obtained only at the price of his honor. A brilliant work of psychological fiction, The Aspern Papers is Henry James at his most suspenseful.
Henry James (1843–1916), American novelist, short-story writer, and man of letters, was born in Washington Place, New York, to a family of distinguished philosophers and theologians. He attended schools in New York, Boston, and throughout Europe, where he later settled. A major figure in the history of the novel, he is celebrated as a master craftsman who brought his great art and impeccable technique to bear in the development of abiding moral themes.
David Thorn spent his childhood in the Channel Islands off the coast of France, was schooled in England, and then immigrated to the United States at the age of twenty-three. He is retired from international commerce and currently resides in California.