Weird Tales, Vol. 2

An argument in an art gallery opens into the troubled history of Venice. A painting shows an elderly Doge beside his richly dressed young wife, whose sadness contrasts with the splendour around them. When two visitors discuss the scene, a stranger identifies its figures as Marino Falieri and Annunciata and offers to tell their story. His account begins with enemy ships near Venice, hurried preparations for defence and the election of a ruler to guide the threatened city.

E. T. A. Hoffmann's collection also includes Master Martin the Cooper, Mademoiselle de Scudéri and Master Johannes Wacht, with biographical notes. In another excerpt, the goldsmith Olivier Brusson witnesses a killing and fears René Cardillac, the father of the woman he loves. Cardillac's offer of work and acceptance makes Brusson's position more troubling. Translated from German by J. T. Bealby, these tales give readers a mixture of historical storytelling, artistic concerns and suspicion within close relationships.