Whiskey-soaked collection of weird tales from Jean Ray, the French pseudonym of Belgian writer Raymundus Joannes de Kremer (1887–1964). This story collection is Ray’s first published book from 1925, although this new edition from Wakefield Press is the first full English translation of the book by World Fantasy Award-winning writer Scott Nicolay.
I was not very familiar with Ray, who has been called the “Belgian Poe.” This collection serves as a wonderful introduction to his work. I found these stories strange and obsessive, ranging from clever supernatural tales, stories of otherworldly terror similar to H.P. Lovecraft’s work, and brief character sketches of drunks and outcasts. Ray’s prose style is lean, fast-paced, and pulpy, and it’s easy to see why the book was a hit when it was first published.
My favorite of the stories is The Strange Studies of Dr. Paukenschläger, which Nicolay translated into English for the first time. It’s a wonderful Lovecraftian story about a reporter who encounters a mad scientist on the road. The scientist reveals that he’s created a machine that has exposed a parallel world inhabited by hideous monsters. It’s a weird, pulpy, tightly-constructed story with eerie touches.
Nicolay provides an incisive introduction to this volume that measures Ray’s contributions to weird fiction and explains why he became fascinated with his work. The introduction also confronts several problematic aspects about Ray.
Shortly after this book was published, Ray was convicted of fraud and spent two years in prison, where he produced some of his most celebrated stories.
The other disturbing aspect of Ray is his anti-Semitism. On first reading this volume, several anti-Semitic passages, sprinkled generously throughout, stand out and provide jarring distractions. It’s clear that these passages are not simply intended to add shading or detail to characters, for it is often the narrator who resorts to anti-Semitic rants. Earlier editions of this book removed these offensive passages, but Nicolay opted to restore them to faithfully reflect the original French text. I salute Nicolay’s honesty and transparency. Ray’s work deserves to be studied and appreciated, but it would be wrong for editors or translators to sanitize it for popular consumption.
In an appendix, Nicolay supplies delightful translator notes. In addition to highlighting the challenges of translating idiomatic expressions, the notes provide helpful historical, literary, and geographical information that illuminates the stories, a valuable contribution.
This is a very handsome paperback. It features a dreamlike cover image from the Davide Turconi photography collection. The paper stock feels heavier than pulp paperbacks, an ironic touch.
Note: If you enjoy these stories and can’t wait for Wakefield Press’s forthcoming translations of Ray’s work, two of Ray’s stories are featured in The Weird anthology by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer.
Whiskey Tales
Jean Ray
Wakefield Press
cool lima bean 
One thought on “Review: Whiskey Tales”