Arthur Machen
The Great God Pan: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
Mary ShelleyFrankensteinVictor Frankenstein, a brilliant young scientist, succeeds in creating life from dead matter, but immediately rejects his creature, horrified by its appearance. Left to itself, the being develops consciousness and emotions, but faces rejection and solitude. Its search for…Same countrySame genre
Joseph ConradHeart of DarknessMarlow, an experienced sailor, travels up an African river in search of Kurtz, a mysterious agent of a trading company. As the journey progresses, he discovers a world marked by violence, exploitation, and moral ambiguity. The figure of Kurtz, both fascinating and disturbing,…Same countrySame genreSame era
PlatoSymposiumAt a banquet in Athens, the physician Eryximachus invites each guest, including the philosopher Socrates, to speak in turn about the nature of love and desire. Each one offers his own view, revealing different facets of this complex feeling. Through these exchanges, a deep…Same genre
Robert Louis StevensonDr Jekyll and Mr HydeDr Jekyll, a respected scientist, develops an experiment that allows him to separate the two sides of his personality. Under the identity of Mr Hyde, he unleashes his darkest instincts without restraint. But this transformation becomes uncontrollable and threatens to destroy…Same countrySame genreSame era
René DescartesDiscourse on the MethodDescartes first recounts his education, the books he set aside and the travels that showed him how varied opinion is. He then sets out four rules for conducting his thought, and a provisional morality for living while he doubts. Methodical doubt leads him to the one certainty…Same genre
Yevgeny ZamyatinWeIn the One State, ringed by a wall of glass, people carry numbers and live by a fixed timetable in transparent flats. D-503, engineer of the spaceship Integral, keeps a journal meant for the peoples he will help conquer, until he meets I-330, who pulls him outside the rules.…Same genreSame era
Franz KafkaThe TrialOne morning Josef K., a senior clerk at a bank, is arrested in his lodgings by two warders who tell him nothing of the charge and leave him free to go to work. The case proceeds without being explained to him, in the attic of a suburban tenement where a court sits among piles…Same genre
Machado de AssisThe AlienistBack from Europe, Dr. Simão Bacamarte settles in the small town of Itaguaí, in Brazil, and later founds an asylum there, the Green House, to study madness scientifically. His criteria widen week by week: first a respected citizen, then so many residents that the asylum ends up…Same genreSame era
H. G. WellsThe Island of Doctor MoreauWashed up after a shipwreck, Edward Prendick is put ashore on a remote Pacific island inhabited by an exiled scientist and his assistant. The islanders, unsettling in their features, recite a Law like a prayer, and cries come at night from the laboratory. Prendick discovers the…Same countrySame genreSame era
Oscar WildeThe Picture of Dorian GrayDorian Gray, a young man of exceptional beauty, sees his portrait age in his place while he keeps a flawless appearance. Influenced by Lord Henry, a cynical and provocative figure, he abandons himself to a life of boundless pleasure. But every act leaves a mark on his portrait,…Same genreSame era
Karl MarxThe Communist ManifestoWritten on the eve of the 1848 revolutions, this short text presents history as a succession of struggles between classes. Marx and Engels describe the rise of the bourgeoisie, the way industry transformed labour, and the formation of a working class they hold bound to…Same genre
Sheridan Le FanuCarmillaLaura lives alone with her father in an isolated castle in Styria, far from any neighbours. A carriage accident brings a young guest under their roof, Carmilla, whose beauty and languor win over the household at once. As their friendship grows more intense, Laura weakens, while…Same genreSame era