The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

he original frontispiece of Arthur Gordon Pym was keen to emphasise the thrilling and macabre elements of Edgar Allan Poe's only complete novel; it certainly is a powerful story, a voyage on the American brig Grampus sparking drama at sea. Wanting to accompany his friend Augustus, the young narrator stows away on the ship. He finds himself assailed by both natural and man-made dangers as the contrast of storms and becalmed conditions is reflected in the human tensions between captain and crew that boil over into mutiny, privation and revenge. But pure adventure is transformed by Poe's fantastical imagination as the journey takes an unexpected turn into the ethereal and enigmatic. A fascinating and often neglected masterpiece.