If you pick up this book expecting gentle, old-world fables, prepare for a surprise. Antoni Careta y Vidal, writing in the late 1800s, had a taste for the bizarre. Narracions estranyes collects three of his unsettling tales, and they feel startlingly modern in their focus on psychological dread.

The Story

The collection opens with ¡Oydà!, where a man is tormented by a mysterious, disembodied voice that seems to know his deepest secrets. It's an accusatory whisper that drives him to the brink. Next, L'ull acusador (The Accusing Eye) shifts the terror to the visual. A powerful man becomes convinced he is being watched by an unseen, judgmental eye, a feeling that corrodes his sanity and his grip on power. The final story, L'embaixada de la mort (The Embassy of Death), is the most fantastical. It involves a chilling diplomatic mission from beyond the grave, blending political intrigue with supernatural horror.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me wasn't just the spooky plots, but how Careta y Vidal builds fear. He doesn't rely on monsters you can see. The real horror lives in the characters' heads—in a voice that won't be silenced, or a gaze that feels inescapable. You get a real sense of their panic as their reality cracks. Reading this in Catalan (or in translation) adds another layer. You're peeking into the specific cultural and social anxieties of that time in Barcelona, but the core feelings—paranoia, guilt, the fear of exposure—are completely universal. The writing is crisp and direct, which makes the slow creep of madness even more effective.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for readers who love classic Gothic or psychological horror but want to try something off the beaten path. It's for anyone who enjoyed the mind-bending tension of Edgar Allan Poe or Robert Louis Stevenson's darker work. The stories are short, so it's great for a few creepy evenings. You don't need to be a history expert to feel the chill these pages deliver. Just be ready to listen closely... you never know what you might hear.