The Aspern Papers

The Aspern Papers is a novella by the celebrated American author, Henry James. It was first published in 1888 and is widely regarded as one of James’ most accomplished works. The story is set in Venice in the late 19th century and follows the attempts of an unnamed narrator to obtain a collection of letters written by the famous poet, Jeffrey Aspern. The letters are in the possession of Aspern’s former lover, Juliana Bordereau, who is now an elderly recluse living in a dilapidated palazzo. The narrator poses as a lodger and befriends Juliana’s niece, Miss Tina, in an attempt to gain access to the letters. However, the situation becomes increasingly complex as Juliana becomes suspicious of the narrator’s true motives and Miss Tina becomes more and more emotionally involved. The Aspern Papers is a masterful exploration of the themes of obsession, secrecy, and manipulation. It is a subtle and nuanced work that showcases James’ skill in creating complex characters and exploring the intricacies of human relationships….had taken Mrs. Prest into my confidence; in truth without her I should have made but little advance, for the fruitful idea in the whole business dropped from her friendly lips. It was she who invented the short cut, who severed the Gordian knot.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.