-Vathek

A Gothic novel inspired by the Orientalism popularized by translations of the Arabian Nights stories, this work was variously published as An Arabian Tale, Vathek, and The History of the Caliph Vathek. Vathek was originally written in French by William Beckford before being translated into English with significant revisions by Samuel Henley, who claimed to translate the work directly from Arabic. Beckford was eventually shunned by British society and literary critics because of his affair with a younger man, eventually publishing pseudonymously under women’s names. Set in the Middle East in the ruined palace of Ishtakar, the structure is notable for its numerous watchtowers and large terrace, under which many evil supernatural beings live. The novel follows Caliph Vathek on his adventures through exotic lands on his journey from Samarah, the imagined capital of the Abassides Caliphate,to Ishtakar.