The Mysteries of Udolpho

Anna Radcliffe is an English writer, one of the creators of the gothic novel. For seven years she wrote novels that made her famous throughout Europe, after which Anna Radcliffe permanently laid down her pen, deciding that loud fame interfered with her peace of mind. Almost all great English writers of the 19th century were influenced by her in one way or another: Walter Scott, Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Stevenson, Mayne Reid. In Russia, the 'terrifying' prose of Radcliffe remained one of the most popular foreign literature for many years. Dostoevsky wrote that Radcliffe's novels excited him since childhood, and Zagoskin acknowledged her as one of his favorite authors. 'The Mysteries of Udolpho' is the most popular work of Anna Radcliffe, full of horrific secrets, mystical premonitions, paranormal and tragic events. From the very first pages, the reader is immersed in that special atmosphere, which is a distinctive feature of the greatest gothic novel of the late 18th century.