The Castle of Otranto

The book is full of mysticism, secrets, and enigmas. The curse laid upon the family of Prince Manfred leads to the horrific death of the heir. Desperate, Manfred tries to cheat fate by committing new crimes.

"The Castle of Otranto" is a work that laid the foundation for the genre of the Gothic novel. A medieval castle, an ominous prophecy, vengeful ghosts, and fateful secrets — Walpole masterfully blends the real and the supernatural. Even the first edition was a mystification: Walpole presented the novel as a translation of an ancient Italian text found in Otranto. But already in the preface to the second edition, he acknowledged his authorship.

The story of the tyrant Manfred, who tries to maintain power, begins with the death of his son, crushed by a giant helmet, and turns into a nightmare where the fates of the living are determined by a grim past.