Elizabeth Hoiem (hoiem@uiuc.edu) is an English graduate student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she teaches fantasy and British literature. She is writing her dissertation on autonomy and mechanism in British education theory, 1760-1860. This project occasionally clashes with reading speculative fiction, but the two fields find common ground in her love of quirky mechanical gadgets. Her other writing includes an article in Tolkien Studies, Volume 2. To the right, she is seen with her cat Pippin.
We’d been on holiday at the Shoon Sea only three days when the incident occurred. Dr. Gar had been staying there a few months for medical research and had urged me and my friend Shooshooey to visit.
The little monster was not born like a human child, yelling with cold and terror as he left his mother’s womb. He had come to life little by little, on the high, three-legged bench. When his eyes had opened, they met the eyes of the broad-shouldered sculptor, watching them tenderly.
Le petit monstre n’était pas né comme un enfant des hommes, criant de froid et de terreur au sortir du ventre maternel. Il avait pris vie peu à peu, sur la haute selle à trois pieds, et quand ses yeux s’étaient ouverts, ils avaient rencontré ceux du sculpteur aux larges épaules, qui le regardaient tendrement.
We're delighted to welcome Nat Paterson to the blog, to tell us more about his translation of Léopold Chauveau's story 'The Little Monster'/ 'Le Petit Monstre', which appears in our April 2024 issue.