The Chambrion and Other Stories

Pierre-Alexis Ponson du Terrail was one of the two leading exponents of the roman feuilleton--serial fiction published in newspapers--active during the French Second Empire, along with Paul Fval. At his peak Ponson was writing five daily serials simultaneously, making them up as he went along--and he really did write them, unlike many feuilletonists, including Fval, who dictated to an amanuensis. The Chambrion and Other Stories collects four of his shorter tales, including a Christmas fantasy; a deal-with-the-devil story; one of his earliest serials, which illustrates his willingness to change the direction of his stories repeatedly; and the title short novel, a fast-paced and convoluted tale of vengeance revolving around the belated revelation of the truth behind a scandalous double murder. Ponson was one of the writers who pioneered the narrative techniques of popular fiction, and these stories illustrate his zestful discovery and primary exploitation of those techniques.