Melmoth the Wanderer
"In a satanic bargain, Melmoth has sold his soul in exchange for immortality and now preys on the helpless in their darkest moments, offering to ease their suffering if they will take his place and release him from his tortured wanderings. His story is pieced together by those who have glimpsed his eerie existence over the centuries--from a prisoner in the clutches of the Spanish Inquisition to a man incarcerated in a London lunatic asylum."--
What you might want to know about Melmoth the Wanderer
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
An Irishman selling his soul for a hundred and fifty more years of life travels the world looking for someone desperate enough to take the bargain off his hands. The novel is told in nested stories of those he tempts.
Melmoth the Wanderer was written by Charles Robert Maturin and published in 1820. It is a foundational gothic novel and was admired by Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, and Oscar Wilde, who used the pseudonym Sebastian Melmoth at the end of his life.
Yes. Melmoth the Wanderer was published in 1820 and is in the public domain. Free editions are available legally through Project Gutenberg.
Melmoth the Wanderer is 416 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Melmoth the Wanderer takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
Melmoth the Wanderer is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Melmoth the Wanderer is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
