The Angel Asrael (1832) is the most revealing and the purest of S. Henry Berthoud’s fantasies, and a significant early contribution to what became the great Romantic and Symbolist tradition of literary satanism, in which writers deliberately adopted a stance removed from orthodox Christianity in order to reappraise the character of Satan. As might be expected of a devout writer, Berthoud shows no sympathy for Satan, who remains an archetype of vitriolic nastiness, but in his characterization of the rebel, like John Milton, he cannot help express a certain admiration for his overweening pride and vaulting ambition. Berthoud’s God owes his status not to any intrinsic virtue, but merely to his victory in the War in Heaven, which Satan unhesitatingly attributes to chance.
This collection also includes sixteen other stories that demonstrate what a truly ground-breaking author S. Henry Berthoud was, and how amply deserving he is of a modern reappraisal of his achievements.