Aspireen papers, authored by Henry James

There is no poet who dies except that he leaves behind a mistress, or a beloved, or a woman to whom he confides his secrets, and whom he entrusts a fragment of his works, messages, and poems. In "Spiern's Papers," Henry James invents the character of the poet Geoffrey Spiern, who was the most prominent and busy person in his life, but he died early. However, his death does not pass without notice, as an American publisher becomes curious to uncover the secrets of the papers, knowing from his friends that the distinguished poet deposited them with his mistress, who at that time had reached old age and lives behind walls of forgetfulness with her niece in Venice. The ambitious publisher finds nothing to deter him from tracking the course of those papers, seizing them, and publishing them publicly. To do so, he resorts to hiding his true identity and renting rooms in the old mistress’s house, who has been worn out by time. Most of the events unfold rapidly in Venice, and we witness heated dialogues about literature, culture, and social life between the publisher — who is the narrator with no name — and the old mistress of the mansion. Will the publisher ultimately succeed in obtaining the papers and getting his hands on them? And what role does the mistress’s daughter play in facilitating his path to achieve his goals? Number of pages: 154