William Beckford

William Beckford was an English novelist, collector, traveler, and eccentric literary figure best known for Vathek, one of the most distinctive Gothic and Orientalist fantasies of the eighteenth century. His catalog includes Vathek, The History of Caliph Vathek, Vathek An Arabian Tale, Italy with Sketches of Spain and Portugal, and Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents.

Beckford's writing is associated with excess, exotic imagination, architectural fantasy, forbidden desire, and the darker pleasures of Gothic taste. Vathek in particular blends moral fable, supernatural punishment, and elaborate sensual atmosphere. Readers interested in Gothic fiction, Romantic-era fantasy, Orientalist literary history, travel writing, and strange eighteenth-century prose will find William Beckford an unusual and memorable author.