The Aspern Papers

The Aspern Papers is a novella by American writer Henry James, first published in serial form in The Atlantic Monthly in 1888 before its book publication the same year. Set in Venice, it follows an unnamed literary scholar who schemes to obtain the private letters of a celebrated dead poet, Jeffrey Aspern, from the aged former lover who has kept them hidden for decades. James drew inspiration for the story from the real letters Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Claire Clairmont, which she preserved until her own death, and the novella is regarded as a showcase of James's skill at generating suspense while developing his characters in depth. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/