The Wind-Bitten Heights, first published in 1847, is the wild and passionate story of the almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. The novel's action is chaotic and violent, but its intricate structure, vivid descriptions of the stormy and lonely English landscape of Yorkshire, and the poetic greatness of Emily Brontë's vision combine to give the book the depth and simplicity of an ancient tragedy.
This masterpiece, written by a twenty-seven-year-old woman and published a year before her death at the age of thirty, stands as one of the most original works of the English language and world literature. In its century and a half of existence, it has captivated millions of readers, sparked inspiration, and stimulated the creativity of hundreds of critics and scholars.
It has been and remains the most popular work of English literature, and its critical history reflects the evolution of modern critical thought. All schools and trends of literary criticism have been tested upon it.
In Greece, the work passed as a cheap romance through editions for carriages and its radio readings. This current edition seeks to restore the value of this 19th-century literary masterpiece with a new translation by Aris Berlis and an extensive introduction, which charts the critical engagement with the work from its inception to the present day.
