Somewhere in the desolate icy regions of the Arctic Circle, a captain thirsty for knowledge witnesses a strange sight: an unnaturally large human figure with a suspiciously moving sled that disappears. Shortly after, his ship rescues another sick man, who recounts his tragedy - his own and the "monster" that the captain accidentally saw in the ice. This is Victor Frankenstein, and this is the tragic, as well as terrifying, story of how he created life from nothing, thus opening Pandora's box. The creator despises his creation, and the desperate creature seeks revenge on his creator through a series of adventures, murders, and relentless wanderings.

As we are currently experiencing the climax of a great debate about the developments - and threat - of Artificial Intelligence, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus" seems more relevant than ever. Inspired by a "night of ghosts" in 1816 and written by a young girl, this work sealed the stormy era of Romanticism, indirectly foreshadowed scientific progress, but above all, spoke about the mystery and miracle of life, as well as its loneliness, and the issue of boundaries in the pursuit of knowledge.

An exciting read, presented here in a new translation by Katerina Schina, who also wrote the introductory note, and accompanied by an essay by the great contemporary American Joyce Carol Oates on this classic work by the pioneering Mary Shelley.