Cells of Terror

Translated by Ellis Ging

The Cells of Terror consists of twenty-four stories, all very short, scientifically formulated, about the cells that are the origin of terror—which is to say, about a few of the key situations that sow in the hearts of human beings the monstrous seed of terror. As told by a variety of narrators whose perspective is both unflinching and darkly humorous, these tales encompass the visceral, the metaphysical, and the political in horror.

Alfonso Sastre (1926-2021) was a Spanish author best known as a Generation of ‘50 playwright, though he also wrote prose, poetry, essays, and screenplays. His work received numerous awards, including the Premio Nacional de Teatro (for La taberna fantástica) and the Premio Nacional de

Literatura Dramática (for Jenofa Juncal). Sastre is also known for his leftist political activism: his opposition to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco and support of Basque independence.

Ellis Ging is a librarian and translator based in New York with a particular in- terest in the horror genre. He has an MFA in Literary Translation as well as an MLS from CUNY Queens College. He is winner of the 2022 The Loose Translations Prize, an annual competition sponsored by Queens College, The City University of New York, and Hanging Loose Press, and open to students and alumni of the Queens College MFA program.