Olalla (Audio Book)

"Olalla" is a “shilling shocker” written for the Christmas season in 1885 by the Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson. It is set in Spain during the peninsular war.

The nameless protagonist of this Gothic tale, a wounded soldier, goes to the Spanish countryside to recuperate. He finds himself enthralled by the beautiful Olalla, the daughter of his hostess, whose family conceals a terrible secret.

He recognises an extraordinary intellect in the girl and expresses a desire to take her away from the decaying home of her kinsmen. They profess their love for one another, but Olalla urges the Englishman to leave at once, keeping her always in his memory.

He is sitting on a hill beside an effigy of the crucified Christ when he meets Olalla for the last time. She tells him, "We are all such as He," and states that there is a "spark of the divine" in all human beings. "Like Him," she says, "we must endure for a little while, until morning returns bringing peace."