The Altar of the Dead

Haunted by the memory of lost loved ones, George Stransom devotes his life to honoring the dead, lighting candles in their memory at a secluded church altar. When he meets a woman who shares his unspoken grief, their bond offers both solace and revelation—but also a painful truth neither can ignore. The Altar of the Dead is a short story by Henry James, originally published 1895 in the collection Terminations. HENRY JAMES [1843 -1916] was born in New York but emigrated to Europe early in life. He is one of the most important figures in Anglo-Saxon turn-of-the-century literature, with novels such as The American [1877] and the horror novel The Turn of the Screw [1898].