PublishedPenguin, August 2014 |
ISBN9780241957561 |
FormatSoftcover, 368 pages |
Dimensions19.8cm × 12.9cm × 2.2cm |
'To resist Baudelaire is a bit like resisting Chopin- you can do it, of course, but it's so much the worse for you . . . ' Poet of nerves, art lover, dandy, pioneering critic, man about Paris, Baudelaire described the ephemeral, fleeting nature of life in the metropolis - and the artist's role in capturing it - as no other writer had done.
In La Folie Baudelaire Roberto Calasso brings to life the extraordinary world of Baudelaire- his city, his wanderings, his literary peers, the painters such as Ingres, Delacroix, Degas and Manet who inspired and were inspired by him. Through a mosaic of stories, insights, dreams, poetry and memory, Calasso shows us the creation of the modern world. 'Be ready to be seduced.' Daily Telegraph 'Calasso captures this shifting, overlapping world ... he also collects stories of supporting characters - from Degas' housekeeper to Baudelaire's mistress - to evoke an entire world. Such detail, combined with his ear for a lyrical phrase, make La Folie Baudelaire a joy to read . . . seductive.' Financial Times 'Part biography, part philosophy . . . this is as red-blooded as art criticism gets.' Sunday Telegraph 'Masterful . . . a triumph . . . its recreation of Baudelaire's milieu is so vivid.' Observer
