The Flowers of Evil & Paris Spleen: Selected Poems

By Charles Baudelaire

Book Overview

Sex and death, rebellion, corruption -- the themes of Charles Baudelaire's sensual poems sparked outrage upon their 1857 debut. His masterpiece, Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs du Mal), was dismissed as decadent and obscene and banned in France for nearly a century. Although Baudelaire died in obscurity, today he is recognized as one of the nineteenth century's greatest and most influential poets, whose works were ahead of their time. This unique collection captures the fevered spirit of the transition from Romanticism to Modernism with authoritative interpretations of fifty-one poems from Flowers of Evil. In addition, fourteen prose poems from the posthumously published Paris Spleen offer poignant reflections on the city and its humbler denizens. Noted scholar Wallace Fowlie provides definitive translations of these verses.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 048647545X
• ISBN13: 9780486475455
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.1" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

The classic translation.

An elegant, accurate, and readable translation of this wonderful little book that can revolutionize your way of seeing and thinking. Some newer, and in some ways, better translations have appeared since this one became the "standard," but it's still a good buy and a sure bet for reading pleasure.

good stuff

i have several translations of le spleen de paris( in turkish) and want to say that these i have is not good in print, not well organized.but this book, with lots of painting of which painters baudelaire himself mentioned in his essays concerning modern painting and two are painted by baudelaire. a masterpiece is born from a masterpiece.

Baudelaire Vents His Spleen at the Outside World

The book that helped me overcome my prejudice against poetry--I carried "Paris Spleen" around with me for a couple of weeks after I first read it, and kept turning back to certain poems as I went about my daily errands. Even though it's nearly 150 years old it seems as timely and contemporary as it must have seemed when it was first published--absolutely top-notch.

Make sure to get the Varese translation!

This is a wonderful book -- Baudelaire's prose poems perfectly capture the spirit of 19th century Paris as it rushes into modernism. Don't be seduced by prettier editions of this book -- it is crucial to get the Varese translation! Also, Walter Benjamin's early to mid twentieth century critique of Baudelarie should not be missed.

stand back

great.....witty...often times very beautiful descriptions of love...smashing into reality....makes you let go of hatred and stand back and chuckle...at the way things are