The Flowers of Evil — Charles Baudelaire

The tables and chairs Polished bright by the years Would decorate sweetly our rooms And the rarest of flowers Would twine round our bowers

The tables and chairs Polished bright by the years Would decorate sweetly our rooms And the rarest of flowersWould twine round our bowers

The tables and chairs Polished bright by the years Would decorate sweetly our rooms And the rarest of flowersWould twine round our bowers

The tables and chairs Polished bright by the years Would decorate sweetly our rooms And the rarest of flowers Would twine round our bowers

The Flowers of Evil which T S Eliot called the greatest example of modern poetry in any language shocked the literary world of nineteenth century France with its outspoken portrayal of lesbian love its linking sexuality and death its unremitting irony and its unflinching celebration of the seamy side of urban life The volume was seized by the police and Baudelaire and his published were put on trial for offence to public decency Six offending poems were banned in a conviction that was not overturned until 1949 This bold new translation which restores the banned poems to their original places and reveals the full richness and variety of the collection makes available to English speakers a powerful and original version of the world Jonathan Cullers Introduction outlines this vision stressing that Baudelaire is more than just the poet of the modern city Originally to be called The Lesbians The Flowers of Evil contains the most extraordinary body of love poetry The poems also pose the question of the role of evil in our lives of whether there are not external forces working to frustrate human plans and to enlist men and women on appalling or stultifying scenarios not of their own making

A new shudder A new thrill Victor HugoThis striking pocket hardback edition presents Charles Baudelaire s classic poetry collection The Flowers of Evil featuring silver cover embossing and gilded page edges Charles Baudelaire was one of the most influential French writers of the 19th century whose darkly beautiful poetry never failed to leave a lasting mark on his readers Controversial and challenging the outspoken nature of his poems marks him out as a pivotal figure in European literature a bridge between the Romantics of the past and 20th century modernism Flowers of Evil or Les Fleurs du mal is perhaps his most celebrated collection which addresses themes of love decadence and death Though many of these poems were banned in his lifetime their lyrical beauty and penetrating themes have ensured their enduring success This edition includes curated selection of the poems from the 1861 publication with translations from Cyril Scott Lewis Piaget Shanks Frank Pearce Sturm Jack Collings Squire and James Elroy Flecker This is elegantly presented with a silver embossed cover design ivory pages beautifully designed endpapers and silver gilded page edges making a wonderful gift or collectible for any lover of classic poetry ABOUT THE SERIES Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history These compact foil embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift Tanıtım Bülteninden