- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Dover Publications Inc.; New edition edition (April 1989)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0486256707
- ISBN-13: 978-0486256702
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 13.6 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,617,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
About the Author:
"Pierre Louÿs (December 10, 1870 - June 6, 1925) was a French poet and Romantic writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who expressed pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection. Pierre Louÿs was born Pierre Louis on December 10, 1870 in Ghent, Belgium, but moved to France where he would spend the rest of his life. He studied at the Ecole Alsacienne in Paris, and there he developed a close friendship with a future Nobel Prize winner and champion of homosexual rights, André Gide. In the 1890s, he became a friend of the noted English dramatist and homosexual, Oscar Wilde. Although heterosexual, Louys enjoyed entree into homosexual circles.
Louÿs started writing his first erotic texts at the age of 18, at which point he developed an interest in the Parnassian and Symbolist schools of writing.
In 1891, Louÿs helped found a literary review, La Conque, where he proceeded to publish Astarte- an early collection of erotic verse already marked by his distinctive elegance and refinement of style. He followed up in 1894 with another erotic collection in 143 prose poems- Songs of Bilitis (Les Chansons de Bilitis), this time with strong lesbian themes. In 1955, one of the first lesbian organizations in America called itself Daughters of Bilitis, and to this day Louÿs' Songs continues to be an important work for lesbians.
In 1896, Louÿs published his first novel, Aphrodite- Ancient Manners (Aphrodite (mœurs antiques)), a depiction of courtesan life in Alexandria. It is considered a mixture of both literary excess and refinement, and, numbering at 350,000 copies, was the best selling work by any living French author in his day.
Louÿs went on to publish Les Aventures du roi Pausole (The Adventures of King Pausole) in 1901, Pervigilium Mortis in 1916, both of them libertine compositions, and Manuel de Civilité (Manual of Etiquette) in 1917, a parody whose obscenity is almost unparalleled even in the long history of French clandestine publishing.
Even while on his deathbed, Pierre Louÿs continued to write delicately obscene verses." (Quote from wikipedia.org) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"Pierre Louÿs (December 10, 1870 - June 6, 1925) was a French poet and Romantic writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who expressed pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection. Pierre Louÿs was born Pierre Louis on December 10, 1870 in Ghent, Belgium, but moved to France where he would spend the rest of his life. He studied at the Ecole Alsacienne in Paris, and there he developed a close friendship with a future Nobel Prize winner and champion of homosexual rights, André Gide. In the 1890s, he became a friend of the noted English dramatist and homosexual, Oscar Wilde. Although heterosexual, Louys enjoyed entree into homosexual circles.
Louÿs started writing his first erotic texts at the age of 18, at which point he developed an interest in the Parnassian and Symbolist schools of writing.
In 1891, Louÿs helped found a literary review, La Conque, where he proceeded to publish Astarte- an early collection of erotic verse already marked by his distinctive elegance and refinement of style. He followed up in 1894 with another erotic collection in 143 prose poems- Songs of Bilitis (Les Chansons de Bilitis), this time with strong lesbian themes. In 1955, one of the first lesbian organizations in America called itself Daughters of Bilitis, and to this day Louÿs' Songs continues to be an important work for lesbians.
In 1896, Louÿs published his first novel, Aphrodite- Ancient Manners (Aphrodite (mœurs antiques)), a depiction of courtesan life in Alexandria. It is considered a mixture of both literary excess and refinement, and, numbering at 350,000 copies, was the best selling work by any living French author in his day.
Louÿs went on to publish Les Aventures du roi Pausole (The Adventures of King Pausole) in 1901, Pervigilium Mortis in 1916, both of them libertine compositions, and Manuel de Civilité (Manual of Etiquette) in 1917, a parody whose obscenity is almost unparalleled even in the long history of French clandestine publishing.
Even while on his deathbed, Pierre Louÿs continued to write delicately obscene verses." (Quote from wikipedia.org) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a beautiful edition of Pierre Lou˙s's classic work of erotic/romantic poetry. Originally cloaked under the guise of the translation of an actual body of verse written in imitation of the Greek poetess Sappho it became sort of a scandal upon publication for its unabashed celebration of Lesbian love.
Translating poetry is always tricky, but I think that Alvah Bessie's has stood the test of time - the freshness, frivolity, tenderness, and romance of the French original has been preserved, and is even enhanced by the brilliant artwork of Willy Pogany. Every poem has a small accompanying illustration, and some have an additional portrait.
Now this is not only a beautiful celebration of Lesbian love (though there might be women who disagree, since a man wrote it after all) but it is a beautiful celebration of love in general. It explores love in all its facets. Its teenage infatuation, youthful happy love, distant melancholy on love lost, and the reconciliation with death in the end is mingled with bouts of jealousy, violence, disillusion, and regret.
Love poetry doesn't become much more intimate than this. Although the overall content is erotic (as well as the artwork) it never degrades to callous attempts of arousal that we encounter in many works of 'erotica' of the 19th century. It is never disrespectful or vulgar, but sincere, playful, ambiguous, naughty, yet sometimes also mingled with dark moods of oppression.
For the artwork no praise can be too high, and since this is a Dover edition (meaning 1st class layout, quality, and price) it is an excellent gift. A truly moving (and haunting!) book that lures you back again and again to repose among faun-haunted groves and the courtesans of the ancient Greek isles.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Literary joke becomes sensual masterpiece...
16 Feb 2000
Format:Paperback
No one knew sensuality like the "Sapphic" Greeks and no one knew the "Sapphic" Greeks like Pierre Louys... well at least he liked to pretend that was the case. The fact is he (or his imagination) was so completely immersed in this culture that his images/syntax/symbols were authentic enough to dupe contemporary classics scholars of his day. Bilitis could have been a protege of Sappho... a literary force in her own right.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Charming, but mild
16 May 2010
Format:Hardcover
Louys's delightful fraud first appeared in the 1890s, nearly 120 years ago at this writing. From today's vantage point, it's hard to say how this was originally taken. By today's standards, it tends toward the mild, even coy. Back then, however, it seems to have been taken as a direct piece of erotica. So, to avoid censure for originating such a scandalous work, Louys shielded himself behind the work's supposed antiquity - since, if it came down from the revered ancients of Western culture, couldn't be naughty. That charade was unmasked soon enough, giving Bilitis its proper place among Louys's other sensual writings.
This translation first appeared in 1926. Since I have not seen the French original, I can not comment on its fidelity to Louys's writing. At least one chapter ("The Object") gives reason to think that the translator might have shied from a few of the more explicit passages, however. Despite that, the general tone comes through warmly, if overly sentimental at times.
Pogany's illustrations add a pleasant note to the text. Although the cover says there are over 160 of his lithe line drawings, that ignores the fact that the pictures repeat many times. The number of unique images is far less. Too bad - the lean lines and tinges of Art Nouveau contribute to this book's charm. The same number of pictures but with more variety would have made an enjoyable read even more enjoyable. Although tame by modern standards, the text and images still have the pwer to charm readers.
-- wiredweird
This translation first appeared in 1926. Since I have not seen the French original, I can not comment on its fidelity to Louys's writing. At least one chapter ("The Object") gives reason to think that the translator might have shied from a few of the more explicit passages, however. Despite that, the general tone comes through warmly, if overly sentimental at times.
Pogany's illustrations add a pleasant note to the text. Although the cover says there are over 160 of his lithe line drawings, that ignores the fact that the pictures repeat many times. The number of unique images is far less. Too bad - the lean lines and tinges of Art Nouveau contribute to this book's charm. The same number of pictures but with more variety would have made an enjoyable read even more enjoyable. Although tame by modern standards, the text and images still have the pwer to charm readers.
-- wiredweird
interesting book, slim, not what I thought.
2 July 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an interesting book, a slim volume, not quite what I thought (it's also partly in Greek). Worth a look.
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