James HunekerKirja-arvosteluja

Criticism of classical music written and performed a hundred years ago. For lovers of classical music only.

I wanted to read a bit of Baudelaire’s work because of the references in Huysmans’ À rebours comparing him to Poe.

I was disappointed. I’m sure much was literally “lost in translation” but I found very few similarities in their works. While Baudelaire explores some morose themes, like his love of a skeleton in his poem “The Dance of Death,” his writing lacks the same soporific or hypnotic effect of Poe. The translation I read offered terribly broken pentameter and poor typesetting which didn’t help matters. If I was able to read in the native French, I’m sure the nuances of the language would allow me to make a more fair comparison.

I did enjoy some of his prose poetry. “The Shooting Range and the Cemetery” offered an interesting juxtaposition between glorifying a means of death within reach of a final resting place. This fact wasn’t lost on those trying to rest!

Overall, I’m sure he’s a fine poet. In the future, I may read some reviews to try and locate a better translation.

The first part is a biography, which is interesting, but a bit short. The second part is about all the compositions of Chopin. This part can hardly be read if one is not familiar already, in great detail, with all these compositions. Although I have listened quite often to the music by Chopin, and even play some of it, I could not follow the very detailed analysis. I wonder who can, except professional pianists.

Along with W.C. Morrow's The Ape, The Idiot and Other People, The poetry of George Sterling, Ben Hecht's Fantazius Mallare, and a few pickings by Edgar Saltus, a classic of Stateside decadence.

fair to poor condition. $6

(HGM) bought from Argosy Book Stores about 1940-41