Customer Reviews

The Life of Henry Brulard (New York Review Books Classics)

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Who would think that an unfinished autobiography could be so good? But despite its rough edges and the odd passage of interest only to the author, the Life of Henry Brulard is very good indeed, and as moving as The Red and the Black. Early in the Life, Stendhal describes the pleasure of reading Florentine goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini's memoirs, so fresh, he notes, that they seem to have been written yesterday. The same could be said for Stendhal's own autobiography.

I didn't look forward to trying this book---memoirs of childhood seldom do much for me---but there being so little Stendhal out there in translation, I couldn't overlook it. Well, long book tho it is, H.B. is very readable and a lot of fun for those who love Stendhal's style and persona. Chatty, honest, quirky (all those little maps!), skipping around madly, with the strange mix of irony and idealism that makes Stendhal so "modern," this is an enjoyable book for "the happy few." I doubt there are many books like it---Rousseau's confessions feel much more polished, & hence less "real," than Stendhal's book does. (Of course I'm agnostic on how honest S. really is---but it's a good book, true or not!)