Obermann [Paperback]

Etienne Pivert de Senancour (Author), Arthur Edward Waite (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2003

The philosophical, descriptive, familiar and, since it must be admitted, sentimental letters which, under the title of Obermann, have won for themselves a permanent, if not perhaps a higher place in the classical literature of France, and are not unknown in England, were first published in the early years of the 19th century and are the chief, though not the sole title to distinction of the author.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (August 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766181189
• ISBN-13: 978-0766181182
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,890,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great forgotten writer of early French Romanticism, August 12, 2002

By 

narziss39 (West Hatfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obermann (Paperback)

I had never heard of this author (pronounced, I believe "s'an encore") until I learned about him along with many other forgotten talents (at least in America) in H.G. Schenk's _The Mind of the European Romantics_. Finding this work in English translation can be difficult and expensive. I found one translation by A.E. Waite which seemed overly verbose and ponderous as compared to the version I finally settled on which was a slightly later translation by J.A. Barnes. This long work, sometimes published in two volumes, is comprised of ninety letters from Obermann, a restless and hyperconscious melancholiac, to his friend. There is little or no plot; instead the letters are filled with philosophical observations, morbid introspection, and near-mystical descriptions of nature. The lack of plot, the length of the letters and the book as a whole, and the tedium of reading about one man's all pervasive depression and despair can make for a long and slow reading experience (even for someone who generally delights in such things). As in Goethe's Werther, I sometimes wonder how the friend receiving these letters reacts to the continuous self-absorbed moping and tortured analysis of the writer, who is alternately crying out in despair and yet always ignoring the friend's advice ("oh crap, it's another letter from that whiny Obermann; it's getting to the point where I'm afraid to open my mailbox . . .") However, Senancour, speaking through Obermann, can often, in an instant, reveal dark inner truths about life and existence that cut very close to the bone and which a like-minded reader will certainly relate to. In fact, he reminds me of Schopenhauer, and seems to anticipate much of his thought. Technically, I think Senancour wrote his works before the actual Romantic period, but with their penetrating psychological insights, emotive style, and enchantment with the natural world, they served to inspire many later romantics as well as writers such as Mathew Arnold and Proust. Senancour's work was never appreciated in his lifetime, and while there was a period where he was rediscovered and read, he has again been forgotten. Perhaps it is time for a fresh, newly translated edition of this fine work?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where can I find a copy in English?, July 7, 2005

By 

Charles Jacobsen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Obermann (Paperback)

This isn't a review; it's a question: Where can I find a copy of Obermann in English? I can't find the J.A. Barnes version, and, according to this page, this translated version by A.E. Waite is in German (Language Notes: German -- This refers to an out-of-print edition, or something like that). Please reply if you know, even if it has been 3 months or a year since I posted this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Literary Find!, October 3, 2005

By 

Queen of Cups (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obermann (Paperback)

Somewhat overly sentimental in places but can not be discarded for their historical and philosophical value. Very excited to have found them!