Initially composed for newspaper publication, and inspired by Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an Opium Eater, Baudelaire’s musings on wine and hashish provide acute and fascinating psychological insight into the mind of the addict. On Wine and Hashish asserts the ambivalence of memory, urging a union of willpower and sensual pleasure as Baudelaire claims that wine and hashish bring about an escape of narrative time. This characteristic theme anticipates his famous prose poems, “Le Spleen de Paris,” in which drunkenness—as induced by wine, poetry, or virtue—is celebrated in extraordinary style.
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Editorial Reviews
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Hesperus Press, as suggested by their Latin motto, Et remotissima prope, is dedicated to bringing near what is far—far both in space and time. Works by illustrious authors, often unjustly neglected or simply little known in the English–speaking world, are made accessible through a completely fresh editorial approach or new translations. Through these short classic works, which feature forewords by leading contemporary authors, the modern reader will be introduced to the greatest writers of Europe and America. An elegantly designed series of exceptional books.
From the Inside Flap
Wine elevates the will, hashish annihilates it. Wine is a physical aid, hashish a weapon for the suicidal. Wine makes one good and out-going. Hashish is isolating.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential Background,
This review is from: On Wine and Hashish (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
Essential background reading for anyone at all interested in Baudelaire - after all, one of his fondest sayings was 'Enivrez-vous!' - 'Get drunk!', and he often celebrated intoxicated states in remarkable style. Although he is not to be side-lined as a writer whose whole scope consists of these intoxicated states - there was a recent biography which put forward the case that his whole significance as a writer was that of a drug-addict - these states do form an integral part of, as it were 'Baudelaire-land', and it is essential to understand them in order to understand Baudelaire as a poet and thinker. Here, in an attractive hesperus volume, we have him writing directly about intoxicated states, in a fascinating insight into the workings of his mind, his time in Paris, and his attitudes towards alcohol and drugs. Well worth buying.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gastric Memoir,
This review is from: On Wine and Hashish (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
Think of this short piece more as a culinary review than a work of philosophy or fiction or even memoir. Baudelaire speaks to the pros and cons of both Wine and Hashish as well as the impact of both on the body. In addition, he dabbles in satire and social insight, giving the reader a wonderful view of his life, opinions and experiences.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a surprising glimpse,
By Lust4Senseo "Lust4Senseo" (Pittsburgh, PA. USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: On Wine and Hashish (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
I was surprised at Baudelaire's more conservative views in this book .
I had prior considered him to be all for intoxication and inebriation , thus his famous line "Envirez-vous" that he was known for shouting at the top of his lungs when he'd be having absinthe in the Paris cafes ... He especially writes against hashish which he felt warped and distorted peoples' minds . His attitude was certainly influenced by the times he lived in as are some folks' attitudes about similar subjects in current times ... A must for the Baudelaire devotee such as myself .
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