Aurelia & Other Writings (Paperback)

~ Gerard De Nerval (Author), Geoffrey Wagner (Translator), Robert Duncan (Translator), Marc Lowenthal (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

tr Geoffrey Wagner/Robert Duncan/Marc Lowenthal

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Exact Change (February 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187897209X
• ISBN-13: 978-1878972095
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #493,524 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tragic search for the infinite, March 1, 2004

By	J from NY (New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

simultaneously one of the saddest and most hopeful books i have ever read, this is an account of gerard de nerval's descent into insanity and his frantic search for something beyond what the positivists offer, a "spirit world". nerval obsesses over an actress who barely knew he existed, idealizing her to a seriously nutty point--but during all this he visits funerals, graveyards other places, apparently believing he is in touch with something metaphysical. i read this book awhile ago but i do remember his reference to his rejection by the woman, aurelia:"one's only option after these kinds of events is whether to die or go on living." touching, mystical, and sad.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best explanation of a Romantic, February 1, 1999

By A Customer

Because this book shows what a real romantic means beyond the common meaning of "being in love". Because De Narval is a Romantic, he behaves trying to be the center of everything, no matter the price or the pride. He loves as a tool to make women move around him. His dreams are an extension of his life, so he can live any dream as real because the memorie of the real is the same as the memorie of the dream.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars like Proust condensed, November 6, 2000

By	Erik Ketzan (Orbis Tertius) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

that's the best way to put it: like condensed Proust. De Nerval's stories of place, love, and memory have found a permanent place in my heart. As other reviewers have noted, these stories seem the very definition of romanticism-- an unexpected quality in a writer often remembered most for his madness, eccentricity, and ultimately, suicide.

this edition by Exact Change Press is also worth remarking upon: the paper feels great, the design is perfect... hmm, running out of synonyms for "good."

all in all, a great volume by a lesser-known master.