Flowers of Evil and Other Works/Les Fleurs du Mal et Oeuvres Choisies : A Dual-Language Book

by Charles Baudelaire

Controversial book of verse, first published in 1857, presented in a handsome dual-language edition, together with superb selection of great French poet's other works: prose poems from "Spleen of Paris," critical essays on art, music, and literature, as well as personal letters. Line-by-line English translation, with original French text on facing page.

Genres: Poetry, France, Classics, Literature, Fiction, 19th Century, School

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1857

About the author

Public condemned Les fleurs du mal (1857), obscene only volume of French writer, translator, and critic Charles Pierre Baudelaire; expanded in 1861, it exerted an enormous influence over later symbolist and modernist poets.

Reputation of Charles Pierre Baudelaire rests primarily on perhaps the most important literary art collection, published in Europe in the 19th century. Similarly, his early experiment Petits poèmes en prose (1868) ( Little Prose Poems ) most succeeded and innovated of the time.

From financial disaster to prosecution for blasphemy, drama and strife filled life of known Baudelaire with highly controversial and often dark tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Long after his death, his name represents depravity and vice. He seemingly speaks directly to the 20th century civilization.

Reviews

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

(2011)

I finally finished Les Fleurs du Mal, which I read during the stray hours I had each week in between classes -- reading, that is, while colleagues and co-workers spent their valuable time scheming and scamming..., I suspect.... (Sic academia transit). Just kidding, of course. They are noble creatures....

Or so they insist...

At any rate, I read the poems in French, using the English as a crutch. This helped, since the vocabulary is a bit strange.

This volume fulfills its function beautifully, and that's what the five stars are for. I couldn't care less how one judges the quality of the "English" qua poetry -- The translations were calibrated perfectly to helping one go smoothly and accurately through the French. That's all that counts. So two-thumbs up for Wallace Fowlie.

Much of the poetry -- with a few exceptions -- left me cold -- so once again, my limitations, my lack of familiarity with Modernism, my lack of sympathy for Romanticism in general -- were on full display. There were a few, however, that I liked very much (as I noted in passing) -- and the last five really knocked me out, esp. La Malabaraise... for obvious reasons...., which I shall not expound upon here; Recueillement; Le Gouffre; and Les Plaintes d'un Icare.... Le Soleil moribond s'endormir sous une arche.... ahh....!

I will try to read some of the Poëmes en prose (Le Spleen -- since I've plenty of it these days.... for obvious reasons which...) before packing this in. It's very helpful to have read this, given my attempts to read myself back into the 20th..., well..., let's not go overboard.... let's start with "back into" the 19th century... But once the dual-language Rimbaud arrives, I'll slowly get started on that. I've also got a dual-language Mallarmé on the way, I think.

Obviously -- Baudelaire's message is pretty simple -- all this feeling, all this sensibility.... and then death. And he is not..., cannot be.... reconciled.

[sastrapertala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enough said, I'm intoxicated. I dove deep, until my nostrils felt bitter and my eyes blurred. And still, I couldn't stop. Filled with remorse, and dreams, and curiosity, I dove even deeper, hoping to be lost, and so I did.

Baudelaire, j'adore vos poésies.

[Lugubrious · Rating 1 out of 5]

French

[Dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book I carry with me -- for posterity and easy access -- wherever I go for an extended amount of time. It is an anthology of most -- all? -- of the poems (and some essays and letters) that Charles Baudelaire, the mother-fixated French Poe-contemporary -- composed in his lifetime. "The Albatross" -- Baudelaire's most famous piece -- is included, of course, but seated beside the other great poems in this catalogue, its sparkle seems almost dull. My favorites all herald from the poet's greatest collection, the Fleurs Du Mal: "To the Reader", "The Blessing", and "The Voyage", the latter of which is in my opinion the finest poem written, the poem I can't help but read aloud (no matter if I am in public), the poem over which I have shed the most tears.

Excellent writer. Excellent translator. Excellent collection.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Richard Howard translation more, and would recommend it for the beginning Baudelaire reader. The language in this version feels more chopped, and as if more liberties in the French were taken.

[Irena · Rating 5 out of 5]

current subway read - my fellow travelers must think me crazy to read the french out loud on the rush hour train. very proud of how much i can actually understand.

[Stef De Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat een schoonheid, en een spicy mening over "de Belgen". Zeer genietbaar, niet verschrikkelijk moeilijk en aan eender welk tempo te lezen

[Keith [on semi hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh to have lived with the crowd at Hôtel de Lauzun during the hey-day; I can only live through the remaining texts via the many translations; to be honest though, this has only pushed further desire to read more of Comte de Lautréamont (Les Chants de Maldoror) though there's sadly not much to drown myself in.

I didn't read the Spleen of Paris on this Dover edition nor will I yet read the Paris Spleen (Louise Varèse) edition by New Directions as I have copies of both and there's mismatches on what's included: some are missing and some are available between each.

Until I figure out the complete set, I'm for now done with either.

[Florin Iroftei · Rating 4 out of 5]

mai greu cu franceza de sec. XIX. primește bifă: ✅

[Charlie Fothergill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a set text on my university degree course (History of Art and French studies) and I just want to say that, despite the fact I love this sort of poetry full-stop, you really lose a lot in any translation. If you are thinking of taking up French so that you can read this in the original language, it might well be worth it!
The only thing I'm disappointed about in this edition is that several poems from Les Fleurs du Mal appear to be missing from the collection. However, having the dual-language feature is a good idea, whichever language you intend to read it in.

[Kristy Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. Both earthy and sexual, it seems to encompass nearly every human emotion . I also found it fun and interesting to glimpse Paris and its people in an earlier time. I highly recommend this book which I'll read again and again. Also, this version mirrors each page in the original French. Sadly, I don't speak that language , but it must be wonderful to be able to read these poems in both languages and to evaluate the translation which seemed outstanding to me.

[Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read the first, and largest, section "Spleen et Ideale"...
Once the poems were well analysed in class I definitely appreciated the imagery a lot more than the first time I read these poems. Baudelaire does tell a story in his poems, but you have to stop to truly appreciate his stories. They have a clear idea or message in them to be discovered.
"L'Albatros" and "Spleen IV" are probably my favourite poems in here.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to have if you're a fan of French poetry. Not only does it have complete listings of Les Fleur du Mal, it also contains the Spleen of Paris as well as some critical writings, art and music criticism, letters, and some hard to find poems from Victor Hugo. Both in English and French. Awesome!

[Angela Randall]

I want to get this as dual-language: Flowers of Evil and Other Works/Les Fleurs du Mal et Oeuvres Choisies : A Dual-Language Book

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the majority of these poems... they were confusing for me (not the reason I didn't like them!) and most of them were so critical, which, I know, was the point. I just didn't like Baudelaire's style. There were a few I picked out that I thought were ok, but overall, Baudelaire's writing style didn't fit with what I look for in a poet.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always wondered when the world changed from 'religiously correct' books like Paradise Lost, Canterbury Tales, Divine Comedy, etc. to the secular (profane in religious conservative terms). This book (1857) *is* the transition between the two eras.

[Mark Ellis]

Hopefully the English translation does it justice.

[Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prose poems are where Baudelaire really shines. Check out the original French for the real meter.

[Carlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lil too goth/sexy for the bus, if i say so myself.

[Deathmetalroze · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from the St. Marys Public Library! Their copy is an old, beat-up volume bound in black that, of course, smells like old library. How could I resist it?

[Mimielle LaFauve · Rating 5 out of 5]

online poems

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Le commerce est, par son essence, satanique."

[Lynn]

On-going, off & on read

[Helen]

I'm learning French, and this edition is supposed to help me. Too bad I can only say things like "voulez-vous aller dîner avec moi?"

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Is he weird.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

just wow. relying heavily on this for my honor's thesis.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

who doesnt envy the orginal man of leisure

[Laura Wetsel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I knew French.

[Lorene Plat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recueil de poésies de 252 pages.


Résumé :

Recueil de poésies de Charles Baudelaire. 

Ce recueil ne sera complet qu'après la mort du poète.


Avis :

N'étant pas une grande connaisseuse en poésie, j'ai été surtout curieuse de découvrir "Les fleurs du mal" tant décriées quand elles ont été écrites par l'auteur. 


Je n'en ai reconnu qu'un -> 

"L'invitation au voyage"

"Spleen et Idéal"

Juste pour ces vers ->

"Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté, 

Luxe, calme et volupté".


Beaucoup de poèmes sont bizarre mais quand on connaît le parcours de vie de Baudelaire, on comprend pourquoi. 


Conseil :

Je recommande ces poèmes tout de même.

On n'est pas obligé de tout lire d'un seul coup. On peut glaner un poème quand on a 5 minutes.

[Viviews]

I liked the poems in prose more than the poems. Can def see why he and Poe liked each other, but Baudelaire is even gloomier, and less funny.

F. P. Sturm's introduction is nicely written, but sucks as an introduction to Baudelaire; this can be seen in how Sturm says he died of dreams (opium), when in fact he died of syphilis. Sturm also neglects to mention Jeanne Duval, who was a major inspiration for Baudelaire ("in the ocean of your hair I behold a port humming with melancholy chants..."); what's modernization without colonization?