The Dark Brain of Piranesi and Other Essays

by Marguerite Yourcenar, Richard Howard (Translator)

In this collection of the eminent writer's most important essays, her illuminating critical intelligence ranges from the Rome of "Historia Augusta" through the sixteenth century to the moderns Selma Lagerlof, Constantin Cavafy and Thomas Mann

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Art, French Literature, History, France, Philosophy

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Marguerite Yourcenar, original name Marguerite de Crayencour, was a french novelist, essayist, poet and short-story writer who became the first woman to be elected to the Académie Française (French Academy), an exclusive literary institution with a membership limited to 40.
She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1947. The name “Yourcenar” is an imperfect anagram of her original name, “Crayencour.”

Yourcenar’s literary works are notable for their rigorously classical style, their erudition, and their psychological subtlety. In her most important books she re-creates past eras and personages, meditating thereby on human destiny, morality, and power. Her masterpiece is Mémoires d'Hadrien, a historical novel constituting the fictionalized memoirs of that 2nd-century Roman emperor. Her works were translated by the American Grace Frick, Yourcenar’s secretary and life companion.
Yourcenar was also a literary critic and translator.

Reviews

[Raul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of essays and they were just as fine writing as the novels that I have read by the writer. A wide range of subjects are discussed in the collection, with the focus being history and artists. With the historical essays I found that Yourcenar writes of historical figures and events with a certain coolness, and by this I mean to say that she's not so cold as to be distant and completely removed from them but also not so warm as to romanticize and idolize, a wonderful balance.

The essays on Historia Augusta, the Château de Chenonceau and C.P. Cavafy were my favorites. There's more enthusiasm with the literary essays and gives great insights on the writers (Selma Lagerlöf, C. P. Cavafy and Thomas Mann).

With the exception of having read one of Thomas Mann's books (Buddenbrooks), I had little to no knowledge about the subjects of the collection. But Yourcenar's fantastic story-telling is so captivating and her essays thoroughly informative that my ignorance wasn't as much a hindrance as I thought it would be.

[Eric Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did think Borges unique in a genius that allowed him, in his nonfictions, to select a tidbit from a superannuated encyclopedia, extract an incident from the most obscure chronicle—or, conversely, from the collective media memory of widely disseminated, easily recognizable historical caricatures—and, with a certain pace of retelling, a special pattern of emphasis, fashion a spare fable full of spectral images and unsettling suggestions. I was wrong. “Everything has been said: we shall add no new facet to the history of their château, and of their own lives. Yet let us venture to reinvestigate the known facts—they are often less so than is supposed.”

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yourcenar is a genius. The essays that most captured me in this volume were the astounding meditation on cultural decay in the Historia Augusta (a key passage of which Hadrian cites in his review); and her studies of a medieval French castle ("Ah, mon beau château...), which is surprisingly rich, and of Selma Lagerlöf. The essay on Mann looks interesting, though I have not read Mann; likewise, on Cavafy --

At any rate, a worthy addition to her Memoirs of Hadrian (1954).

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wide variaty of essays written in very diverse time periods (the years 1950 to 1980). Personally I found the essays about Piranesi and Thomas Mann the most succesfull; Yourcenar shows her erudition without becoming too pedantic.

[Goknilirmak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Niye aldığımı, neden okuyup bitirdiğimi anlamadığım bir kitap. Herhalde bir tanıtım yazısının güzellemesiyle hata yaptım. Okunacak birşey değil. Mimar profesör akademisyen bir arkadaşım var ona vereceğim. Belki benim anlayamadığım bir manası vardır kitabın. Boşa giden 45 tl.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly the most fun way to learn history. "the great and slovenly warrior", "the most crapulous of princes". Has anyone made a movie about the tragic little queen Louise of Chenonceaux ("a dwelling of carking care")? Someone should. In Yourcenar's hands it's a real tear jerker. And this tidbit - the bitterness dripping forth: "by now the two warring religions were, as is almost always the case with rival ideologies, nothing but the pretext or the disguise of the violent and the ambitious, a means of rousing mass hysteria, a way of sanctifying the aims of the cunning in the eyes of the foolish and the dull."

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

She takes erudition so far, it's genius. It has to be innate.

[Patrick Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the most gorgeous prose I have read in any work. The beauty and coherence of Yourcenar's words leaves my critical faculties a little benumbed. There is at least a reasonable chance that in some of her sentences, which flow from shadow to stars, she might be talking absolute bullshit, but at least for the chapter of Piranesi, the one subject I already know a little, she seems to be correct, even when the clean cut of her tongue has healed. I now have opinions of the 'Historia Augusta', have ordered one of the works of Selma Lagerlof and have an interest in Cenconeaux Chateau.

Even Youncenar cannot provoke me to engage with Cavafy or Thomas Mann. These were chapters I more spectated than read, clapping politely all the while.

[Noel Cisneros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con su estilo claro y su prodigiosa inteligencia en este libro Yourcenar construye ensayos eruditos que invitan a acercarse a los biógrafos de la tardoantigüedad, a Piranesi, a un chatau francés colmado de historia, a Piranesi, a Cavafis, a Mann.
Ensayos que no por eruditos son herméticos, al contrario, abiertos a la lectura resultan prístinos como agua de una corriente continua y que permite ver los reflejos de las piedras bajo su superficie, que reflejan el genio o las cualidades de las obras y autores que analiza. Sus ensayos tienen por ejes la claridad, la inteligencia y la belleza.

[Paul H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Faces of History in the Historia Augusta" is one of the best essays ever written, but diminishing returns on the rest.

[Murat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yourcenar'i edebi eserlerinden biliyorum ve "Hadrianus'un Anilari"nin bende yeri ayridir. En ufak fikrimin olmadigi bir konuda yazilmis bu denemeyi okumak, uzaktan takip ettigim bir erbabin kafa dengi bir arkadas da olabilecegini farketmek gibi guzel bir deneyime benzedi benim icin. Neye kafam takilsa yazarin bir sonraki sayfada onunla didismesi :) Yontem ve uslup sahibi tutkulu bir yazari okumak isteyene onerimdir; barok donem, gravur sanati vs bilmenize luzum yok. Piranesi gibi bir enteresan ve kirik 18. yy insanini tanimaya deger. Enis Batur sonsozu ise fularsiz okunmuyor.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I totally loved memoirs of Hadrian by Yourcenar and for months was banging on about how I, Claudius was a copy of Yourcenar’s novel. I also have to totally admit that a lot of her essays in this short book were well beyond me. Maybe I need to mature a little before I can fully understand the points that she was making. It reminded me of the first time that I had an espresspo – it was such a rich drink and I couldn’t understand how people could drink something so concentrated and intense. Similarly, this book was also packed with detail and a richness that I guess I couldn’t fathom. She provided essays on the Historia Augusta (a collection of old Roman biographies), Agrippa d’Aubigne (a French poet), Piranesi (an artist who etched lots of pictures of Rome and various fictitious prisons from that region), Selma Lagerlof (the first female ever to win the Nobel prize for literature), Constantine Cavafy (a Greek poet) and a section on the humanism and occultism of Thomas Mann (the dude who wrote “The Magic Mountain”.)

[Micha]

So I can't remember how I heard about this book, only that it intrigued me a lot. I'd heard of Yourcenar's Memoirs of Hadrian, and I'm curious about it, but I still don't know what led me here, since I wasn't familiar with Piranesi by name. It might've been the Thomas Mann essay, or perhaps Cavafy, not that I've read any Cavafy, but he's a poet so deeply in line with my interests that I've got to now. The critical introduction to Cavafy was my favourite essay of the lot, though throughout this collection Yourcenar's style and thought process are so intricate and intelligent. A curious and thought-provoking collection.

[Nigel Massey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best nuanced and unsentimental perspective on Cavafy I ever read. She seems to have a knack of looking beyond superficial atmosphere to get to the heart of things. The title essay is excellent too. What she sees in the Piranesi etchings enabled me to see inside myself. I've not read any of Yourcenar's novels yet, and this makes me very interested in exploring them.The Dark Brain of Piranesi

[Mar]

I barely started to read it

[Kelly]

No time to give it the attention it deserves just at present. I will return.

[Yonca Güneş Yücel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Piranesi’nin karanlık zihni”ni çok geç okudum. Gravür levhaları kitap baskısında biraz zor seçiliyor ama birkaç kez göz dikip, dönüp dönüp baktıkça berraklık kazanıyor resimler. On sekizinci yüzyılın cezalandırmaya dair somut bir deneyimden ziyade bir fantezinin, düşsel bir heyulanın ürünü olduğu yazılmış kitap boyunca.

Bu heyulanın, sıtmadan, ateşli bir hastalıktan, veryansın halüsinasyonlardan olması da gerekmiyor elbette. Ama öyle bir yaklaşımın da olduğu eklenmiş. Piranesi’nin gravürlerinde, Enis Batur’un tarifiyle, hapishane “eksiksiz bir karabasan portresi hâlinde,” çizilmiş; hiç kimsenin dışarı çıkamayacağı bir yeryüzü cehennemiyle de eş değer bu uzam. Yourcenar da bu “siyah imgelemin” dehşet üreten özelliğinin celladın her yerde var olduğunu düşündürmesine bağlıyor.

İşkence aletleriyle iş aletleri birbiriyle karışırcasına sere serpe gravürde yer alırken asıl dehşet hissinin bu uzama iliştirdiği belli belirsiz, yerde, pervazda, merdivende, duvarda görülür görülmez küçük insanların oluşu olarak tarif ediliyor.

Üç yüz yıl sonrasında bu gravürlere bakıldığında söz edildiği şekliyle bir dehşete kapılmamak, kayıtsızlık görmemek de mümkün. Aksine üç yüz yıl sonra bu gravürleri yorumlarken yüzyıllar içinde “ceza” politikalarına ilişkin kanıksananın, kayıtsızlığın içerdiği güncellik dikkati çekiyor. Tüm bu anlatının odağında olan “ceza” uygulamaları, uzamı metinde öyle çevresinde dolanılan bir kuyu ki, derinliği ve fantasmagorik niteliği barok dönemin, pre -romantik dönemin mimari -politik özellikleri hakkında çok şey söylüyor. Önemli bir detay var ki, Piranesi’nin Roma asayişinin tarafında olması, mahpusları “kurban”dan öte “suçlu” olarak görmesi başlıbaşına bu yarattığı dehşetten sorumlu da olduğu bir sinizmi içinde barındırıyor, bildiğimiz düz anlamıyla “karanlık zihni.”

[Eric Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esoteric, elegant, eminently enjoyable. I especially like the essays on the literary value of the Augustan History (the bios of the later Emperors of Rome); and the speculations on the origins and development of Piranesi's prison engravings and how those interior psychological landscapes created out of acid-etched copper plates are populated by humanity, space and time; and the long essay on the poetry of Cavafy, his eroticism, of course, but more importantly his relationship to himself and his past, both cultural and personal. The reflections on occult subject matter in the work of Thomas Mann, an author I haven't read in 25 years, was a refreshing, though hasty, tour of the more mystical qualities of his major works.

Probably not a book for everyone--since the essays presume a more than passing familiarity with the authors and works she discusses--but a must-read for all Yourcenar fans.

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

“La visita a las viejas moradas nos puede conducir, sin que nos demos cuenta, a unos puntos de vista que no nos esperábamos.”

Marguerite Yourcenar es la maestra de historia, literatura y arte que nunca tuve.

Sus ensayos son una delicia para el intelecto que está en busca de más, no se conforman con lo común y demuestran el carácter pedagógico que hay en absolutamente todo lo que nos rodea.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I only read the titular essay (as preparation for a presentation I'm giving on the work/influence of G.B. Piranesi next month) but holy shit, there is some beautiful prose in here, as well as insightful analysis. I'll certainly be pulling a few quotes from Yourcenar for my presentation!

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection would be 5 stars if only judged by its first essay Faces of History, which is one of the greatest historical essays I have ever read. The other essays aren't quite as powerful, though still interesting reads, and Yourcenar is clearly very knowledgeable and often presciently shrewd. Every essay contains at least one fantastic paragraph, but the best essay is certainly put first.

[Danielle Aleixo · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ah, mon bon chateau” is a piece of art. The other essays of the book (published in Brazil as “Notas à margem do tempo”) are just fine compared to that one. A beautiful account on the passage of time.

[incipit mania]

Incipit
Se la storia di Roma, assai più delle altre registrate da memoria umana [...]
Con Beneficio D’Inventario Incipitmania

[Kutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me aburrí demasiado, pero no es culpa de los ensayos. Los temas no me interesaban en absoluto, excepto en el primer texto que hablaba sobre roma. La escritura es maravillosa.

[Fact100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marguerite Yourcenar, "Piranesi'nin Karanlık Zihni" adlı denemesiyle, 18. yüzyılın önemli sanatçılarından Giovanni Battista Piranesi’nin (1720-1778) hayatı, harabeleri belgeleyen titiz gravürleri ve zaman ötesi bir etkiyle birçok sanatçıya ilham kaynağı olan "Düşsel Hapishaneler" serisine odaklanıyor.

Yourcenar, Piranesi'nin oluşturduğu bu karanlık dehliz tasvirlerinin, tekinsiz, ucu bucağı olmayan ve mantığı zorlayan yapısını, psikolojik ve sanatsal yönlerini dikkate alarak yoğun bir dil ve derinlikle inceliyor.

Piranesi'nin gravürlerindeki devasa kemerlerin, zincirlerin ve çıkışı olmayan merdivenlerin arasında küçücük kalıp neredeyse kaybolan insan figürlerinin işaret ettiği çaresizlik ve mekanın boğucu sonsuzluğundan, sanatçının halüsinatif ve içsel yolculuğuna, Yourcenar'ın yetkin bir dille oluşturduğu bu hayli detaylı ve edebi deneme, tüm öğretici ve düşündürücü faydalarına karşın benim gibi standart okurlar için biraz yoğun ve akademik bir eser.

Enis Batur'un Piranesi'nin Hapishaneleriyle ilgili bir denemesini de içeren "Piranesi'nin Karanlık Zihni"ni, bu usta gravürcüye veya sanat tarihine özel hatta ciddi bir ilgi duyan yetişkin okurlara öneririm.

[Jacob Bornheimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the titular essay, and it lent a lot to my feeling of Piranesi, which I just finished. Clarke must have read this essay before composing her novel, or else she's on the same level as Yourcenar (and that would be tough - she is a genius). I won't summarize it, but was very pleased to discover that my first brush with Piranesi the man wasn't Jacob Geller's amazing video, but when I read the enjoyable Confessions of an English Opium Eater at the age of 15. There's a passage about Piranesi's Prisons in which De Quincey gets the title wrong, but captures the feeling very well. Clearly a lot of references were lost on me back then, but I really like the idea that something so moving to me now had a chance to strike me much earlier, but missed.

[Jag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dios, me tomo mucho leer este libro y más procesarlo. Es una gran demostración del rigor intelectual de Yourcenar, pero también de su curiosidad inagotable. La autora hace un repaso de figuras históricas, literarias y culturales que se siente más lucido que crítico. El ojo esta en los detalles y cada línea es un detalle.

Lo que más me impresionó es cómo conecta épocas, ideas y vidas muy diversas con una naturalidad sorprendente. Cada ensayo parece abrir una puerta a un mundo completamente distinto, pero todos están atravesados por su mirada. Es uno de esos libros que no solo enseñan datos, enseñan a pensar.

Además, como suele pasar con sus ensayos, terminé con una lista enorme de tarea. Yourcenar no solo escribe bien, contagia el deseo de aprender, dejándome como un ignorante después de cada ensayo.

[Lisa E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed about half of the essays in this collection very much - the Historia Augusta, Mon Beau Chateau, and Piranesi. The others, which mainly are concerned with literature, I found to be quite boring, and also marred a bit by a smugness of tone that can be an element of Yourcenar’s style. I’ll admit that I’m not particularly interested in literary criticism so I suppose I shouldn’t find fault in them but I’m still subtracting a star for it.

[Cactus · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Se non si è in nessun punto al riparo dal rumore, non lo si è neppure dagli sguardi in questi torrioni scavati, squarciati in apparenza, collegati da scale e balaustrate ad altri torrioni invisibili, e questo senso di esposizione totale, di insicurezza totale, contribuisce forse, più di tutto il resto, a fare di questi fantastici palazzi delle prigioni."

[Engi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

“Per afferrare l’importanza di siffatta impresa di salvataggio, bisogna tenere presente che almeno un terzo dei monumenti disegnati da Piranesi è scomparso da allora, e che quanto ci resta è stato il più delle volte spogliato dei rivestimenti e degli stucchi superstiti tra la fine del XVIII secolo e i giorni nostri.”