The Unknown Masterpiece; and, Gambara
A New York Review Books OriginalOne of Honoré de Balzac's most celebrated tales, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is the story of a painter who, depending on one's perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius—or both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to artists as...
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A New York Review Books OriginalOne of Honoré de Balzac's most celebrated tales, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is the story of a painter who, depending on one's perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius—or both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to artists as various as Cézanne, Henry James, Picasso, and New Wave director Jacques Rivette, is, in critic Dore Ashton's words, a "fable of modern art."Published here in a new translation by poet Richard Howard, "The Unknown Masterpiece" appears, as Balzac intended, with "Gambara," a grotesque and tragic novella about a musician undone by his dreams.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780940322745 (0940322749)
Publish date: August 31st 2000
Publisher: NYRB Classics
Pages no: 160
Edition language: English
Series: La Comédie Humaine
The Unknown Masterpiece - Balzac mixes fact with fiction in this tale of a mythical artistic genius named Frenhofer. It is a tale that plays on artistic conventions and the changes of style from past and present...what’s deemed acceptable or objectionable in art. What I found interesting is Balzac’s...
Loved this book. It's more poetry than prose. It's the kind of work that tempts you to read it aloud all the time. The only thing that keeps you from doing that, is the fear of being tagged a maniac. You can always read it aloud in your own mind though. It's your own little, almost mischievous, game...
![Emad Attely [The Book Nerd]](http://booklikes.com/photo/crop/60/60/upload/avatar/80/22/766071c173b4128cd3c1dbb4ed905ff9.jpg)
This short story inspired the artist Picasso and was one of his favorites. But, to be honest, It didn't touch me the way it did to him! I found it just normal - good! Just good!
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