'He had become the dandy of the unpredictable.' A quest for new sensations, and an avowed desire to shock possessed the Decadent writers of fin-de-siecle Paris. The years 1880-1900 saw an extraordinary, hothouse flowering of talent, that produced some of the most exotic, stylized, and cerebral literature in the French language. While 'Decadence' was a European movement, its epicentre was the French capital. On the eve of Freud's early discoveries, writers such as Gourmont, Lorrain, Maupassant, Mirbeau, Richepin, Schwob, and Villiers engaged in a species of wild analysis of their own, perfecting the art of short fiction as they did so. Death and Eros haunt these pages, and a polymorphous perversity by turns hilarious and horrifying. Their stories teem with addicts, maniacs, and murderers as they strive to outdo each other. This newly translated selection brings together the very best writing of the period, from lesser known figures as well as famous names. Provocative and unsettling, these extraordinary, corrosive little tales continue to cast a cold eye on the modern world. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

About the Author
Stephen Romer is a specialist of French and British Modernism. He has published four collections of poetry, the most recent of which, Yellow Studio (Carcanet/Oxford Poets, 2008) was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot prizze. He has edited and co-translated Twentieth-Century French Poems (Faber, 2002), and has served as judge for the Tower poetry prize, the Popescu Prize for European Translation, and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He reviews regularly for the Guardian and the TLS.

Reviews
[A] beautifully translated anthology * Graham Robb, TLS *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199569274
Author Stephen Romer
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 202g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 14mm