european

My Grandfather,Dr.William V.McDermott,has told me much about his experiences on the Omaha Beach and the terrifying seens in Ebensee. His pictures of the concentration camps help a 13 year old girl like me really understand some of the real meaning of war,although,nobody could ever know what its really like....unless they were actually there. I enjoy listening to his engrossing stories and this book was just a whole new one to catch my breath and fufill my thirst for history and information.

Fifty years after WWII, it is rare and unusual treat to read a firsthand account of the Allied advance through Hitler's Fortress Europe from D-Day to VE Day. Dr. McDermott's account is based partly from memory, but mostly from the hundreds of letters he wrote his wife during the course of the campaign. A half-century later, Dr. McDermott thought to throw the dusty cardboard box of correspondence away, but fortunately for us, his daughter convinced him otherwise, and he decided to take the letters and write this book about his extrordinary experiences.

In the 1990's, our collective memories of WWII are shaped by Steven Ambrose and "Saving Private Ryan." This book rounds out these accounts with another, more thoughtful side of the GI's experience. There are accounts of shelling and blood, but the book focuses on how simple acts of kindness or simple pleasures of normal life -- a French peasant giving a US soldier some apples, or a beautiful sunset over Caen in June 1944 -- assume such poignant meaning and enlarged proportion.

Dr. McDermott was one of the first doctors at the scene when the Nazi concentration camps were liberated. His account of the suffering is mournful and harrowing. Throughout the book he talks about Nazi brutality, but it isn't until the final chapters that he sees firsthand to what depths that brutality would sink.

For anyone interested in WWII, European History or the Holocaust, I would highly recommend this book.

My Grandfather wrote this book and personally I loved it! He has told me about his expierences freeing the concentration camp. I give it a ten, not just because I know him but because I thought it was well put together and I reccomend it to everyone.Even if you can't stand the thought of concentration camps or war it describes to you what really happened as if you were really there. Bahan McDermott (Age 12)

I have enjoyed this (and all other Danilo Kis's books) immensly.

This book of Kis' is a masterful work. The author said they are short stories but the publisher pushed it as a novel and in a way it is something between the two. The stories are seperate and there is not one main plot but a common theme runs through the work and occasionally characters from one story will reoccur or turn up in another story. They are connected though it seems in the sort of way as when someone might say it is a small world that we live in.
In his native land this book caused an uproar as the stories pass themselves off as fact but in Kis' style fact and fiction, history and imagination blend for a common aesthetic goal. This he picked up from Borges and his use of "document" in fiction.
All this helps the book stand out as a superior work of literature without even getting to the political theme of revolution and the role of individuals in mass movements.
This edition is perfect with the intro by Brodsky and William T. Vollmann's afterword.
A must read for anyone.

Beautifully written, surprisingly nonchalant portrayal of the actual driving force behind the Russian Communist Revolution, namely an international gang of charismatic professional criminals. Makes you think twice before you empathise with all the victims of Stalin's camps indiscriminantly - some of them obviously deserved their terrible fate.

Unpacking Duchamp is a highly innovative and breakthrough investigation into Duchamp's transformations of the conditions and status of twentieth-century art, art making, and art viewing. Judovitz approaches Duchamp's "oeuvre" from many interrelated angles, offering detailed and illuminating analyses of individual works, all the while contextualizing her discussions through considerable research and erudition. Her mode of inquiry is at once historical and philosophical -- perfect for the study of Duchamp. Intellectually refined, the book is clear, well-written, with many dashes of humor.

Unpacking Duchamp will appeal to culture critics, historians, and theoreticians, as well as to artists and writers. It is a must read for anyone interested in the contemporary conditions of art.

Dalia Judovitz has written a challenging, stimulating and exhaustively researched book on Duchamp. Her take on many aspects of Duchamp's career is fresh and imaginative, as for example in her close reading of his word play and ready-mades. After the comprehensive studies of Duchamp's ready-mades by Antin, Bauer, Caws, Compton, de Duve, James et al this is very impressive.

A key chapter on Art and Economics, cultural and economic value, as one Duchamp scholar observes, "opens up a whole new area of investigation. Her discussion of the Monte-Carlo Bond and the less well known Drain Stopper which she cleverly compares to Renaissance Art Medals will intrigue all those who are seriously interested in Duchamp.

This is a book to be read and re-read.

With so much of the literature available on Marcel Duchamp offering accounts that neither seem to fully resonate with the evidence of the work or with the spirit of the artist himself, I find Unpacking Duchamp to be a refreshing exception. Not only does this book live up to its title's promise of showing us how to "unpack" the master's enigmatic thinking, it does so with such wit and grace that I suspect even he would tip his hat to its author. Taking a body of his work that often appears overly difficult and elusive to enter into, Ms. Judovitz does the nearly impossible, gently prying it open in ways that are beautifully lucid, accessible, and free of jargon, yet, entirely up to the challenge of her ever-moving subject. She constructs readings of the work that go beyond analysis and interpretation to become aesthetic acts in their own right --- reciprocating one that generously enable her readers to enter into and perform their own Duchampian thinking, in ways that genuinely illuminate and bring it to life. This is potentially Duchamp's most important legacy to us but an aspect of his work that often seems poorly understood by many specialists.

In short, I'm extremely glad to finally have a book like this, and I look forward to rereading it in the future. If you are considering it, I would say that it's a challenging read, but one I would strongly recommend if you are at all interested in Duchamp or just interested in exploring an extraordinary mode of thought and creativity. While I do have some knowledge of twentieth-century art, this was not really essential to my appreciation of the book. Its interest and appeal should be broad-based and not limited to either an art audience or one of largely academic interests.

I collect art books and am particularly fond of Vincent Van Gogh, the fabulous Dutch artist of the 19th Century, who is probably the most popular of all artists--EVER (certainly my favorite!!). I have taken several art history courses with Van Gogh as subject, seen all the "Van Gogh" films, etc. I own many books about Van Gogh including a few I picked up in the Netherlands. What could anyone else possibly say about him that I have not already heard? The answer as it turns out is plenty. I had not yet read Debora Silverman's VAN GOGH AND GAUGUIN: THE SEARCH FOR SACRED ART.

Silverman has taken a different tact in writing about the artists Van Gogh and Gauguin--who will linked together through eternity if for no other reason than the episode in Arles with Van Gogh's "earlobe" (not ear). Like many, I have wondered just why these two men behaved so antagonistically towards each other. I have heard about personality conflicts, differing life styles, and mental illness, but somehow these reasons have never resonated with me. The explanation for the Gauguin-Van Gogh conflict according to Silverman was owing to nothing less than their conflicting interpretations of the meaning of life.

Gauguin was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Catholic boys school where he was taught the theology of bearing one's cross and dying to the material world to attain the transcendent good--paradise. Van Gogh came from a humanistic Dutch Reformed background in an era when this church was focused on the need for a consolatary religion in the face of EVOLUTION. Their conflict seems to have been a feud of a particular kind as both men attempted to understand the eternal truths, grapple with the new reality of science, and abandon their relgious upbringings.

While Gauguin's paintings reflect the transcendent as "otherworldly" and point the way for later abstract symbolists such as Picasso, Van Gogh's works are tied to the sacred presence of the eternal in the natural world. In painting after painting, Gauguin flattens the canvas, uses paint sparingly and depicts scenes of misery and suffering, sin and redemption. On the other hand, Van Gogh focuses on the sacred nature of work and rural life--threshing, weaving, milking, and rocking the baby by the fireplace. Where Gauguin creates angels strugging with men and flying cows, Van Gogh paints wheat fields and grape vineyards filled with sowers, thrashers, and harvesters. Where Gauguin sees classical elements such as the three muses and a Greek temple and admires Delacroix, Van Gogh sees bridges, sailboats, looms, and walls, and adores Millet.

During their short time together in Arles, Gauguin sought to influence Van Gogh--to have him paint from memory, flatten surfaces, and introduce overt religious symbolism into his work. Van Gogh did partially adapt some of Gauguin's techniques such as cloisonism (black outlines separating flat patches of color), but while Gauguin continued to tackle the sinful ways of man (and apparently sin quite heavily when he wasn't working) Van Gogh adapted Zenlike techniques reminiscent of Hiroshege and other Japanese artists who saw no boundary between the divine and natural worlds.

Silverman writes beautifully (I read every word..this is a powerful book) and there are hundreds of drop-dead beautiful facsimilies of the works of Gauguin and Van Gogh. I think Silverman favors Van Gogh, and I do too so I was not disappointed (though she covers Gauguin quite well). She spends a great deal of time on style and technique, which I also liked very much. She is not merely pointing out technical differences, however, she is showing how their respective techniques were tied to their philosophical outlooks. Several "sets" of paintings by both men are discussed in detail--Van Gogh's Langlois bridge paintings (all nine are reproduced) and the Berceuse paintings (she who rocks the cradle); as well as Gauguin's repeated use elements such as the women of Brittany, cows, angels, and "the dead."

This is a wonderful book and if you love Van Gogh and want to better understand his painterly ways, you must have it. It will enrich your life.

Although a non-scholar, I have a keen interest in art history and thus was delighted to receive a copy of this book as a holiday gift from my daughter. The subtitle indicates Silverman's thematic objective: To examine "the search for sacred art." She provides her reader with a brilliantly written narrative during which she shares a wealth of information about Van Gogh and Gauguin, of course, in combination with hundreds of illustrations (many in full-color) which are skillfully correlated with the text. Here is how the material is organized:

Part One: Toward Collaboration [two "Self-Portraits"]

Part Two: Peasant Subjects and Sacred Forms [eg Van Gogh's "Sower" and Gauguin's "Vision After the Sermon"]

Part Three: Catholic Idealism and Dutch Reformed Realism

Part Four: Collaboration in Arles

Part Five: Theologies of Art After Arles

Part Six: Modernist Catechism and Sacred Realism

Silverman carefully identifies and then eloquently explores all manner of comparisons and contrasts between the lives and art of Van Gogh and Gauguin within an historical, theological, and anthropological context. Hers is a magnificent achievement.

a work of genius and a pleasure to read. this book is essential for any museumgoer and the general reader with any interest in either artist. revealing the mutual respect and support between two very different men, with outstanding illustrations and insightful prose. i cannot remember any art history book so erudite and approachable.

This book is one of the most interesting I have ever read on the subject. It is filled with historical works of art, frescos, murals, architecture. The photographs are stunning, all large full page spreads in color.

Wander through the Venetian countryside and discover the magnificent retreats created for the most of discriminating patrons. No need to tote along a camera, all the photos you will want, are in this book. As a matter of fact, don't bother to pack anything, Srs. Muraro and Marton have created an extraordinary armchair tour.

Divided into two sections, the first, provides an informative backdrop for these villas, including artists, architects, patrons and general historic background, accompanied by relevant pictures. This humanist approach sets the stage for the much larger second part which represents eighty villas in chronological order. Each estate is represented by a group of photographs, sometimes plans and elevations. The majority are exterior shots of architecture and gardens as befit a photo collection of country estates. Nearly 500 pages brimming with 463 illustrations, 438 colour photographs 27 pen and ink renderings coupled with insightful accounts and analyses.

This coffee table book is a monumental work, which covers 80 of the most important villas in Veneto, the hinterland of Venice. These Villas were built by wealthy Venetian merchants about 500 years ago for the time when the summer heat in Venice made Italian merchants and gentlemen long for the fresh air of the country. For the ones in the know: many Villas were built by Andrea Palladio, the master architect from Vicenca. The photographer of the book, Paolo Marton, took 2 whole years to take the very best pictures of the different palaces, villas, country houses and mansions, and his effort has been worthwhile. The text gives readers the right background about how these beautiful residences came into being and why they are renovated and lived in by families such as the Benettons.

Without hesitation I can assure you that "The Water of Life" is one of the most beautiful and intricate fairytales and picture books I have ever come across in my life. If you are a folk-lore scholar, a lover of beautiful illustrations, or a parent who believes that children are capable of absorbing the deeper side of fairytales rather than brainlessly watching the sugary-sweet rubbish that the T.V. spoonfeeds them today, then here is the picture book for you. Retold by Barbara Rogasky and illustrated by the fantastic Trina Schart Hyman, this story is a perfect blending of art and literature, and will stay with you for a very long time.

Don't believe me? Well, when I was no more than five years old my father got this book out of the library, but nine years later, all I could remember was a certain illustration that depicted the prince escaping from the enchanted courtyard. It was such a narrow escape as the gates closed on him, that his heel was torn off. This picture and the narrative stayed with me all those years, till I picked up another Trina Schart Hyman book, whose style of illustrations seemed vaugely familiar... After some typing on the public library's search engine "The Water of Life" was refound, and I stood in the library parking lot staring in amazement at the illustration that had stayed in my head for over nine years.

Well enough reminising, I'll get to the plot of the story. It is based on the Brother Grimm story, but unlike other retellings of their tales which "shear" certain components of their narratives, Barbara Rogasky keeps in all the details and subquests that make the story so intricate. If you've ever read Brothers Grimm you'll know that the pretty little stories you usually see nowadays are very unlike their original counterparts. Often the Grimm Brothers would go off into tangents in their storytellings, adding unexplained or irrelevent people and events, which made them slightly confusing, but all the more colourful and fascinating. "The Water of Life" tells the story of three brothers whose father was very ill. After the two eldest brothers go, are rude to a small dwarf traveller and therefore trapped in a ravine between two mountains, the youngest son rides out to find the Water of Life and cure his father. He is not so coarse to the dwarf and so gathers some useful advice: that the Water is held in the fountain of a courtyard in an enchanted castle, guarded by iron gates and fierce lions. The Prince enters this place and there meets a beautiful Princess. You guessed it, it's love at first sight, and the Prince gathers the Water for his father, promising that he'll return to wed the Princess in a year's time. But his treacherous brothers have other plans - to have their brother destroyed and claim the Princess for themselves.

It has all the components of a traditional fairytale: an ill king, three feuding brothers, a castle under a spell, a dwarfin companion and a beautiful princess, but here appear like brand new under Barbara Rogersky's working of the mysterious narrative. There are passages of intrigue and detail galore: the table of enchanted princes, the youngest son's travels with the magic bread and sword, the huntsman sent to kill him, and the wise Princess's own plan to secure her true love. Yet despite the darker tones of the tale, the morale shines through: that of honesty, love and truth always coming through in the end.

And then of course, there's Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations. They evoke a beautiful and deep medieval/fairytale world, and perfectly echo the story, as well as creating an extra depth of their own. Long after the dwarf disappears from the narrative, he features in the illustrations, peeking from behind trees and watching the action from high bluffs. Likewise, the lions that guard the gates of the castle appear in the narrative only as "watch-dogs", but continue to appear at the Princess's side like overgrown house cats. There are stories within stories, as the tapestries in the king's bed chamber seem to tell an unknown but fascinating woodland tale, and there is no picture more intriging than the table of enchanted princes: one with butterfly wings, one with stag's horns, one with a unicorn horn, another with a bird's head... Likewise, the sight of the two elder brothers wedged between two mountains on horseback is comic, claustrophobic, inventive and completely realistic. Finally, everyone may groan at the "love at first sight" passage, but Hyman's incredible details create love and adoration between two figures that *make* you believe in it. Her details and use of colour are perfection, and out of all her works, "The Water of Life" is one of the best.

Children are some of the most underestimated creatures in the world, and they deserve to have this wonderful story read to them. Turn off the T.V. and open "The Water of Life". Hopefully Amazon will place a picture of the product on this webpage so that everyone can see for themselves and not just take my word for it just how beautiful this book is.

I am a fan of fairy tales. And I love to share my passion for a good story with my son. My 5 year-old loved this book from the first reading.

It is not a short read for a 5 year-old, but it held his attention again and again. It is one of his favorites.

I bought this book because I love the illustrations of Ms. Hyman. We have read "Bearskin" by Howard Pyle, "Little Red Ridinghood", and "The Fortune Teller", all illustrated by Ms. Hyman. Her colors are vibrant and exciting. It seems that every book Ms. Hyman is involved with includes a great story and a great story teller.

"The Water of Life" has it all, love, tests and trials, devotion, greed, and betrayal. It gives us, mother and son, lots to talk about. I recommend this book heartily.

I am amazed that I never heard about this story until I was over 40 years old! This is an excellent book for teaching children the value of being loving and kind. I recently attended a talk on heroes at work and this book was mentioned. I am so glad that I purchased a copy because it will encourage me (and hopefully some friends that borrow it) that we can be heroes to those around us.

this is such a good book i mean really really good oh no ! theres a nit in my hair sorry! back to the book this book really makes you think about how lucky u are and i'm telling u that berlie doherty is going to overpower me
from Anne Fine

this book is based on real story which makes it feel like it's jumping out at you. it is the kind of book that you can't let go and that when it's light out you get a torch and read on till midnight! it is good because it has a seesaw of events like it's good for poor young jim jarvis then its bad. jim jarvis' mother and father have died and he doesn't know where his sisters are and he's sent to the work house which is the worst place to be.

for jim i have cut my hair short (i'm a girl) to see what it is like to lose something
from sassy

Street Child by Berlie Doherty is an extravagent book. It tells of the cruel fate a little boy named Jim must endure, all his adventures growing up, and terrible tradgeties. This book is extravagent and absalutely a must have. If you don't own this book you should go out and buy it immediately!!

Thais, by Anatole France (born Jacques Anatole Thibault) written in the latter years of the 19th century, is indicative of the wry, powerful voice of a passionate author.

Borne from a knowledge of the processes of religion in the heart; the tale of Thais unfolds with the remembrances of the monk Paphnutius. Reflecting upon his time 'far from God', Paphnutius remembers his initial meeting, at age 15, with the beautiful Alexandrian actress Thais. Daring to seek out her door, as many other suitors did, the young Paphnutius flees in fear of rejection by the beautiful courtesan.

Years later Paphnutius sets out on a quest to save Thais from her life of 'depravity' by persuading her to join a convent and save her soul by marrying it to God.

Paphnutius finds his Alexandrian beauty; still bewitching theater patrons young and old; and entices her to burn all of her possessions and leave the city (and her less than virtuous life) behind. But the men under her spell, as well as the numerous merchants who have enjoyed a generous spending from Thais for years, decide that it is in their best interest for her to remain in their city, and attempt to block her departure.

Once they are safely away from Alexandria, with the help of fellow monks and friends; Paphnutius delivers Thais safely to the convent where she is to spend the rest of her days, and he begins a quest of his own, which helps to spread his name and fame far and wide.

Throughout the book there are numerous references to the history of Classical Greece, though it is written with a decidedly Christian theme, at a time when men had abandoned the Gods of old for the conventional diety that is worshipped today.

I enjoyed this 154 page novel, largely due to the abiltiy of the author to create a tale about a man of dedicated service to God, when France had little faith himself, and his underlying theme that men and women are simply that; nothing more, nothing less. I particularly enjoyed the ending, in the sense that it showed a 'man of God' as having flawed 'human' traits that he cannot overcome.

I hope to enjoy other works of Anatole France, and encourage other readers to indulge in this one in particular. Anatole France's prose is engaging, his literary style easily accessable 113 years after the initial publication, and his story-telling capabilities easily rank with more contemporary authors. Definitely worth a visit.

This is about a hypocritical Christian monk who lives in late ancient Egypt, and who finally is overwhelmed by his lust for the title character. Massenet made an opera out of this novel. It is intended as an attack on Christianity, but if one can look at the monk as an individual and not as a representative of Christianity, even Christian readers can appreciate this study of human weakness.

Easy-to-read yet artful novel in the traditions of Thomas Love Peacock, Dr. Johnson (Rasselas, especially) and Francois Rabelais. The story is about religious follies in the early days of Christendom, but has plenty of relevancy to our time. France was witty and relentless when it came to superstition, hypocrisy and religious megalomania but he had tremendous sympathy for humanity's spiritual yearning and the plight of the characters. I found an old copy printed in the 20's. Somebody needs to bring this fine book, and other works of Anatole France, back in print. Updated translations will help as well.

Anthony Bailey's somewhat misleadingly titled Vermeer not-quite-biography is meticulously researched, lovingly detailed, and suffused with a powerful affection and appreciation for both Vermeer's painting and Dutch history. It is only ever less than fascinating when dealing with the old master himself.

So little is known of Vermeer as to leave his biographers only slightly better off than those of Shakespeare, imagining that this document indicated this mood, this painting signifies that political opinion...such supposition is not terribly interesting to the lay reader.

But in his detailed recreation of 17th century Delft and his lush and delicate descriptions of the major canvases, Bailey makes up for the limitations of his subject. This period of Dutch history is so rich it seems almost a shame to spend so much of the text on a figure about whom so little is known, and Bailey recounts it beautifully.

An excellent book, then, unless one really wants a biography of Vermeer.

Anthony Bailey is the ideal author to write about Vermeer: like his subject's paintings his prose is quiet, calm, introspective, and serene. He illuminates Vermeer and his work, but as in the paintings discussed the light is gentle, and golden, never harsh - like a good poet, Bailey leaves plenty of room for the reader to reflect on his/her reality as he describes his subject.

It's wonderful to think of Vermeer painting his silence-drenched, calm and mysterious images amid the noise and tumult of his house filled with eleven children. Perhaps his paintings were a world of perfect order and quiet that he could retreat to when his messy and noisy surroundings became overwhelming. I also liked Bailey's point that perhaps Vermeer painted so few images because almost all of his best work had sunlight streaming through a window, and the Dutch climate doesn't offer too many sunny days to paint from!

The book opened with a bit more 15th and 16th century Dutch history than I would have cared for, but hold tight, once he switches his focus to Vermeer's paintings the book takes flight, and you will never look at the paintings in the same way again. The black and white reproductions don't do the paintings justice however - I'd recommend having a book of color reproductions of the paintings (there are only 37 known Vermeers!) next to you as Bailey gently helps you see these familiar images in wonderfully new ways.

I'm certainly no expert on the non-fiction genre and definitely no expert on art history but I do know a well-researched and enjoyable piece of work when I come across it. I came in the backdoor on this one having become fascinated by Vermeer after reading Tracy Chevalier's Girl With A Pearl Earring. I followed that one up with Susan Vreeland's Girl In Hyacinth Blue and then came across Anthony Bailey's book. What a wonderful way to continue my journey into this author's own portrait of this master painter and what a surprise to find that it contains black and white and some color pictures of Vermeer's paintings as well.

While very little is known about Vermeer's life, through the genius of Bailey, you come away from this book feeling you know the man. What we do know is that he lived in the mid 17th century, was a Reformed Protestant until he married the Catholic Catharina Bolnes and fathered 11 children as well as 35 masterpieces. At a time when painters were in abundance in Delft and industry was striving, the picture of Vermeer is still that of a struggling artist trying to feed and clothe a large family. It is a wonder, Bailey points out, that amidst all the noise and commotion that must have gone on in his house and the financial problems that must have weighed heavily on his shoulders, that he was still able to paint such masterpieces that put the beholder at ease merely by their stillness. Vermeer was never an "all-inclusive artist" notes Bailey and none of his paintings incorporate a single flower. He favored the use of the "local colours" of yellow, white and blue. Bailey also notes that he was "fond of rendering the effects of sunlight and sometimes succeeded to the point of complete illusion."

The author mentions the trademarks found in Vermeer's paintings -- the white wine jug, the map on the wall, the bowl of fruit on a carpeted table, finials in the form of a lion's head at the back of the chair and, my personal favorite, the black and white floor tiles that helped the artist establish perspective. He also explains Vermeer's possible use of the camera obscura to focus his view. There were so many interesting things presented by the author, one of which was the different way Vermeer signed his name. Bailey shows five different signatures all playing around with the V and M in Vermeer's name. Another thing I found engrossing was how Vermeer put things into his paintings and then painted them out. We can only see this now because of modern X-ray and infrared equipment.

I could go on and on about all I learned after reading this book but some of the more interesting parts occur after Vermeer's death and have to do with Hitler's possession of some of these masterpieces as well as Van Meegeren's forgeries of Vermeer's works in the 1900's. Of the 35 known Vermeer works, one painting, The Concert, is still missing, having been stolen in 1990.

I culminated my fascination of Vermeer with a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week to see the Delft/Vermeer exhibit. Having just read Bailey's book, I felt quite knowledgeable not only concerning Vermeer but all things Delft in general. Upon exiting the exhibit, I walked directly into the gift shop where Anthony Bailey's book was not only on sale but being purchased by all those around me. So not only do I congratulate this author on a work well done, but also on the best timing possible for publication that one could imagine.

I'll end this review with my favorite lines from the book -- those that sum up Vermeer's life in the eyes of Anthony Bailey. "He remains in some respects, the missing man in some of his own paintings: the person who has just left the room, or who is expected at any moment. He is impatient to be found, to be seen, but while he waits, he paints stillness."

Anthony Bailey has made Johannes Vermeer come alive for me with interesting stories, things that might have been and a wonderfully descriptive Delft region by which Vermeer was obviously inspired. To me he is no longer lost, but found on the pages written by Bailey.

This anthology documents work from Artaud's final period spent mainly in a mental institution. The poems are by far the strangest that I have encountered. Filled with odd incantatory stanzas fashioned in Artaud's own language, the poetry and prose in this collection requires some patience from the reader. Some of the poems/prose in this collection I found virtually impenetrable (e.g., "Artaud the Momo") but this only seems to heighten and augment my appreciative awe for Artaud as an artist/poet/prose magician. Even Artaud's letters venture into strange and unknown territory as they combine prose, poetry, and Artaud's own creative argot to produce an inexplicably chaotic amalgamation that can count as a literary genre unto itself.

Although incredibly weird and convoluted, Artaud's work from this tumultuous period still manages to shine by dint of its strange qualities and inherent loopiness. If you happen to be interested in this type of enigmatic, dada-esque poetry/prose pick up this volume ASAP.

Extreme...shrill...Artaud, simultaneously insane and coherent; a unique writer, highly original...entertaining!!! we are all fortunate that he put his thoughts down on paper; don't miss this great book

here it is. the greatest collection of artauds poetry ever translated. of course it isnt as complete as that susan sontag one, but it is the best translations of his best poems and you dont have to drag your eyes through all that theatre theory even though it is brilliant some of us are more intrested in the none dramatic aspects of artaud. One of the highlights of watchfiends is the inclusion of parts of Suppots et Supplications, artauds last book length work, dictated to his secratery at the height of his madness. it has yet to be translated in full so to be able to read parts of it is a real treat. when i go to the park...when i think of all the pulleys and levers that are a complicated system which helps me to pray, i... listen, do you like poetry that creates a life or death situation for the author as well as the reader? im going to tell you a secret...this is one of the 3ree or 4our books that i would like to tear up into tiny pieces and inject into my hippocampus. ARTAUDARTAUDARTAUD. have i made myself clear?