Léon Hennique Novel
Complete Novel 'A Character' & Rare French Literary Translations
Category: Octave Mirbeau – Les Écrivains
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) A German’s Various Opinions Octave Mirbeau’s witty 1889 essay featuring a German intellectual’s surprising insights on French literature, comparing Alphonse Daudet’s graceful intimacy with Émile Zola’s powerful naturalism, while celebrating Mallarmé’s pure artistry. Last winter in the South of France, I made the acquaintance…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) Maurice Maeterlinck Octave Mirbeau’s passionate 1890 review proclaiming Maurice Maeterlinck’s ‘Princess Maleine’ a masterpiece superior to Shakespeare. A landmark piece of literary criticism that launched the Belgian symbolist’s career. I know nothing about M. Maurice Maeterlinck. Where he is from, what he looks like…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) Belgian Matters Octave Mirbeau’s witty 1890 essay defending Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck against French literary chauvinism. A masterful satire on artistic nationalism and the pretensions of young French writers who dismiss Belgium’s cultural contributions. The article I published here about Maurice Maeterlinck has brought…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) A Page of History Octave Mirbeau’s brilliant satirical essay reveals how a hilarious case of mistaken identity turned a Parisian philosophy professor into a rural peasant for all of history. A witty exploration of how errors become ‘facts’ and myths become truth. Everyone who…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) Love, Love, and More Bloody Love Octave Mirbeau’s scathing 1890 critique of literature’s obsession with love stories. A brilliant satirical essay arguing that while science explores the universe, literature remains stuck in the bedroom. “We need love,Even if there were none left in the…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) Public Opinion A biting satirical essay by Octave Mirbeau examining the absurdity of manufactured public opinion through the lens of a patriotic art controversy in Belle Époque France. Sharp wit meets cultural criticism as Mirbeau skewers politicians, painters, and the press. For a moment…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) The Goncourt Affair Octave Mirbeau’s scathing 1891 defence of Edmond de Goncourt against critic Robert de Bonnières. A masterclass in literary polemic featuring sharp wit, biting irony, and passionate advocacy for artistic integrity in Belle Époque France. I have never quite grasped why Ernest…
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Octave Mirbeau, portrait From: Bibliothèque de Octave Mirbeau (auction catalogue, 1919) The Beauties of Patriotism Octave Mirbeau’s scathing 1891 essay exposing the persecution of writer Remy de Gourmont, fired from the National Library for criticising blind patriotism. A masterpiece of satirical journalism defending intellectual freedom against nationalist hysteria. M. Remy de Gourmont is a writer…