The Egg of the Albatross, by Eric Stenbock

Northern royal albatross on the Otago Peninsula
Northern royal albatross on the Otago Peninsula – from travel.nine.com.au

Eric Stenbock published in 1894 a collection of seven short studies, Studies of Death, subtitled Romantic Tales. As indicated by the title, most of these stories are macabre, ending in the death of some protagonists. For nearly a hundred years this book was quite forgotten, and almost unobtainable. In 1984, the Garland publishing house reprinted the 1894 edition, together with The Shadow of Death (1893), Stenbock’s third collection of poetry. Then in 1996 the Durtro publishing house (of David Tibet) reprinted Studies of Death, adding to it the short story “The Other Side: A Breton Legend,” which had originally been published separately in The Spirit Lamp (Vol. IV, No. 2, 6 June 1893, pages 52–68). CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

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Yokohama Garland, by Alfred Edgar Coppard

John Singer Sargent - Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
John Singer Sargent – Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (1885-6) – Tate Britain N01615

Alfred Edgar Coppard (1878–1957) was an English author, best known for his short stories, but who also wrote poetry. After a youth spent in poverty, around 1920 he joined a literary group in Oxford, then published his first book in 1921; he continued writing and publishing throughout his life. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

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Sapphics, by Eric Stenbock

Eric Stenbock
Eric Stenbock – from Strange Flowers on WordPress

Count Eric Stenbock (1860–1895) is a lesser-known ‘Decadent’ writer. In his short lifetime, he published three short collections of poetry, Love, Sleep & Dreams (1881), Myrtle, Rue and Cypress (1883) and The Shadow of Death (1893), a collection of short stories, Studies of Death (1894), and a separate short story, “The Other Side: A Breton Legend,” in The Spirit Lamp (Vol. IV, No. 2 June 1893). CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

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Fleurs secrètes

Les chemins de la bien-aimée

Jules Pascin – Flora aux fleurs (1928) – The Athenaeum

Le long d’un sentier qui ondule comme une caresse, je découvre les fleurs les plus belles, celles que je n’avais jamais pu approcher. Doucement, tendrement, je m’approche et je m’incline pour respirer leur parfum puis déposer un baiser sur leurs frêles corolles.
Sous les fleurs se cache la poésie qui n’ose dire son nom, celle des sentiments suprêmement niés. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

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The Pillar-Box’s Song, by Minou Drouet

Fernand Le Quesne - The Pillar Box
Fernand Le Quesne – The Pillar Box, A Letter to Daddy (1917) – from toproschool.blogspot.fr

Readers who do not understand French may feel frustrated by the great number of posts about Minou Drouet, all written in that language, and looking quite informative. I have written in Pigtails in Paint a long article on Minou’s life, which contains many details unknown to the general public. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

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Un poème de jeunesse de Pierre Louÿs

Graham Ovenden - Kneeling Girl
Graham Ovenden – Kneeling Girl (1986)

Né à Gand le 10 décembre 1870 et mort à Paris le 4 juin 1925, l’écrivain français Pierre Louÿs s’illustra par des romans, contes, poèmes en vers et en prose. Il pratiqua aussi le canular, d’ailleurs son œuvre la plus connue, Les Chansons de Bilitis, un recueil de poèmes érotiques en prose, en fut un : il la fit passer pour une traduction d’une poétesse grecque contemporaine de Sappho. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

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