Maldoror and the Complete Works of the Comte de Lautréamont

This is where surrealism begins. It is a dream within a dream. This along with other symbolists - Verlaine, Beaudelaire, and Germaine Nerval are essential to freeing the confines of one's imagination. ( )

Lykiard's translation of Maldoror is a profoundly puzzling yet mesmerizing work. It's content is some of the strangest and most shocking in the history of literature. A misanthropic protagonist leads us through tales replete with murder, degradation, and sexual deviance (The oddly tender and intimate copulation with a female shark springs to mind immediately). Contrarily, the language that conveys this madness is often poetic, and at times humorous and conversational. The work explores different narrative structures, often switching between first and third person.

Poesies is the exact opposite of Maldoror. The straight forward language condemns writers such as Hugo and Milton for wallowing in sorrow and shame, and argues that literature must always convey hope and that man is by his nature driven to do good. It is hard to tell if this work is a satire or, conversely, if Maldoror is a warning against the very attitudes its protagonist displays. These two works; along with a selection of letters, apocryphal writings, critical fragments, and reminisces by Ducasse's (AKA Lautremont) peers provide us with an insightful portrait of this literary enigma whose work greatly inspired the Surrealist movement. ( )

A comedy of blasphemy and evil. Beware "the monstrous snail of idiocy." (p. 128)

P.S. The Guy Wernham translation looks like more fun. ( )

The Chants of Maldoror: epic, grandiose, ludicrous, blasphemous, and foul. This book launched the Surrealist Movement. ( )