Dimensions
127 x 184 x 8mm
With Stendhal is a delightful portrait of the nineteenth-century French novelist Henri Beyle, better known to us as Stendhal.
Two linked texts, introduced, annotated and translated into English for the first time by multi-award-winning author Simon Leys, illuminate the life and mind of the great writer.
The first piece is a set of impressions and memories written by Stendhal's famous friend Prosper Mérimée. Several vignettes reveal Stendhal's character – charismatic, engaging, frenetic, hyper-romantic – accompanied by amusing anecdotes of him duelling, falling in love, and holding forth in the company of friends.
The second is by Stendhal himself, a fantasy composed one idle afternoon, near the end of his life and for his own pleasure: a whimsical list of the supernatural powers he wished he possessed.
With Stendhal is a charming, entertaining insight into the character of one of the world's greatest novelists, written for the enjoyment of all readers.