The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)
Book details
Summary
Description
A New York Review Books Original
One of Honoré de Balzac's most celebrated tales, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is the story of a painter who, depending on one's perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius—or both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to artists as various as Cézanne, Henry James, Picasso, and New Wave director Jacques Rivette, is, in critic Dore Ashton's words, a "fable of modern art."
Published here in a new translation by poet Richard Howard, "The Unknown Masterpiece" appears, as Balzac intended, with "Gambara," a grotesque and tragic novella about a musician undone by his dreams.
Reader reviews
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Captivating tale about artists, creativity, and an obsession about perfection.
The tale is constructed in a way that keeps one focused and unfolds according to its own internal logic.
I personally disliked the sacrifice of Poussin of his mistress in the egotistical and self serving interest of “art.” It was, however not a fault of the story but was due to the vividness of Balzac’s creation.
