Between 18 Baudelaire published some translations of Poe in newspapers such as Le Pays. There was a hiatus of three years in Baudelaire’s publication of translations during which he devoted time to reading and studying Poe’s fiction, poetry and philosophy. It appeared in 1848 in La Liberté de penser, a philosophical and literary periodical that was published during the Second Republic. Baudelaire chose the tale “Mesmeric Revelation ,” published in the Wiley & Putnam edition of 1845,as his first translation of Poe. With the exception of four poems, Baudelaire’s translations focused on Poe’s short fiction. It is also worth noting that Baudelaire’s translations and critical notes provided some form of income to the poet who was constantly facing a difficult financial situation. Finally, both were searching for answers to philosophical questions in their aesthetic and literary pursuits. Both embraced mysticism, the fantastic, the macabre and the grotesque in their writings. Both were under appreciated by the literary establishment of their times. Both lived in poverty, suffered from addictions and depression. Baudelaire admired the visionary quality of Poe’s text and related to him on many levels. These translations reflect the affinity he felt for Poe as a poet and writer. Baudelaire published extensive translations of Edgar Allan Poe’s works from 1852 until 1865.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |