The Book of Masks

Remy de Gourmont (1858-1915) - a French writer, essayist, and art critic, who embodied the Belle Époque. M. Voloshin, after meeting him, described his work as follows: "And in his books, one can feel the same perceptive touch of fingers,... as he carefully, like a transparent butterfly, takes the idea by its wings and examines it with a scrutinizing eye." "The Book of Masks" is an exquisite kaleidoscope of European literature from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Vivid, sometimes toxic, sometimes resembling odes, sketches-portraits of fifty-three writers and poets, among whom are M. Maeterlinck, E. Verhaeren, P. Verlaine, A. Rimbaud, serve as a wonderful introduction to Francophone literature. The edition preserves the beautiful illustrations by F. Valloton.