Captain Fracasse

The novel «Captain Fracasse» — the most popular historical-adventure work of the French writer Théophile Gautier (1811-1872). At the beginning of his literary career, he managed to gain fame as a talented poet. His first collection of poems was published... when Gautier was just nineteen. At that time, Théophile was part of a small circle of French romantic poets, who said of themselves that they «live on poetry, breakfasting on an ode and dining on a ballad». Many of them were guilty of grandiloquence and some exaltation in their verses, while Gautier was characterized by simplicity and poetic beauty. Moreover, he was distinguished by a special artistry in the embellishment of his lines. It is no wonder that Baudelaire, who dedicated his famous collection «The Flowers of Evil» to Gautier, called him the «wizard of French literature». A special mastery of working with words also characterized Gautier's prose. His pen produced descriptions of his numerous travels, ballet librettos, brilliant critical articles, and hundreds of feuilletons that he had to write simply for earning a living. «Captain Fracasse» stands somewhat apart in the long list of Gautier's works. The writer worked on this novel with great pleasure, polishing, as in his poetry, every line. As a result, a masterpiece emerged — a captivating novel about love, duels, and the adventures of wandering comedians. «Captain Fracasse» has been reissued multiple times and later adapted into a film.
This famous novel is adorned in this edition with magnificent illustrations by one of the most talented illustrators of the 19th century — Gustave Doré. He was well acquainted with Gautier. The writer, being a man of extensive erudition, became the chairman of the National Society of Fine Arts in 1862, of which Doré was also a member. A year later, Gautier completed writing «Captain Fracasse». The novel was published in 1863 and was well received by the public. Only two volumes had passed, and the publishers were already planning a new edition of «Captain Fracasse». When the illustrations for it were proposed to be done by Doré in 1866, he gladly agreed. By that time, he had already illustrated Dante's «Divine Comedy», Shakespeare's «The Tempest», Cervantes' «Don Quixote» and a dozen other major literary works and understood perfectly that «Captain Fracasse» provided him with a wide field for creativity. Moreover, Doré had already collaborated with Gautier, embellishing his translation into French of «The Adventures of Baron Munchausen». The drawings done by Doré for «Captain Fracasse» remain the best illustrations for this novel to this day.