“Art and Life Itself”: Selected Letters

Vincent van Gogh's letters are an amazing document that, for a hundred years since the first publication, has deservedly captured the interest and love of readers. This is a rare case where literary talent, originality of character, and the scale... of the author's personality are complemented by truly dramatic twists and turns of his biography, reflected in these personal texts. The biography is legendary — as is everything associated with the name of Vincent van Gogh. The total volume of the surviving correspondence of the artist is immense — more than nine hundred letters. We present to the reader the most complete anthology available in Russian, which includes one-third of the total number of letters by Vincent van Gogh, specifically those that mention the most significant events of his life and where he formulates his life and artistic views or comments on his work. All letters are published unabridged and translated with facsimiles of the original. The collection includes letters dated 1872–1890, the texts of which give us the opportunity to follow van Gogh on the remarkable journey that made him the author of masterpieces known throughout the world.