Bird in a Cage. Letters 1872–1883

The letters of Vincent van Gogh are an amazing document that has captured the deserved interest and admiration of readers for a hundred years since their first publication. This is a rare case where literary talent, originality of nature, and depth of the author are complemented by truly dramatic twists in his biography, as reflected in these personal texts. The biography is legendary—just like everything associated with the name Vincent van Gogh.

The total volume of the correspondence of the artist preserved to this day is enormous—820 letters. We present to the reader the first volume of a two-volume anthology; at the moment, it is the most complete existing in the Russian language, which will include a third of the total number of letters from Vincent van Gogh, namely those in which he mentions the most significant events of his biography and where he formulates his life and artistic views or comments on his work. All the letters included in the anthology are published unabridged and translated anew from the facsimile of the original; several letters are published in Russian for the first time.

The first volume includes letters dated 1872–1883, the texts of which give us a truly unique opportunity to follow Van Gogh on the astonishing path that made him the author of masterpieces known worldwide.