"Originally published in French as L'invitation au voyage by La Renaissance du Livre, Brussels, 2003"--T.p. verso.
Contents:
The invitation -- Love and distance : a fragmentary report -- The cartographer's waltz -- Woman in a landscape -- The end of prose -- On horseback upon the frozen sea.
Summary:
"In this collection of thematically related stories, celebrated Belgian author François Emmanuel shows his indebtedness to the great poetic iconoclasts of the French language--not least Charles Baudelaire, after whose famous poem this book was named. Here, Emmanuel invites the reader to journey to an uncanny place where our private longings and fears spill over into daily life; where lovers have each other investigated from a distance, or are brought together suddenly through shared dreams and fantasies. Like the artist who tries to paint fog and ends up disappearing inside it, all of Emmanuel's characters allow themselves to be consumed by their gentle manias, always hoping to attain some measure of victory over their own isolation"--P. [4] of cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.