The true story of the nineteenth century’s so-called “Wild Boy of Aveyron”—an abandoned French child who lived for years alone in the wilderness before being brought under the care of an innovative young physician.“Before dawn on January 9, 1800, a remarkable creature came out of the woods near the village of Saint-Sernin in southern France.” So begins Roger Shattuck’s book about the so-called Wild Boy of Aveyron—a child abandoned by his caretakers and captured, ye...

La trágica y conmovedora historia del niño salvaje que causó sensación en los salones parisinos y convirtió la filosofía en un reality show.«Antes del alba del 9 de enero de 1800, una criatura extraordinaria emergió del bosque de Saint-Sernin, en el sur de Francia.» Así empieza la historia del Pequeño Salvaje, un niño abandonado por sus padres y capturado, años después, mientras buscaba alimento en un huerto. Tenía forma humana y caminaba erguido, pero se comportab...

Durante la llamada Belle Époque, París se convirtió en el centro cultural del mundo. Un período en el que la relativa paz, los avances científicos, tecnológicos y las nuevas obras de ingeniería invadían un mundo en el que la ociosa burguesía buscaba salir de su hastío con la celebración de grandes banquetes, fiestas donde corría el champán, y las mujeres y hombres abrazaban el adulterio sin sonrojo y los grandes acontecimientos mundiales celebraban cada nuevo invento como una carrera hacia...

"Shattuck leaves us not only with a deepened appreciation of Proust's great work but of all great literature as well."—Richard Bernstein, New York TimesFor any reader who has been humbled by the language, the density, or the sheer weight of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, Roger Shattuck is a godsend. Winner of the National Book Award for Marcel Proust, a sweeping examination of Proust's life and works, Shattuck now offers a useful and eminently readable gu...

This spare, unforgettable novel is Pierre Michon’s luminous exploration of the mysteries of desire. A young teacher takes his first job in a sleepy French town. Lost in a succession of rainy days and sleepless nights, he falls under the spell of a town resident, a woman of seductive beauty and singular charm.Yvonne. Yvonne. “Everything about her screamed desire…setting something in motion while settling a fingertip to the counter, turning her head slightly, gold earrings brushing h...

A collection of Valéry’s occasional writingsThis selection of Paul Valéry’s occasional pieces—speeches, interviews, and articles—reveals his life as a public figure in constant demand. Included are his speech upon his reception to the French Academy; his address welcoming Marshal Pétain into the same body; memorial addresses honoring Émile Verhaeren and Henri Brémond; an article on the “Future of Literature”; and an incisive piece on the heroine of Racine’s Phè...