Charles Baudelaire

<DIV>When <I>Flowers of Evil</I> was first published in 1857, the book almost immediately became the subject of an obscenity trial, and for several generations afterward its themes of eroticism, lesbianism, revolt and decay earned the author a reputation for depravity and morbidity. It was not until 1949 that the French courts removed the ban originally imposed on Baudelaire's masterpiece.<BR>Today, <I>Flowers of Evil</I> is regarded as the poet's greatest work and perhaps the most influential book of French poetry ever written. In assessing Baudelaire's importance in literature, Wallace Fowlie, distinguished scholar, critic and Baudelaire specialist, describes him as "the poet and thinker of our age, of what we like to call modernity."<BR>This handsome dual-language edition combines <I>Flowers of Evil</I> with a selection of the poet's other significant compositions, including prose poems from <I>Spleen of Paris</I>, a poignant collection reflecting Baudelaire's pessimism towards the teeming city and his compassion for its less successful inhabitants. Readers will also find critical essays on art, music and literature, including a discussion of Edgar Allan Poe's poetry; and Baudelaire's personal letters to his mother and female acquaintances. Edited and translated by Professor Fowlie, this authoritative edition contains excellent line-by-line English translations with the original French text on the facing pages.<BR>Students of French language and literature as well as poetry lovers with some knowledge of French will welcome this volume by one of the greatest European poets of the 19th century.</DIV>

Flowers of Evil and Other Works

A Dual-Language Book

<DIV>This volume brings together six outstanding French tales, each by a different author, originally published between 1829 and 1886. Representing a variety of 10th-century literary trends (Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and even a foretaste of Symbolism), the stories include <I>Mateo Falcone</I> (by Prosper M&#233;rim&#233;e), <I>Sylvie</I> (by G&#233;rard de Nerval), Alphonse Daudet's <I>La mule du Pape</I> (The Pope's Mule), Gustave Flaubert's <I>H&#233;rodias</I> (Herodias), Emile Zola's <I>L'attaque du moulin</I> (The Attack on the Mill), and Guy de Maupassant's <I>Mademoiselle Perle</I> (Miss Pearl). Editor and translator Stanley Appelbaum has provided accurate English interpretations (printed to align line-for-line with the French texts), an informative introduction, and notes on each selection.<BR>This inexpensive edition provides a wonderful opportunity for students of French language and literature and&nbsp;anyone who loves short stories to sample a carefully chosen selection of the very best in the genre.</DIV>

Nineteenth-Century French Short Stories (Dual-Language)

Heather McCoy

<DIV>The ideal travel companion and at-home reference, this volume features over 2,000 common French words, each accompanied by a brief definition, a sentence in French demonstrating proper usage, and a translation. These up-to-date terms cover twenty-first century digital technologies and consumer electronics, and a convenient reference section offers greetings and words related to directions, restaurant orders, and other everyday activities, plus helpful tips on vocabulary and grammar. </DIV>

2,001 Most Useful French Words

Guy de Maupassant

In his stories Guy de Maupassant (1850&#8211;1893) blended brilliantly realistic depictions of characters moving against carefully described backgrounds with an objectivity and universality that has earned him a place among the finest of all short-story writers. In this collection of seven of his most popular stories, each tale reflects both the author's intimate familiarity with Paris and the provinces in the Belle Epoque, as well as a nonjudgmental humanism that is one of Maupassant's most attractive qualities. <BR>Included in this volume are his celebrated masterpiece "Boule de Suif," along with six other finely crafted selections: "La Parure," "Mademoiselle Fifi," "La Maison Tellier," "La Ficelle," "Miss Harriet," and "Le Horla." The stories are printed in French with excellent new word-for-word English translations on the facing pages. <BR>Students of both French and English will find here an excellent resource for upgrading their language skills. Admirers of fine literature will enjoy the conciseness, strength, and rigorous economy that characterize Maupassant's art.

Best Short Stories

Voltaire

Evergreen in its appeal, <I>Candide</I> makes us laugh at human folly and marvel at our reluctance to face reality and the truth. Voltaire's brilliant satire, first published in Paris in 1759, is relentless and unsparing. Virtue and vice, religion and romance, philosophy and science &#8212; all are fair game. <BR>Through the adventures of young Candide, his love Cun&#233;gonde, and his mentor Dr. Pangloss, we experience life's most crushing misfortunes. And we see the redeeming wisdom those misfortunes can bring &#8212; all the while enjoying Voltaire's witty&nbsp;burlesque of human excess. <BR>In this unique volume, readers who wish to follow every nuance of Voltaire's classic tale in the&nbsp;original French can do so with the aid of a new and exacting English translation on facing pages. Shane Weller's critical introduction illuminates the satire of <I>Candide</I> and the reasons for its enduring appeal.

Candide

Jean de La Fontaine

<DIV>First published between 1668 and 1693, the Fables of La Fontaine rank among the masterpieces of French literature. This volume contains 75 of the best, in the original French with new English line-for-line literal translations. "The Cicada and the Ant," "The City Rat and the Country Rat," "The Fox and the Grapes," many more.<BR></DIV>