
The Last Rendezvous
A Novel
Anne Plantagenet(Author)
Other Press Professional
Published on 16. March 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-59051-278-4 (ISBN)
Description
"Women are not supposed to write; yet I write.” -Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
In 1817, at the late age of thirty-three,Marceline Desbordes, the actress and Romantic poet-the only woman counted by Paul Verlaine among his poètes maudits, or "accursed poets,” a group that included Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, and Alfred de Vigny-marries Prosper Valmore, a fellow actor who brings love and stability to her tumultuous life. Such stability is short-lived, however:When she meets Henri de Latouche, an influential man of letters, they soon begin a passionate affair. Although their tryst does not last more than a year, their relationship survives through letters and memory. It sparks inspiration in Marceline's work and leads her to create some of the most beautiful poetry in French literature. A talented poet, a romantic woman, a passionate lover, a nurturing mother, and a child at heart, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore is rescued from obscurity through Plantagenet's dazzling writing in this fictionalized biography. The book will include a selection of Desbordes-Valmore's poems in the original French and in an English translation by the Pulitzer Prize—winning poet Louis Simpson.
In 1817, at the late age of thirty-three,Marceline Desbordes, the actress and Romantic poet-the only woman counted by Paul Verlaine among his poètes maudits, or "accursed poets,” a group that included Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, and Alfred de Vigny-marries Prosper Valmore, a fellow actor who brings love and stability to her tumultuous life. Such stability is short-lived, however:When she meets Henri de Latouche, an influential man of letters, they soon begin a passionate affair. Although their tryst does not last more than a year, their relationship survives through letters and memory. It sparks inspiration in Marceline's work and leads her to create some of the most beautiful poetry in French literature. A talented poet, a romantic woman, a passionate lover, a nurturing mother, and a child at heart, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore is rescued from obscurity through Plantagenet's dazzling writing in this fictionalized biography. The book will include a selection of Desbordes-Valmore's poems in the original French and in an English translation by the Pulitzer Prize—winning poet Louis Simpson.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Other Press LLC
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 207 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
331 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59051-278-4 (9781590512784)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2010
1st Edition
Other Press
€14.49
Available for download
Persons
Anne Plantagenet was born in 1972 in Burgundy and spent her childhood in Champagne. After stays in London and Seville, she now lives in Paris. She has published translations from the Spanish; two biographies, Marilyn Monroe (Gallimard, 2007) and Manolete (Ramsay, 2005); a first novel, Un Coup de corne fut mon premier baiser (Ramsay, 1998); and an acclaimed story collection, Pour les siècles des siècles (Stock, 2008). The Last Rendezvous is the recipient of the 2005 Prix du récit biographique of the Académie internationale des arts et collections.
Willard Wood is the winner of the 2002 Lewis Galantière Award for Literary Translation and a 2000 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Translation. He lives in Connecticut.
Willard Wood is the winner of the 2002 Lewis Galantière Award for Literary Translation and a 2000 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Translation. He lives in Connecticut.