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The Unknown Masterpiece
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The Unknown Masterpiece Paperback - 2000

by Honore De Balzac; Introduction by Arthur C. Danto; Richard Howard (Translator)


From the publisher

A New York Review Books Original One of Honor de Balzac's most celebrated tales, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is the story of a painter who, depending on one's perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius--or both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to artists as various as Czanne, Henry James, Picasso, and New Wave director Jacques Rivette, is, in critic Dore Ashton's words, a "fable of modern art." Published here in a new translation by poet Richard Howard, "The Unknown Masterpiece" appears, as Balzac intended, with "Gambara," a grotesque and tragic novella about a musician undone by his dreams.

Details

  • Title The Unknown Masterpiece
  • Author Honore De Balzac; Introduction by Arthur C. Danto; Richard Howard (Translator)
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition New edition
  • Pages 160
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher New York Review of Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
  • Date 2000-08-31
  • ISBN 9780940322745 / 0940322749
  • Weight 0.37 lbs (0.17 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.97 x 4.98 x 0.46 in (20.24 x 12.65 x 1.17 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Balzac, Honore de, Masterpiece, Artistic - France
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001000399
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

“The greatest novelist of the nineteenth century and perhaps of all time.” —The New York Times

“The hero of The Unknown Masterpiece, Frenhofer, is one of Balzac’s archetypal artists. . .” —TheWashington Post

Citations

  • Reference and Research Bk News, 08/01/2001, Page 230

About the author

Honor De Balzac (1799-1850) is generally credited as the inventor of the modern realistic novel. In more than ninety novels, he set forth French society and life as he saw it. He created a cast of over two thousand individual and identifiable characters, some of whom reappear in different novels. He organized his works into his masterpiece, La Comedie Humaine, which was the final result of his attempt to grasp the whole of society and experience into one varied but unified work. Richard Howard was born in Cleveland in 1929. He is the author of fourteen volumes of poetry and has published more than one hundred fifty translations from the French, including works by Gide, Stendhal, de Beauvoir, Baudelaire, and de Gaulle. Howard received a National Book Award for his translation of Fleurs du mal and a Pulitzer Prize for Untitled Subjects, a collection of poetry. Arthur C. Danto (1924-2013) was the Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, art critic for The Nation, and author of many books about art and philosophy. He coined the term "artworld."
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The Unknown Masterpiece

The Unknown Masterpiece

by Honore de Balzac

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New York Review of Books, Incorporated, The, 2000. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Unknown Masterpiece

The Unknown Masterpiece

by Honore De Balzac

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New York Review of Books, Incorporated, The, 2000. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Unknown Masterpiece

The Unknown Masterpiece

by Honore De Balzac

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The Unknown Masterpiece
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The Unknown Masterpiece

by Honore de Balzac

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Trade paperback edition published by New York Review Books Classics. This copy would appear to be an unread, unused copy. There are no creases to the cover or spine. It is not a remainder, not a library discard. No creases, no writing, no former ownership marks. There is a slight smudge mark on the edge of the text block, starting at page 9 - see the attached photos for more details on the condition. One of Balzac's most celebrated tales, this is the story of a painter who is either a transcendent genius, or abject failure. Published together with the short work, "Gambara". Translated by Richard Howard. The attached photo is of the copy we have in our inventory, not a stock photo.
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The Unknown Masterpiece: And, Gambara
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The Unknown Masterpiece: And, Gambara

by Balzac, Honore de; Danto, Arthur C.;Howard, Richard

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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)
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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)

by Honoré de Balzac

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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)
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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)

by Honor

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UNKNOWN MASTERPIECE
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UNKNOWN MASTERPIECE

by BALZAC,HONORE

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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)
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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)

by Honoré de Balzac; Richard Howard [Translator]; Arthur C. Danto [Introduction];

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The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics)

by Honoré de Balzac; Richard Howard [Translator]; Arthur C. Danto [Introduction];

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Like New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780940322745 / 0940322749
Quantity Available
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