The Flowers of Evil

The celebrated, National Book Award-winning, translation of Baudelaires masterpiece. It is the English edition to acquire.Washington Post

Pulitzer Prize winning poet and translator, Richard Howard, gives readers the true voice of Baudelaire in this masterful translation. Charles Baudelaires 1857 masterwork was scandalous in its day for its portrayals of sex, same-sex love, death, the corrupting and oppressive power of the modern city and lost innocence, Les Fleurs Du Mal (The Flowers of Evil) remains powerful and relevant for our time.

In Spleen et idéal, Baudelaire dramatizes the erotic cycle of ecstasy and anguishof sexual and romantic love. Tableaux Parisiens condemns the crushing effects of urban planning on a citys soul and praises the citys anti-heroes including the deranged and derelict. Le Vin centers on the search for oblivion in drink and drugs. The many kinds of love that lie outside traditional morality is the focus of Fleurs du Mal while rebellion is at the heart of Révolte.

Howards achievement is such that we can be confident that his Flowers of Evil will long stand as definitive, a superb guide to Frances greatest poet.The Nation