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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

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Record Number: 27591


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'[Tristan] Bernard is very engaging. I do not know why but he is.[...] It is very good of you to have sent me that volume with the others. [Elémir] Bourges--ah, that's another matter.There are magnificent pages there. But all together more than anything else, it's surprising. You say to yourself: so that is "Le Crépuscule des Dieux"! And you continue to be struck by the poverty of the subject.[...]. You told me to start with that book. After fnishing it I opened the other ["Les oiseaux s'en volent et les fleurs tombent"]. It moved me by its splendour, the colours, the movement.' Hence follow 16 lines of reserved comment.

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 29 Dec 1912 and 1 Jan 1913

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Orlestone nr. Ashford
county: Kent
specific address: Capel House

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Joseph Conrad

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

3 Dec 1857

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Master mariner and author

Religion:

originally Polish Catholic, by now agnostic/atheist

Country of Origin:

Poland

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Elémir Bourges

Title:

Le Crépuscule des Dieux: Moeurs Contemporaines

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

First published Paris 1884, 2nd edn Plon; 1910, third edn Plon, 1912

Provenance

owned


Source Information:

Record ID:

27591

Source:

Print

Author:

Joseph Conrad

Editor:

Karl Frederick R. and Laurence Davies

Title:

The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad Volume 5, 1912-1916

Place of Publication:

Cambridge

Date of Publication:

1996

Vol:

5

Page:

159-61

Additional Comments:

Letter in French from Joseph Conrad to André Gide dated 1 January 1913 Capel House.

Citation:

Joseph Conrad, Karl Frederick R. and Laurence Davies (ed.), The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad Volume 5, 1912-1916 (Cambridge, 1996), 5, p. 159-61, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=27591, accessed: 28 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Elémir Bourges (1852-1925) was a French journalist who published eight novels. Conrad was presumably reading the 1910 or 1912 edition sent by Gide.

   
   
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