The Songs of Maldoror
by Le Comte de Lautréamont
Translated into modern English by R J Dent
The Songs of Maldoror was written and published between 1868 and 1869 by Le Comte de Lautréamont – the nom de plume of the Uruguayan-born French writer Isidore Lucien Ducasse. The Songs of Maldoror is a dazzlingly macabre novel consisting of six superlative cantos. Overflowing with lucid poetic imagery and saturated with sublime malevolence, it channels the ominous dynamism of the most exquisite nightmares and perfidious fantasies.
A jewel in the crown of literary cruelty, this visionary masterpiece of prose-poetry was rediscovered by the Surrealists in the early 20th century, an arcane text emerging from obscurity to be hailed as a dark progenitor of their movement.
R J Dent’s modern English version is the first 21st century translation of this dark, deranged and dangerous subterranean classic.
‘Lautréamont’s The Songs of Maldoror is the black bible… almost the basic dream text of surrealism.’ J.G. Ballard
‘The Songs of Maldoror is an enigma of redoubtable power.’ Jacques Derrida
‘The Songs of Maldoror is the expression of a revelation so complete it seems to exceed human potential.’ André Breton
Translated into modern English by R J Dent
Illustrated by Karolina Urbaniak
With essays by Audrey Szasz and Jeremy Reed
Product details:
Title: The Songs of Maldoror
Author: Le Comte de Lautréamont
Translator: R J Dent
Illustrator: Karolina Urbaniak
Foreword: Audrey Szasz
Afterword: Jeremy Reed
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-8382803-7-6
Publisher: Infinity Land Press
Publication date: 1st October 2022
Format: Hardbound
Pages: 288
Dimensions: 148mm x 210 mm (5.8 inches x 8.2 inches)
Book details and cover art photos are available here:
https://www.infinitylandpress.com/the-songs-of-maldoror
Interviews with R J Dent
Brushing The Soil Away: An Interview with R J Dent
R J DENT IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN WISNIEWSKI