Black Venus

(Paperback)

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Description

In nineteenth century Paris, the young Charles Baudelaire roams the streets. Dressed impeccably and lost in the decadences of alcohol and opium, he is about to meet one woman destined to change his life forever: the beautiful Haitian cabaret singer, Jeanne Duval. Inspiring Baudelaire's most infamous poems - leading to the banning of his masterwork, Les Fleurs du Mal, and a scandalous public trial for obscenity - Duval becomes Baudelaire's muse, the catalyst for a legacy spanning centuries. Unfolding among the bars and salons during revolutionary times, Black Venus is an intoxicating story of love and betrayal in which drugs, absinthe and lust prove the making, and the destruction, of a great poet.

Reviews

'James MacManuss Black Venus is a vivid re-creation of bohemian Paris in the middle of the 19th century... an engrossing, moving portrait of doomed love and genius'Sunday Times

'A vivid portrait of Paris during a turbulent period in its history, as well as an insightful exploration of the often self-destructive nature of genius'Mail Online

'This novel is a vivid recreation of a lost world; the Paris of La Bohme and George Du Mauriers Trilby, all cafs, ateliers and wild romance'The Times

'Black Venus is atmospheric and dramatic, with vivid period detail and, at its heart, doomed lovers who can neither live together nor be apart'TLS

'Poet Charles Baudelaire falls in love with cabaret singer Jeanne Duval, inspiring him to write Les Fleurs du Mal, for which he is tried for obscenity. The ensuing drama is vividly recreated'Vogue

Although Jeanne disdained Baudelaires work, she would be his muse throughout their complex and tempestuous affair. The novel explores their relationship and casts an interesting light on his much-maligned museChoice Magazine

'Beautifully capturing bohemian Paris in the late nineteenth century MacManus creates a gritty and engrossing world in this beautifully crafted narrative, which will leave readers swooning and reaching for their favourite recording of La Bohme'Booklist (Starred Review)

'A beautiful and gripping novel. A world that will entice you in and keep you reading until the end'Kate Williams author of The Pleasures of Men

Mixing fact and fiction, MacManus takes us on an exhilarating journey through the political, artistic and social changes of 19th century Paris whilst delivering a compelling and sympathetic re-telling of one of historys most notorious love affairs'Lancashire Evening Post

Author Bio

James MacManus is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. His debut novel, On the Broken Shore, was published in 2010 and his later work Ocean Devil, about the life of the adventurer George Hogg, was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Black Venus, the story of poet Charles Baudelaire and his mistress Jeanne Duval will be available in paperback early 2015. He lives in London.