gamian E-Book

Alfred De Musset

• Herausgeber: Olympia Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

de Musset's classic dialogue of decadence. Modeled after his relationship with George Sand. Originally published in English as “Passion's Evil.”

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

PREFACE TO THE FRENCH EDITION

GAMIANI OR TWO NIGHTS OF EXCESS

FIRST PART

Alfred de Musset

GAMIANI

OR TWO NIGHTS OF EXCESS

PREFACE TO THE FRENCH EDITION

Dorian Club, 1923

A short time after the Revolution of 1830, a dozen young men, the most of whom were destined to become celebrated in literature, medicine or at the bar, met in one of the most brilliant restaurants of the Palais-Royal. The debris of a splendid supper and the number of empty bottles testified in favor of robust stomachs, and bespoke the gaiety of the guests.

They. had arrived at the dessert, and all in popping the champagne, they had exhausted the topics of conversation on politics at first, and then on the thousand other topics which were the order of the day in that epoch. Literature necessarily had its turn. After having passed in review the different kinds of works which, since ancient times have been, turn by turn, the objects of a more or less passing admiration, the talk turned to erotica. Here there was ample matter for discourse. And so, from the Pastorals of Longnus to the luxurious cruelties of the Marquis de Sade, and from the Epigrams of Martiel and Juvenal's Satires to the sonnets of Pietro Aritino, all were passed in review.

After having compared the liberty of expression of Martiel, Propertius, Horace, Juvenal, in a word, the Latin authors, with the restraint that was imposed upon the various French writers, one of them was moved to say that it was impossible to write a work of this kind without calling things by their names; the example of Lafontaine being an exception; that further; French poetry admitted this sort of reticence, and could even, by finesse and a happy turn of the phrase, create a greater charm, but that in prose nothing passionate or attractive could be produced.

A young man who, until then, had been content to listen to the conversation as in a dream, seemed to awaken at these last words and said: "Messieurs, if you will agree to meet me here again in three days, I hope to convince you that it is easy to produce a highly flavored piece of work without using the coarse expressions that we are accustomed to call the native simplicity of our good ancestors, as Rabelais, Brantome, Beroalde de Verville, Bonaventure Desperriers, and many others, in whom the spirit of French wit would sparkle with as lively a fire even tho they were relieved of the gross words that soiled our old language." The proposition was accepted by exclamation, and three days later, our young author brought the manuscript of the work that we here present to all book-lovers.

Each of the auditors wished to possess a copy, and one of them indiscreetly permitted a foreign publisher to print it in 1835, in quarto, with the text in imitation of calligraphy in two columns, embellished with ten large, well done lithographs, which. have been attributed to Grevedon or to Devieria.

This edition, which has become so rare that many bibliographers have even denied its existence, was followed by a second - in type this time - under the rubric of Venice, 1835. The title is the same: "GAMIANI, or Two Nights of Excess," by Alcide, Baron de M. It is a small volume of 105 pages, accompanied with poor engravings after those of the original edition. With this the book became known and the curiosity of the public awakened. Reprints succeeded each other rapidly, and we can count more than a dozen appearing before the year 1870. In his "Bibliographie des ouvrages relatifs a l'amour", the library-specialist, J. Gay mentions as being the most correct and best printed, that dated Brussels, 1871. We habitually find in this edition the seven engravings and frontispiece by Felician Rops.

From a textural point of view, the two editions - the autographic manuscript and the pretty edition in 18vo which undoubtedly comes from the workshop of Poulet- Malassis - present several slight differences, probably due to errors in copying, but which in no wise alter the sense. Between these two versions, equally authentic, we have chosen the autographic text (Brussels, 1833), and it is the textural reimpression of this almost unique copy which we here offer to the bookish amateur. We have, be it understood, corrected the typographic faults. and suppressed a certain number of misprints which obscure the writer's thoughts; we have thought it well to complete our work by adding, under the form of an introduction, the passages from the "Memoirs de Celeste Mogador" concerning the author of this book, as it appeared in the edition of 1864.

Our readers will learn nothing new by our telling them that the paternity of Gamiani has always been attributed to the celebrated poet, Alfred de Musset. The opinion of his contemporaries has been unanimous, and those friends of the author who denied this assertion, we may remind that the private life of their favorite author, especially at the age of twenty-three years, contained nothing edifying, and that it is sufficient to peruse a sincere biography of the budding poet to understand, and to excuse such a youthful sin. Further, it was nothing but a wager, an inconsequential play of spirits, never intended for publication. The immortal author of "The Nights", in creating the character of Gamiani, could suppose that his work, conceived in an absinthe dream, would be passed so faithfully to posterity; it is this that explains the lack of care brought to bear on the construction of this little literary debauch, the loose tone of the dialogue, the lack of sequence and cohesion between the scenes, more especially in the last pages of the book. But, in despite of the criticisms addressed to the imperfections of form, this erotic and macabre fantasy merits being conserved and to survive the epoch of extravagant romance which gave it birth. There is no doubt but that collectors will accord to it the place, due to illustrious origin, among the curiosities, literary, artistic and gallant, of their libraries.

-The Editor.

GAMIANI OR TWO NIGHTS OF EXCESS

**

FIRST PART

**

Midnight sounded, and the salons of the Comtesse Gamiani still shone in a flood of light. The rounds and quadrilles continued animatedly, to the intoxicating sounds of the orchestra. The toilettes were marvelous, the jewels sparkled.

Gracious, assiduous, the mistress of the ban seemed to enjoy the success of her carefully planned fete, announced at great expense. She was observed to smile agreeably to, all the flattering words, to the customary phrases that each one prodigally used in payment for his presence.

Withdrawn in my habitual role of observer, I had already made more. than one remark which dispensed with my conversation to the Comtesse Gamiani the merit she was supposed to posses. I had quickly judged her, as it woman of the world, but it still remained for me to dissect her moral being, to carry the scalpel into the regions of her heart; and I know not what strange and unknown emotion withheld and stopped me in my examination. I felt an infinite pain to analyze the back, ground of this woman's existence, whose conduct nothing explained. Still young, and with an immense fortune, pretty in the eyes of a great number, this woman without relatives, without intimates, was in some way individually in the world. Alone, she spent an existence capable in all appearance of supporting more than one sharer.

Many a tongue had criticized, ending always by slandering, but, in the absence of proof, the Comtesse remained impenetrable.

Some applauded her as a Fedora, a woman without a heart, without temperament; others supposed her a spirit profoundly wounded, and who would in the future avoid crud deceptions.

Desiring to resolve my doubts, I placed under contribution all the resources of my logic, but all was in vain, I never arrived at a satisfactory conclusion.

I was about to quit the subject in despite, when, behind me, an old libertine raised his voice in an exclamation:

"Bah! she is a tribade."

The word was like a flash of lightning, all fit together and was explained, there was no longer a possible contradiction.

A tribade! The word rings in the ears in a strange manner. Then it raises in you I know not what strange images of unknown voluptuosity, lascivious to excess. "Tis a luxurious rage, an infuriated lubricity, a horrible pleasure which remains forever unachieved.

Vainly I tried to put these ideas aside, by instants they moved my imagination to debauch. Already I saw the Comtesse nude, in the arms of another woman, with hair unbound, panting, broken, and still tormented by an aborted pleasure. My blood was on fire, my senses confused and I fell on a sofa like one in a faint.

Overcoming my emotions I calculated coldly what I must do to surprise the Comtesse; that I must do at any price. I decided to watch her during the night, and for that purpose to hide myself in her bedchamber.

The glass door of a clothes closet faced the bed. I perceived the advantage of that position and, screening myself with some of the costumes hanging there, I resigned myself to await the hour of the Sabbath.

I was hardly hidden when the Comtesse appeared, calling her maid, a young girl of a br [...]