Scan barcode
A review by captainfez
Bruges-La-Morte by Georges Rodenbach
4.0
Belgian Symbolist writer Rodenbach managed to pack a load of perversity into this one. A tale of doppelgangers and lost love in a curiously rudderless town, formerly a commercial and political powerhouse, there's a lot to like. It seems obvious that Boileau/Narcejac's D'entre les morts - known to most of us as the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo - borrowed heavily from the work. There's a distinct Hitchcockian feeling to the story.
This Dedalus edition is probably the best version of the book. It features an introduction by Alan Hollinghurst and some new photos, as well as a Rodenbach essay on the death of cities. Interesting stuff.
Curiously, there's no statue of the guy in Bruges, as residents were aghast that he'd equated the town with, well, death. The amount of popularising he'd done for the place is on par with Kafka and Prague, and should be honoured, I suspect.
This Dedalus edition is probably the best version of the book. It features an introduction by Alan Hollinghurst and some new photos, as well as a Rodenbach essay on the death of cities. Interesting stuff.
Curiously, there's no statue of the guy in Bruges, as residents were aghast that he'd equated the town with, well, death. The amount of popularising he'd done for the place is on par with Kafka and Prague, and should be honoured, I suspect.