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Black Venus

The poet Baudelaire’s real-life affair with the beautiful Haitian cabaret singer Jeanne Duval forms the basis of this novel. Their drug- and absinthe-soaked romance in 19th-century Paris will inspire his finest verse, and lead to a scandalous trial for obscenity.
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RRP £8.99

£5.99

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Product information:
  • Publisher: Duckworth Overlook
  • Year: 2015
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 368pp
  • Illustrated: No
  • Dimensions: 198x129mm
  • ISBN: 9780715649374
  • Condition: New
  • Weight: 0.3kg
Product code:
514998
Product information
Full publisher description
In nineteenth century Paris, the young bohemian Charles Baudelaire roams the streets. Dressed impeccably - thanks to an inheritance that is quickly vanishing - 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. Their volatile and passionate affair explodes through the Parisian literary scene but, as the ever-more fractious world catches up with them, the strength of their love will be tested to the end.



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.
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