内容简介
ABilingualNewYorkReviewBooksOriginalVivantDenon'sNoTomorrowisoneofthemasterpiecesofeighteenth-centuryFrenchlibertineliterature，abooktosetbesideChoderlosdeLaclos'LesLiaisonsdangereuses，exceptthatwhereLaclos'icynoveltellsofhellishdepravity，Denon'sravishingnovellaisaparadisaldiversion.Thistaleofseductionisitselfaseduction，withaplotthatcouldbesaidtoslowlyunveilitselfbeforearrivingatlastatanunexpectedconsummation.SummonedbyMadamedeT——tohercountryhouse，theyoungheroofDenon'snovellaistakenonatourofthegrounds，onlythebeginningofanightthatnotonlywillbefullofunanticipateddelightsbutwillgiverisetounforeseen，perhapsunanswerable，questions.LydiaDavis'sdefinitivetranslationofDenon'sslimmasterpieceisaccompaniedbytheFrenchtext.PeterBrooks'silluminatingintroductionexploresthemysteriesofNoTomorrow'soriginalpublicationandthesubtletiesofDenon'sethicsofpleasure.
作者简介
DominiqueVivantDenon(1747-1825),amemberoftheminorFrenchnobility,wasborninBurgundyandsenttoParistostudylaw—afieldhesoonabandonedinordertopursueliteratureandart.Afterwritingaplaythatenjoyedasmallsucccess,DenonbecameafavoriteofLouisXV,whoin1769puthiminchargeofMadamedePompadour’sgemstonecollection.DispatchedonvariousdiplomaticmissionstoRussiaandSweden,DenoneventuallyjoinedtheFrenchembassyinNaples,wherehespentsevenyearsstudying,etching,andcollectingantiquities.The1789revolutionputDenon’slifeatseriousrisk,buthewasprotectedbyhisfriendshipwiththepainterDavid,whoemployedhimasadesignerofcostumesforrevolutionarypageants.DenonalliedhimselftoNapoleonandtookpartintheEgyptiancampaign,makingsketchesofmonumentsthatwerelaterpublishedinhisTravelsinUpperandLowerEgypt(1802),abookthathelpedtoinspiretheEgyptianRevivalinthedecorativearts.In1804NapoleonmadeDenonthedirector-generalofmuseumsandtheheadoftheMuséeNapoleon,anditwasDenonwhooversawtheassemblyoftheextraordinarycollection,drawnbytheEmperor’sarmiesfromalloverEurope,thatremainscentraltotoday’sLouvre.ForcedintoretirementafterNapoleon’sdownfall,Denonturnedtoassemblinganillustratedhistoryofart,leftunfinishedatthetimeofhisdeathbutpublishedposthumously.PeterBrooksistheauthorofHenryJamesGoestoParis,RealistVision,TroublingConfessions,ReadingforthePlot,TheMelodramaticImagination,andanumberofotherbooks,includingthehistoricalnovelWorldElsewhere.HetaughtformanyyearsatYale,wherehewasSterlingProfessorofComparativeLiterature,andcurrentlyisAndrewW.MellonScholaratPrinceton.LydiaDavisisanAmericanauthorandtranslatorofFrench.SheisaProfessorofCreativeWritingattheUniversityatAlbany,SUNY.,,,,
