. .there are no maps nor disciplines to help us find the duende. We only know that he burns the blood like a poultice of broken glass, that he exhausts, that he rejects all the sweet geometry we have learned. . . ." The duende is portrayed by Lorca as a demonic earth spirit containing irrationality, earthiness, and a heightened awareness of death. In Search of Duende gathers Lorca's writings about the duende and about three art forms most susceptible to it: dance, music, and the bullfight. A full bilingual sampling of Lorca's poetry is also included, with special attention to poems arising from traditional Spanish verse forms. The result is an excellent introduction to Lorca's poetry and prose for American readers.

    (4 ignoble truths?)Fans of Nietzsche and E.M. Cioran will devour this text greedily. A short essay, but hits hard, leaving a lasting impact.Enjoy!

    The book also includes descriptions of laquerware under candlelight, and women in the darkness of the house of pleasure.

    Here are the major essays by Grenier, published in France in 1959. These are lovingly written and combine the personal with the speculative. A memoir of his cat Maoulou becomes an essay on the nature of death; a series of childhood memories becomes the basis for an essay on his attraction to the void.