Cybirdy Publishing
Ariel Percy Bysshe Shelley
Ariel Percy Bysshe Shelley
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Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major Romantic poet and thinker of the pre-Darwinian 19th century. He was together a prodigy and a rebel, an English gentleman and an advocate of free love.
Percy Shelley wanted to live according to his values but was cast away by his family and tragically died in 1822 at the age of 29 when his sailing boat sank off the coast of Viareggio, Italy.
Originally written in French in 1923, Ariel Percy Bysshe Shelley is a well-documented upbeat biopic of the genius poet brought up to date by this excellent new translation by Alix Daniel, helped by audacious illustrations from Anwot.
An addictive and often harrowing read!
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A translation of André Maurois’ 1910 ‘Ariel, ou La Vie de Shelley’, this really brings the life of the tragic Romantic to life for the widest possible audience. Alix Daniel makes the story skip lightly along, holding you to it. A real page-turner if ever there was one, whether, like me, you are a lover of the Romantics, or whether you are looking to learn more about the movement, you won’t be disappointed!
Meet Shelley, the rebel du jour with the angelic face and a brilliant mind, and this book is his story set in the late 1800s.
And what a story it is! So much achieved in so little time, an impressive feat in itself.
This story has points of views, however, it also feels like we have a narrator who tells this story of adventure (nothing less) in a whitty and, at most times, carefree in a way, even though not all of it is.
The language is poetry in itself.
My feelings towards Shelley were up and down throughout the book.
I am impressed, though, getting into Oxford University, being published, and moving to other countries.
Then again, he was a free spirit. Like me, he did not fit the mold. He seemed a little dramatic and not the biggest planner, often on adventures without much funds. A fun little bonus was that I recognized the names of some of his friends, who are fairly known in the realm of books. 😊
Brisk and energetic, Ariel gives an insight into Shelley's turbulent and iconoclastic character, his loves, and his family. Touched by genius and, too often, by tragedy, Ariel provides a vivid portrayal of his travels and life at home and in Italy, his friendship with Byron, and other figures of the day. The translator, Alix Daniel, is not a native English speaker, and it often shows in her version of Maurois' 1923 work. It might be interesting to compare hers with the original 1935 translation by Ella D’Arcy, the first Penguin paperback ever.
A book, that without the ex cellent translation, would have passed me by......which would have been unfortunate indeed. I totally enjoyed the read.....a fascinating insight.
I have now passed the book to a friend who is also devouring it.
A powerful and moving account of the man behind the poetry. Despite being a Shelley fan, this delved deeper and created an intriguing world around him.
I am grateful to the translation to make this text accessible to me, and the illustrations brought this further to life.
Surprising, honest, raw and illuminating.