{"id":4107,"date":"2017-06-18T20:00:34","date_gmt":"2017-06-18T18:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=4107"},"modified":"2020-05-30T23:01:59","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T21:01:59","slug":"wein-und-haschisch-charles-baudelaire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2017\/06\/on-wine-and-hashish-charles-baudelaire\/","title":{"rendered":"On wine and hashish \u2022 Charles Baudelaire"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The Manesse Verlag has long held a special place in my heart, primarily because of its Library of World Literature. In addition to this vast and inexhaustible source of excellent books, there are always new releases that I simply cannot resist\u2014usually beautifully designed volumes or newly discovered treasures from past centuries. Such is the case with Wine and Hashish<\/em> by Charles Baudelaire, a title that kept crossing my path until I could no longer resist. Until now, I only knew the author in connection with Gustave Flaubert. A lovely little book, a promising author, and the Manesse Verlag: a good combination.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Charles Baudelaire was known primarily as a poet, and with his collection Les Fleurs du Mal<\/em> (The Flowers of Evil<\/em>), he was charged with “insulting public morality.” Quite similarly to his contemporary and friend Gustave Flaubert\u2014only that Baudelaire was convicted, while Flaubert was acquitted. That was all I knew of Baudelaire, and since I don\u2019t particularly care for poetry, I had never paid much attention to him. This book, however, piqued my curiosity nonetheless. Wine and Hashish<\/em>\u2014already a provocative title\u2014but what convinced me even more was the entire concept: a small, bibliophile book bound in velvet with gold, ornate lettering, containing essays by an \u201cironic bon vivant and eloquent protagonist of the Parisian bohemia.\u201d It all fits together perfectly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The selection of essays is well-balanced, thoughtfully curated, and quite successful. Naturally, it is about wine and hashish, but also about love, music, Flaubert\u2019s Emma, and about God and the world. In an easygoing tone, Baudelaire philosophizes on all sorts of topics, and reading it is genuinely entertaining and stimulating. I can only recommend enjoying a glass of wine\u2014or in my case, a beer\u2014while reading it, to experience a slight intoxication. Both from the wine and from the text, for Baudelaire\u2019s words carry the same haze as those late-night conversations that unfold during a long dinner and drinks (though, of course, expressed far more eloquently).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIndeed, hatred is a precious liqueur, a more costly poison than that of the Borgias\u2014for it is brewed from our blood, our health, our sleep, and two-thirds of our love! One must be stingy with it!\u201d (p. 24)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The book contains six essays and begins with the Selection of Consoling Maxims on Love<\/em>. This chapter only moderately impressed me. Some of his reflections struck me as rather shallow, bordering on clich\u00e9s\u2014though still entertaining to read. Advice to Young Writers<\/em> contains a few tips for aspiring poets, although according to the afterword, Baudelaire himself rarely followed his own advice. What stuck with me most was his recommendation that \u201cprostitutes or foolish women\u201d (cf. p. 32) make suitable companions for writers. An essay that is consistently provocative and, of course, not to be taken entirely seriously.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The most beautiful essay, however, is indeed Wine and Hashish<\/em>, written as promised with eloquence and irony. He glorifies wine, describes the effects of hashish, muses on how intoxication brings forth genius, how wine makes the worker\u2019s mundane life bearable, and finally concludes that perhaps hashish consumption isn\u2019t so advisable after all\u2014since \u201cGreat poets, philosophers, prophets [\u2026] by the power of their will, achieve a state in which they are both cause and effect, subject and object, magnetizer and sleepwalker.\u201d (p. 73). One cannot take him entirely seriously here either, but from his descriptions it is clear that he was fond of intoxication\u2014a fact the afterword also confirms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWere wine to disappear from human production, I believe a deficiency would be felt in the planet\u2019s wellbeing and intellect; something would be missing\u2014a far more terrible gap than any excesses or errors ever caused by wine could create.\u201d (pp. 43f)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

His friend Th\u00e9ophile Gautier<\/a> founded, together with Moreau, the \u201cClub des Hashischins,\u201d which met once a month. According to the notes, Baudelaire\u2019s descriptions of hashish\u2019s effects are based on eyewitness accounts from these meetings. Apparently, Baudelaire was not averse to drug use and indulged not only in wine but also, at times, in opium. As I have no personal experience with the intoxicating effects of such substances, I cannot judge how close his descriptions are to reality. Yet the way he writes about intoxication gives it a cultivated air\u2014a touch of an elegant boudoir in pleasant company\u2014and presents it as something rather harmless. But given the unpredictability of such effects, I would personally prefer a freshly poured beer over any narcotic concoctions. And even Baudelaire seems to come to that realization in the end:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWine is useful; it is fruitful. Hashish is useless and dangerous.\u201d (p. 72)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The essay What Toys Teach Us<\/em> recounts one of his childhood memories and explores the effect and perception of toys. It remains quite relevant today, and I found myself laughing out loud at some passages, as they reminded me of moments from my own life. There are indeed things that never change\u2014like the flourishing imagination of children.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One essay is dedicated to Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert<\/em>. It is surprisingly brief; I had expected more content here. As expected, he defends his fellow sufferer, and some of his formulations really hit the mark.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe shall unfold a nervous, pictorial, subtle, and precise style upon a banal canvas. We shall insert the most burning and fermenting emotions into the most trivial of adventures.\u201d (p. 95)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Overall, he picks out certain aspects but doesn\u2019t treat this masterpiece exhaustively. Entertaining, yes, but not much stuck with me afterward. Still, I could always read more about my dear Emma\u2014when it comes to her, it never gets boring.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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In the final essay, Baudelaire turns to Richard Wagner and the Tannh\u00e4user in Paris<\/em>. The great composer was just beginning to establish himself in France, and his operas were being hotly debated in Paris at the time. Some anti-imperial aristocrats disrupted performances at the Italian Opera, and the press took Wagner to task. Baudelaire identifies himself here as an outsider and had already recognized Wagner\u2019s exceptional talent. In this essay, he beautifully and eloquently interprets the significance of Wagner\u2019s works, wonderfully describes the Tannh\u00e4user<\/em> overture, summarizes the operas published so far, and proclaims a Wagner who merges music and drama to fill the gaps left by each art form alone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI have often heard it said that music cannot claim to reproduce anything with certainty, as painting and words can. In a sense, that is true\u2014but it is not the whole truth. Music expresses everything in its own way, with the means at its disposal. Like painting and even the written word, music always leaves a gap to be filled by the listener\u2019s imagination.\u201d (p. 112)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I often found myself in these essays\u2014especially when he writes about how he experienced Wagner\u2019s music, the changing yet recurring motifs that wind through the entire opera and reappear again and again. His interpretation of this observation is truly worth reading.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The essays were translated by Melanie Walz, which for me was another reason to pick up this book. The afterword by Tilman Krause is also well worth reading. The beautiful design deserves mention too: the cover is made of red velvet and decorated with golden embellishments. The book is quite small\u2014just like the volumes in the Library of World Literature\u2014but it looks truly elegant, atmospheric in every way, and visually captures the theme perfectly. It makes a wonderful gift book, and it has certainly earned a permanent spot on my shelf.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Conclusion:<\/strong> This small collection of essays is a lively and versatile read. I greatly enjoyed the wealth of thoughts, the philosophical musings, and the often ironic tone that shouldn\u2019t always be taken too seriously. Especially the title essay, Wine and Hashish<\/em>, stands out here. In the end, the book feels a bit like a cozy and animated conversation with a good friend. After an evening spent exchanging thoughts, discussing the world and beyond, slightly intoxicated by wine (or beer), recalling experiences and memories\u2014when you finally part ways, there still lingers a haze of forgetfulness over all that philosophizing. A bibliophile and harmonious book that entertains well with its variety of themes and reflections, even if it doesn\u2019t leave a deep mark.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book information:<\/strong> On wine and Hashish<\/em> \u2022 Charles Baudelaire \u2022 Manesse Verlag \u2022 224 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783717524304<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Manesse Verlag has long held a special place in my heart, primarily because of its Library of World Literature. In addition to this vast and inexhaustible source of excellent books, there are always new releases that I simply cannot resist\u2014usually beautifully designed volumes or newly discovered treasures from past centuries. Such is the case … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “On wine and hashish \u2022 Charles Baudelaire”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Wein und Haschisch \u2022 Charles Baudelaire - lesestunden","description":"Der Manesse Verlag ist mir prim\u00e4r aufgrund seiner Bibliothek der Weltliteratur ans Herz gewachsen. Neben diesem riesigen und unersch\u00f6pflichen Quell von hervorra"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,20],"tags":[135],"class_list":["post-4107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classics","category-reviews","tag-charles-baudelaire"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/baudelaire_beitrag_2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}