An Homage to Paris and Puccini
Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume IX
Editor: Kurt Ries
Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece “La Bohème” is one of the five most frequently performed operas in the world. Set in Paris, the main reason for its success is that it depicts the actual lives, pains, and loves of artists working without trying to please the public, striving instead to create pure art. Any life governed by such idealistic ambitions is somewhat awe-inspiring. Cherishing the complete creative freedom the bohemians sought, this book predominantly features works unrelated to its title topic.
The subject of “La Bohème” is extremely popular. Charles Aznavour sang about it in his world-famous chanson, Thomas Mann dedicated passages to it in his classic novel “Magic Mountain”. At the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death, the bohemian spirit brought together 59 artists from 26 countries to celebrate the opera’s international success with contemporary imagery. The editor of this book has divided the artworks from around the world into chapters and added selected haiku poems, exquisite quotes, descriptive statements, and illustrations. The result is a multifaceted homage from an imaginative perspective.
International Artworks and Poems
Bilingual art gift book with 81 artworks and 36 haiku poems from 26 countries.
Art and Poetry from around the world
Critics regard Puccini’s works as sentimental, but the fact of the matter is: They are enchanting! Whilst working on Mimi’s dying scene, Puccini is said to have burst into heavy sobbing. The spiritual and sensory origin of his aesthetic sensitivity was Tuscany. It was in Torre del Lago, a romantic village near Lucca, that he lived and suffered with the heroes and heroines of his operas. “La Bohème” made the maestro world famous. Its success entirely freed him from financial worries. Nevertheless, he continued to hold the bohemian lifestyle in high regard, and even founded a bohemian club. His opera is marked by Baudlairesque anti-bourgeois aesthetics. The composer had read Henry Murger’s novel in one sitting. The subject allowed him to express exactly what he felt inside..
‘Magic of La Bohème – Zauber der Bohème’ (An Homage to Paris and Puccini)
The printed book is available in the book trade and in internet bookshops.
- Publisher: Re Di Roma-Verlag
- Language: English, German
- Size: 21 x 21 cm
- Hardcover
- ISBN-10 : 3985279977
- ISBN-13 : 978-3985279975
Book participants can purchase any number of the book from the German publisher or bookseller Peecho at the reduced author’s price. Please find more information here!
Book design awards – as part of the book project:
- Cover – 1st Prize: Irina Howard (USA)
- Back cover – 2nd Prize: Douglas Lyell (United Kingdom), Ivana Gagić Kičinbači (Croatia)
- Titel page – 3rd Prize: Aomi Kikuchi (Japan)
- Chapter pages – Honorable Mentions: Barbara Rae Schaefer – USA, Barry Cottrell – United Kingdom, Ivan Kanchev – Bulgaria, Jaime Jose Cantu Martinez – Mexico, Katharina Bossmann – USA, Paul Ygartua – Canada, Ursula Müri – Switzerland
Please see in the book!
