King Candaules

by Theophile Gautier, Lafcadio Hearn

Overview

King Candaules' is a novella written by Théophile Gautier in 1844. It tells the story of King Candaules and his beautiful wife, Nyssia. Although she is amazingly beautiful, Nyssia is extremely modest and refuses to let anyone see her face except for the king and her maids. The King does not understand this modesty and is eager to show her beauty to the world. To fulfil this desire he hatches a plan which involves hiding his bodyguard, Gyges, in Nyssia's bedchamber so that he can watch her undress. The king's plan falls apart when Nyssia discovers Gyges and decides to take revenge. We are republishing this book with a brand new introductory biography of the translator of the work, Lafcadio Hearn.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781775457695
Publisher:	The Floating Press
Publication date:	04/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	170 KB

About the Author

Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and remains a point of reference for many subsequent literary traditions such as Parnassianism, Symbolism, Decadence and Modernism. Early in his life, Gautier befriended Gérard de Nerval, who influenced him greatly in his earlier poetry and also through whom he was introduced to Victor Hugo. He shared in Hugo's dissatisfaction with the theatrical outputs of the time and the use of the word "tragedy." Gautier admired Honoré de Balzac for his contributions to the development of French literature. Gautier was influenced greatly by his friends as well, paying tribute to them in his writings. In fact, he dedicated his collection of Dernières Poésies to his many friends, including Hérbert, Madame de la Grangerie, Maxime Du Camp and Princess Mathilde Bonaparte.