The Flowers of Evil / Les Fleurs du Mal

More about the book

Upon its original publication in 1857, Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal" sparked controversy, leading French authorities to claim it insulted public decency. The courts eventually recognized its literary merit but banned six specific poems from future editions. This scandal ironically boosted sales, resulting in a second edition in 1861 that included thirty-five new poems while omitting the censored ones. A posthumous third edition was published in 1868, adding fourteen more poems chosen by Baudelaire's friends, yet it excluded the six censored works. Literary scholars argue that the additional poems disrupt Baudelaire's intended structure, making the 1861 edition the definitive version. This volume reproduces the 1861 edition alongside the six censored poems in both the original French and an English translation by William Aggeler. Rich in symbolism, "The Flowers of Evil" is a cornerstone of the modernist literary movement, exploring themes of decadence and eroticism as a critique of Parisian society in Baudelaire's time.