The end of the nineteenth century in France was characterized by a widespread fear that the traditional book format would soon become obsolete under the influence of new mechanized technologies such the mass printing of periodicals, telegraphy, and phonography. Major poets such as Verlaine, Rimbaud and Mallarmé, who already struggled to publish books, were particularly affected. Focusing on the case of Mallarmé, this talk argues that the crisis prompted French poets to develop innovative literary and editorial strategies that paved the way for a new publishing format, the “artist’s book,” which would become a major art form for literary and artistic avant-gardes in the twentieth century.

Talk by Nicolas Valazza, Associate Professor of French, Department of French and Italian

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