The Shape of a City (French: La Forme d'une ville) is a 1985 book by the French writer Julien Gracq. It is a portrait of Nantes, the city where Gracq grew up, in the form of memories, anecdotes, reflections and dreamlike descriptions.[1] The title comes from a quotation by Charles Baudelaire: "The shape of a city, as we all know, changes more quickly than the mortal heart". An English translation by Ingeborg M. Kohn was published in 2005.[2]
 First edition | |
| Author | Julien Gracq |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Forme d'une ville |
| Translator | Ingeborg M. Kohn |
| Publisher | José Corti |
Publication date | 1985 |
Published in English | 2005 |
| Pages | 213 |
| ISBN | 9782714301062 |
Reception
In 2007, Thomas McGonigle described the book for Los Angeles Times as "a model for how to write about one’s home place[.] ... It should be required reading for anyone setting out to describe their home place."[3]
References
External links
- The Shape of a City at the American publisher's website
- The Shape of a City at the French publisher's website (in French)