A good book about Saint-Just ?

[fatimahcrossin.livejournal.com]

Salut et Fraternité, Citoyennes et Citoyens !

I have been watching this community for a while and now I have decided to introduce myself and ask you a question.
I am greatly interested in French Revolution, with whom I have a strange relationship of love and hate - but I think this will be amusing to discuss another time.
Well, I am strangely, madly, deeply, lustfully, wildly, passionately in love with Saint-Just - yes - but in my mother language, Italian, there is rather only a few stuff upon him. So until now I only have had the chance to read Camus and Malraux essays which are available in my country.
I like these essays very, very much - I believe both the two existentialists reach a non-banal perspective of the character (even though they are men and miss the intuition of something only a woman can understand...), but I'd like to read more on my love.

I have read almost everything I have found on the Internet about him and now I would buy some foreign text more focused on his biography, since Camus and Malraux's are only short chapters drawn from more complex books and provide rather a general perspective on Antoine as a man and about his role in history of that age than pure biographical information.
I have seen there is an amount of biographies, but I have still not decided what to choose.
I can read English, French and German, and since I have a strong intellectual complexion due to my marxist education despite my reviewing it under a feminist, pagan, anarchist point of view, I'd like better a rigorous scientific account rather than a fiction-oriented one: in spite of his myth, Antoine is a man, first of all - and I am in love with him just because of this.
I have noticed Vinot's biography and I feel attracted to it but I am not absolutely sure - would you advice me to buy it ? And/or other texts ?
Just tell me whatever you believe to be useful.

Ok, I think this is enough for my first time here. Thank you in advance for your answers and comments - every suggestion is here absolutely welcome !

Au revoir,



F.

Comments

[maelicia.livejournal.com]

Salut et fraternité. :)

I am also greatly interested *coughseuphemism* with Saint-Just -- a postcard of his portrait by Prud'hon being precisely next to me. Um. I made a dissertation on him in my university course on the French Revolution, almost two years ago. Thus I've come across a few good articles and books. Vinot's biography is very good -- Ladret's too (Saint-Just ou les vicissitudes de la vertu, I think), because he gives extracts from other books written on Saint-Just and there's a good introduction on his origins. Also, I remember there are the texts from the symposium organised for the Bicentenial of his anniversary, in 1967, by Soboul. There are a few very good articles in there (like one, by J.-P. Gross, on the Saint-Just myth). J.-P. Gross also made a book about Saint-Just's missions.

I have bought Camus's book earlier this year -- I still have to read it. For now, I merely skipped through it. ;)

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

A good biography is Eugene Curtis' "Saint-Just: Colleague of Robespierre". In the US it seems to be available at every university library and nowhere beyond them.

[fatimahcrossin.livejournal.com]

Oh Mademoiselles, thank you for quick and precise answers !
Vinot and Ladret's biographies are easily available on Internet bookshops and I believe I will buy one of them (or maybe both XD). I also have seen mentioned the texts gathered by Soboul somewhere but they are not on sale, at least now - it is a pity because Soboul is an excellent historian and I am sure he did a good job also in this case - so did you find this book in the library at the university ?

Then what about Curtis' biography ?
The first time I read of it, it was listed in the bibliography included by Mathiez in his history of the revolution. It is absolutely i-m-p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e to find it and this makes me sick-> is it really the more complete biography ever written about Antoine, Livvie ? (if you answer me yes I cry...)

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

I haven't read enough biographies of Saint-Just in other languages to speak definitively, but I would say it is definitely the most complete English language biography. It is quite sympathetic and very thorough. It is too bad you can't find a copy. They are occasionally available online at sites like abebooks.com, but never for less than $175.

[fatimahcrossin.livejournal.com]

Maelicia, I warmly recommend you Camus' "The rebel" (and also his other essays).
On the concept of "revolution".
Beyond the excellent chapter about Antoine, it is one of the rare books you won't easily forget. At least this is my case.


$175 ? It is a deluxe edition ?
Stupid and exaggerated. Although I'd buy it anyway if only I found it out.

(and I cry, yeah)

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

No. These sort of books are published in very limited numbers because it is assumed they hold no interest for the general public and are only intended for university libraries. Thus, high prices passed on to the universities libraries are intended to cover the costs of printing an extremely limited number of copies. Thus, unless someone is really unaware and sells the book for less, the general going rate for that sort of book is very expensive.

[fatimahcrossin.livejournal.com]

Yes, I see...

Quite boring, however.

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

Wait, what is boring?

(Also, if you reply via "Reply to this" rather than "Post a new comment" it will respond directly to the previous comment rather than the original post)

[fatimahcrossin.livejournal.com]

"Boring" or rather "irritating" is the fact that many books are unavailable for some reason or another. Indeed it all depends on the fact that books are simply items to be sold and their diffusion, reprint etc. entirely belong to the logic of economy.
Well, I know this observation is clear and obvious - but this kind of things irritates me. Especially now that I am preparing an essay for a meeting which will be hosted at the university of my hometown and most of the stuff I need is out of print and don't almost exist in any library...


(yes, this "reply" option is quite confortable - thank you for I didn't notice it before)