{"product_id":"pybrac-9781939663023","title":"Pybrac","description":"\u003ch2\u003ePybrac by Pierre Louÿs: A Transgressive Collection of Erotic Verse\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePierre Louÿs' \u003cem\u003ePybrac\u003c\/em\u003e stands as one of the most audacious collections of erotic poetry ever published. This posthumous manuscript, first released clandestinely in 1927, reveals the secret literary obsessions of one of France's most controversial writers. Composed of 313 rhymed alexandrine quatrains, this collection pushes the boundaries of erotic literature into territory that remains shocking even by contemporary standards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA Satirical Mockery of Moralist Tradition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe structure of \u003cem\u003ePybrac\u003c\/em\u003e deliberately parodies Guy Du Faur, Seigneur de Pibrac, a sixteenth-century chancellor and poet whose moralizing quatrains were standard reading for young French students until the 1800s. Louÿs inverts this pedagogical tradition entirely, creating his own collection of \"moral precepts\" that are anything but suitable for young readers. The majority of quatrains begin with the phrase \"I do not like to see...\" before launching into descriptions of lesbianism, sodomy, incest, prostitution, and perversions extreme enough to challenge modern sensibilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA Manuscript Scattered Through History\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlong with \u003cem\u003eThe Young Girl's Handbook of Good Manners\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePybrac\u003c\/em\u003e was among the first of Louÿs' secret erotic manuscripts to achieve clandestine publication after his death. The poet spent his lifetime expanding this collection, ultimately producing over 2,000 quatrains. The original manuscript was auctioned and dispersed throughout private collections, making complete versions extremely rare. This edition preserves what remains of Louÿs' dizzying litany of transgressive verse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eLiterary Significance and Absurdist Vision\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat distinguishes \u003cem\u003ePybrac\u003c\/em\u003e from mere pornography is its literary construction and obsessive accumulation. The alexandrine form—twelve-syllable lines arranged in rhymed quatrains—demonstrates Louÿs' technical mastery of French versification. The repetitive structure creates a near-hypnotic effect, conveying both absurdity and compulsion. By turns amusing and offensive, the collection offers insight into what the Marquis de Sade might have produced had he worked in verse rather than prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis paperback edition from Wakefield Press makes available a work that circulated only in underground channels for decades. For readers interested in the history of erotic literature, French avant-garde writing, or the boundaries of literary transgression, \u003cem\u003ePybrac\u003c\/em\u003e represents an essential if challenging text. It stands as testimony to Pierre Louÿs' dual literary life: the publicly celebrated author of \u003cem\u003eAphrodite\u003c\/em\u003e and the private creator of some of the most extreme erotic verse in the French language.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wakefield Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493244145938,"sku":"9781939663023","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_79313470-671a-4f97-9dba-e5a3e0c6524b.jpg?v=1730640102","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/pybrac-9781939663023","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}