Alchemy and Amalgam: Translation in the Works of Charles Baudelaire

Alchemy and Amalgam explores a relatively un-researched area of the Baudelairean corpus (his translations from English) and relates them to the rest of his works. It seeks to establish a link between translational and creative writing, arguing for a reassessment of the place of translation in Baudelaire's writing method.

The book is one of the first of its kind to link the study of the translational activity of a major writer to his 'creative' writings. It is also one of the first to provide an integrated presentation of French 19th-century translation approaches and to link them to questions of copyright and authorship in the context of the rise of capitalism and romantic views of creation and genius. It offers, therefore, a new perspective both on translation history and on literary history.

Alchemy and Amalgam will be of interest to students of translation, comparative literature and French studies.