Vincent's Books - Annotated by Mariella Guzzoni (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A wonderfully illustrated and well-written book for general readers that explores Vincent van Gogh's love of books and reading. It is a synthesized biography of van Gogh written through the lens of his books. If there is one thing to say about him, it is that he loved books and literature as much as he loved art (the latter a passion that arose much later in life). From an early age, van Gogh was an insatiable reader. It helped that he read and spoke four languages fluently-this allowed him access to the great novels and poetry of the 19th century: among his belongings we find tattered, annotated, and well-worn copies of the works of Victor Hugo, Zola, Dickens, George Eliot, Harriet Beecher Stowe. He read philosophy, too. In his early years (well, most of his years were early-he died at the age of 37), Vincent was extremely religious, and knew long passages of scripture by heart, which he recited from the pulpit when he was a fledgling minister in England and in the coalfields of Brussels. Van Gogh wrote with eloquence and insight about what he was reading in his famous letters to his brother Theo. Vincent's letters to his brother refer to at least two hundred authors. He haunted the bookshops of Holland, London, and Paris. And books are a decided theme in van Gogh's paintings. This work is chock-full of van Gogh paintings that featured his favorite books"--

Book Synopsis

"Books and reality and art are the same kind of thing for me."

One of the most famous artists in history, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was also a man with another powerful passion--for books. An insatiable reader, Van Gogh spent his life hungrily consuming as many books as he could. He read, reread, and copied out books in Dutch, English, and French. He knew many passages by heart from works by Dickens, Zola, Shakespeare, and Maupassant, among many others. As he wrote to his brother, Theo, in one of their hundreds of letters: "I have a more or less irresistible passion for books."

In Vincent's Books, Mariella Guzzoni explores Van Gogh's life as a voracious bookworm, noting what he read, what he wrote about, and how his love of reading influenced his art. She walks us through his life, chapter by chapter: from the religious aspirations of his early adulthood, to his decision to be a painter, to the end of his tragically short life. He moved from Holland to Paris to Provence; at each moment, ideas he encountered in books defined and guided his thoughts and his worldview. Van Gogh wrote with eloquence and insight about what he was reading in his letters to Theo, referring to at least two hundred authors. Books and readers are frequent subjects of his paintings, and Guzzoni highlights over one hundred of these works, such as Still Life with Bible in the Van Gogh Museum and his vivid paintings of l'Arlesienne.

A gorgeously illustrated biography that will appeal to any booklover, Vincent's Books takes us on a fresh, fascinating journey through the pages of a beloved artist's life.

Explore Van Gogh's musings on his favorite writers, including
Thomas à Kempis, Charles Blanc, Honoré de Balzac, Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, Guy de Maupassant, Charles Dickens, Erckmann-Chatrian, Homer, Victor Hugo, Pierre Loti, Jules Michelet, William Shakespeare, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Émile Zola

Review Quotes

"Vincent's Books is a beautiful publication that pays homage to the art of the book. It is carefully structured, poignantly designed, and includes full-color matte reproductions of journal pages and book covers. Reproductions of the editions Van Gogh read appear throughout and Guzzoni also includes pictures of the books open to the passages she discusses so you can view the print in its original publication. These pictures appear alongside Van Gogh's paintings, drawings, or letters and are often accompanied by germane quotations. Readers can pause on passages dedicated to reflecting on the interplay between text and image, an experience akin to spending time with a rare edition in an archive or a treasured painting in a museum gallery. . . . Vincent's Books will fascinate those interested in how a beloved painter drew from literary and print culture."-- "American Book Review"

"Should appeal to readers and viewers on many levels... the volume's contributions [include] the thoughtful blending of words with relevant images relating to Van Gogh's reading and focus on readers." -- "Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies"

"Guzzoni's book is charming, enlightening, and ever unpretentious. . . . Appositely illustrated--the color reproduction is notably rich and convincing."-- "New York Review of Books"

"From childhood through to the end of his life (and from deliberating a career as a pastor to his decision to become a painter), [Van Gogh and the Writers Who Inspired Him] examines the texts that Van Gogh treasured, by writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Zola and Maupassant."-- "Town&Country" (6/23/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"Vincent's Books is one of the best written and most expertly researched books about Van Gogh that I've read in years. Guzzoni does a masterful job. . . . Vincent's Books provides wonderful insights into this profound and complex relationship between painter and writer."-- "The Van Gogh Gallery"

"[Vincent's Books] is a luminous joy to read and pore over. It is also a beautifully wrought artefact in itself, which you finish wanting both to read more deeply and widely and to look at Van Gogh's works with fresh eyes."-- "Dublin Review of Books"

"Guzzoni's research provides an incredibly refreshing take on one of history's well-known artists, and presents even common knowledge with a discerning eye and an authentic voice. Vincent's Books is a triumph for both Van Gogh fanatics and bookworms alike."-- "Art New England"

"...a fascinating introduction to a complex and wondrous creative life."-- "The Arts Desk"

In Vincent's Books, Mariella Guzzoni aims "to map an artistic-intellectual journey through his favourites, in a continuous dialogue between his work as an artist and the key authors and illustrators that inspired him."-- "The New European"

"Guzzoni employs extensive research in her quest to unearth the literature that influenced not only his art, but every aspect of his life--from works of fiction to museum guides and artistic magazines. Accompanied by reproductions of his paintings, letters and the books that that he loved, it is a fascinating study of Van Gogh's creative inspiration."-- "The Art Society"

"Vincent's Books contains seven chapters, each reflecting a transformative moment in his personal and artistic journey from a black and white world toward an Ezekiel-like glimpse into the sometimes phantasmagorical wheel of color to which we've become accustomed in Van Gogh's work--a journey into coal mines, the street life of Paris, the wide open landscapes of Arles, and even a side dalliance into the mystical simplicity of Japanese art."-- "CounterPunch"

"[A] detailed and beautifully written account of what the artist read--and how it influenced his art."-- "Art Newspaper"

"[An] innovative approach to a biography based in a reliable source of primary information. Artists who are interested in imitating the positive elements of Van Gogh's life, research and art will find much to be inspired and to learn from in these pages. And researchers who are contemplating the reasons for Van Gogh's unique style, and those who have since followed his lead will find Guzzoni's commentary useful."-- "Pennsylvania Literary Journal"

"Guzzoni tells us in much greater detail about all those books [Von Gogh] read, and when and why he did so. It also shows us the paintings in which books are a subject: his own paintings, and those by some of the painters to whom he was indebted. . . . Reading was a dogged, lifelong pursuit of a bare-knuckled authenticity of feeling, a peeling away of all pretense in pursuit of a directness and an honesty that immediately fed into how he saw the world."-- "Hyperallergic"

"Vincent van Gogh's letters are almost as wonderful as his paintings and in one of them he writes, 'I have a more or less irresistible passion for books.' Guzzoni traces that passion in the beautifully designed Vincent's Books. If you need a gift for a book or art lover, this is it."-- "Washington Post"

"During this meandering journey through Holland, Paris, Provence, and beyond, Guzzoni reveals just how much Van Gogh's favorite books and authors defined his life and art."-- "Christie's"

About the Author

Mariella Guzzoni is an independent scholar and art curator living in Bergamo, Italy. Over many years, she has collected editions of the books that Vincent van Gogh read and loved.