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
AuthorJulien Gracq
Original titleLa Forme d'une ville
TranslatorIngeborg M. Kohn
PublisherJosé Corti
Publication date
1985
Published in English
2005
Pages213
ISBN9782714301062

Reception

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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

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  1. ^ Mongin, Olivier (2003). "Julien Gracq et la Forme d'une ville". De la ville et du citadin (in French). Marseille: Éditions Parenthèses. pp. 41–43. ISBN 2-86364-141-7.
  2. ^ The shape of a city. OCLC 63674953. Retrieved 2015-04-08 – via WorldCat.
  3. ^ McGonigle, Thomas (2007-12-31). "The passing of Julien Gracq". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
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