Books by A E Carter

This biography attempts to explore the "parallels" (Verlaine's own term) between Verlaine's life and his poetry. The result is one of the best critical biographies of Verlaine published to date.

The cult of decadence is usually dismissed as an eccentricity of French literature. However, the nineteenth century's preoccupation with decadence provides us with a key to the secret places of its thought, to all the obscure passages and backstairs behind the triumphant façade.