The Shape of a City

First edition
Author	Julien Gracq
Original title	La Forme d'une ville
Translator	Ingeborg M. Kohn
Publisher	José Corti
Publication date	1985
Published in English	2005
Pages	213
ISBN	9782714301062

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]

Reception

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

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.

External links

• The Shape of a City at the American publisher's website
• The Shape of a City at the French publisher's website (in French)