Today, as of old, every man who enters on an artistic career, without
any other means of livelihood than his art itself, will be forced to
walk in the paths of Bohemia.--from the Preface
Based largely upon Henri Murger's own experiences and those of his
fellow artists, The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter was originally
produced as a play in 1849 and first appeared in book form in 1851. It
was an immediate sensation. The novel consists of a series of
interrelated episodes in the lives of a group of poor friends--a
musician, a poet, a philosopher, a sculptor, and a painter--who attempt
to maintain their artistic ideals while struggling for food, shelter,
and sex.
Set in the ancient Latin Quarter, a vibrant and cosmopolitan area near
the University of Paris, the novel is a masterful portrait of
nineteenth-century Parisian artistic life. Bohemian soon became
synonymous with artist, and it is from Murger's novel that the word and
concept entered the English language. Drawn from real-life characters
and events, the themes of love, sacrifice, and selling out are
immediately recognizable to the modern reader.
Capturing the heart, spirit, and bittersweet humor of the world of
struggling artists, The Bohemians of the Latin Quarter is the
universal story of one's attempt to leave a mark on the world.
