Description

Simeon Solomon (1840-1905) was one of the most notable Pre-Raphaelite artists, remembered for his lush literary paintings and Orientalist masterpieces-and remembered, as well, for the tragic conviction he received for sodomy after he was arrested in 1873, an event which ended his ability to display his work publicly. What is less known, however, is that, aside from being a fine artist, he was also a writer of great ability.

The current volume, edited and curated by Daniel Corrick, collects all of Solomon's known writings. From his extended prose poems "A Mystery of Love in Sleep" and "A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep," to his exceedingly rare "Two Treatises on Scientific Subjects," the pieces herein will shed a new light on one of the periods most interesting and talented artists, showing a mind of great delicacy of thought, as well as often humorous instincts. Included also in this volume is the play "Cleopatra's Needle," only one original copy of which is known to exist, as well as his correspondence with Algernon Charles Swinburne, and reviews of his writing by J. A. Symonds and Swinburne.