The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre (37 page)
Read The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre Online
Authors: Dominic Smith
A: No. Isobel is pure fiction.
Q: The poet Charles Baudelaire, known as “the Prince of Clouds,” appears in
The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre
as a character. Is there evidence that Baudelaire and Daguerre were acquainted?
A: Charles Baudelaire was certainly familiar with Daguerre and his work. The poet also wrote a lot of criticism, some of which expressed disdain for photography and other forms of realism. He was part of the rebellion against the new invention. Although I can’t be sure that the men interacted to any degree, I thought it would be interesting to combine their worlds in the novel. The two men had spent a lot of time in the bohemian, artistic world of Paris but ended up on different sides of the Seine, so to speak—Daguerre a Legion of Honor and an internationally known artist and inventor, and Baudelaire a controversial and impoverished poet who was against anything that reeked of the establishment.
Q: Your descriptions of Paris are wonderfully vivid, from Daguerre’s meanderings through the city streets to the catacombs beneath the Paris Observatory to the view from the top of Notre Dame. How important is Paris as a backdrop to the story?
A: Paris as a backdrop is essential. I started with Daguerre’s madness and the Paris streets in the novel and wanted the two to mutually inform one another. We sometimes see the city through Daguerre’s mercury-addled consciousness and sometimes we see it through a seemingly objective reality. Both ways of seeing Paris give it a sense of place and provide Daguerre’s madness with a context. And without the political turmoil and bohemian culture of Montmarte, Daguerre’s journey has less urgency.
Q: There are several mentions of Edgar Allan Poe throughout the novel, including his reaction to the daguerreotypes, which he called “miraculous beauties” and “photogenic drawings of absolute truth.” In another instance Baudelaire is reading Poe’s poem “The Raven.” Are you an admirer of Edgar Allan Poe? Did his literary explorations in any way mirror the artistic territory that Daguerre was charting?
A: Edgar Allan Poe exerted significant influence on nineteenth century French writers in general and in particular on Charles Baudelaire. Baudelaire translated a number of Poe’s short stories and poems from English to French, including “The Raven.” Making reference to Poe’s work in the novel is a nod to the writerly relationship between the two men.
Poe was also a figure of some renown for the general public; as the world received the news of the daguerreo-type invention they looked to important cultural icons for interpretation. Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Samuel Morse were among the first to praise the form.
I certainly admire Poe’s work, but I think his mission is much more like Baudelaire’s than Daguerre’s. Poe and Baudelaire seem to be interested in the enduring nature of both beauty and evil. The historical Daguerre, it seems to me, was mainly interested in a kind of ultra-realism. He wanted to capture nature in its essence. I don’t think he had much interest in exploring the nature of evil through his work. In the novel, my Daguerre character is actually somewhat blind to squalor and ugliness in his delusions; this was inspired by the way that the historical Daguerre had such an eye for beautiful detail and wanted to render nature in all its perfection.
Q: If you were to create your own Doomsday List, what would be some of the things you’d photograph?
A: I’d probably prefer to think of it as a list of images I’d love to look at…since a Doomsday List implies either me going mad or the end of the world approaching.
Anyway, I would capture: a coastal scene (I grew up from the age of ten by the beach in Australia); mountains and hills (I spent my early years in an area called the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney); a field of wildflowers (Texas has some spectacular wildflowers in the spring); and clouds (I’ve always had a fascination with them); pictures of my family and friends.
Q: Have you spent a lot of time in Paris? If so, what was your favorite experience?
A: I lived for a year in Europe and made numerous trips to Paris. My favorite memory was trying to have a quintessentially French gourmet meal in Montmartre. I consulted guide books and asked locals for recommendations. I heard about a restaurant that was tucked away in an alley and which was so small and informal that you had to knock on the kitchen door to be let in.
I searched for hours. I imagined delicate sauces being ladled out by an old couple from Provence. I pictured a cheese cellar and wine that made your heart jump. After scouring the streets in search of this culinary experience, I finally gave up and bought a chocolate-filled crepe and a cup of espresso at a roadside eatery. I took out a book—I was reading a lot of Hemingway at the time—and enjoyed a great Parisian moment. I never did find the mythical restaurant but that coffee and crepe have lingered on in my mind.
Enhance Your Book Club
Enliven your get-together—and your taste buds—by meeting at a local café or bistro. Or serve up your own French-inspired fare with recipes from www.epicurious.com. There are more than 800 delectable choices in the French Cuisine section. Bon appétit!
Learn more about Louis Daguerre, the daguerreian process, and how it was received in America by visiting www.daguerre.org, the official website of the Daguerreian Society.
In a nod to Louis Daguerre’s famous invention, appoint one or two members as “official photographers” for the evening. Then have each member select one or two photographs and compile them into an album to commemorate your group’s discussion of
The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre
.
Table of Contents
Questions and Topics for Discussion