Through a series of apparently random impressions of the political, social and artistic movements of the world around him, Stendhal imbues a range of human experience, from the mundane to the extraordinary, with the significance it deserves. Containing everything from delightful thumbnail sketches of his friends and colleagues, to lyrical remembrances of gardens and operas, and tenderly amused descriptions of tea with prostitutes in London, Memoirs of an Egotist is constantly startling and revealing. With his mental eclecticism and sharp eye for detail, Stendhal proves that anything - and everything - is of potential interest to a writer with an inquisitive mind.

Author Biography

Stendhal (1783-1842) is most famous for his two realist masterpieces, Le Rouge et le Noir, and La Chartreuse de Parme, which deal with the political and social landscape of Restoration France, and Italy. Winner of the David Cohen British Literature Prize in 2001, Doris Lessing is one of the most eminent figures in world literature.