In 2009 New York Review Books Classics published No Tomorrow in a bilingual edition with English translation by Lydia Davis. This short novel of thrilling and elegant dalliance was written in the 1770s, probably by Vivant Denon (1747-1825). He was primarily known not as a writer but as a graphic artist and ultimately the chief arts administrator under Napoleon. To this day, the Denon wing of the Louvre is named for him.
Vivant Denon Self-portrait ca. 1780 etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Self-portrait in Studio 18th century drawing Morgan Library |
"She had taken my arm again and we resumed our walk without my noticing the path we were following. What she had just hinted at about the lover I knew she had, what she was telling me about the mistress she knew I had, this whole trip, the scene in the carriage, the scene on the grassy bank, the time of night – all of it disturbed me: I was by turns overcome with vanity or desire, and then returned to myself by reflection." – No Tomorrow
Vivant Denon Young author 18th century etching Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Satire of Episode in the French Revolution 18th century drawing Morgan Library |
Vivant Denon Severed Head (said to be Robespierre's) 1794 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Lady Hamilton as Innocence, or Vestal 18th century etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Lady Hamilton as Hagar in the Desert 18th century etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Lady Hamilton in Two Attitudes 18th century etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Portrait of Annetta Coltellini 18th century etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Vivant Denon Self-portrait with Plumed Hat 18th century etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Joseph Charles Marin Bust of Vivant Denon 1827 marble Louvre |