Vincent van Gogh
Edited by Ronald de Leeuw
Translated by Arnold J. Pomerans
Penguin Classics · 560 pages
ISBN 9780140446746
After reading the letter Van Gogh wrote to his mother in February 1890, we may want to remain with his voice a little longer.
His letters take us beyond the familiar outline of the troubled artist. In them, Van Gogh describes unfinished paintings, books he has been reading, colors he is trying to understand, and the ordinary concerns he shares with his family. We encounter not only the works that entered museums, but also the doubts, decisions, and sustained labor that came before them.
This Penguin Classics volume brings together a substantial selection of letters from across Van Gogh’s artistic life. Edited by art historian and former Van Gogh Museum director Ronald de Leeuw and translated by Arnold J. Pomerans, the letters are connected by biographical passages and accompanied by drawings that Van Gogh originally included in his correspondence.
It is a selected edition rather than the complete correspondence. For many readers, however, its single-volume format offers an approachable place to begin—and a book to return to slowly rather than read only once.
We chose this book because Almond Blossom becomes more complex when placed beside Van Gogh’s own words. The painting no longer belongs only to the familiar story of tragedy or to a simple symbol of hope. Through the letters, we come closer to an artist who observed carefully, worked with discipline, and remained connected to his family through writing even during periods of illness and isolation.
A painting shows us what Van Gogh placed on the canvas. His letters allow us to stay with the thoughts, relationships, and unfinished days surrounding it.
WHY IT BELONGS IN THIS EDITION
A substantial one-volume introduction to Van Gogh’s correspondence
Letters spanning the development of his artistic life
Biographical context connecting the writing to his work
Drawings originally sent with the letters
A natural continuation after reading his February 1890 letter to his mother
EDITOR’S NOTE
This volume is a selection, not the complete correspondence. Readers who wish to explore every surviving letter can continue with the free, annotated Vincent van Gogh: The Letters digital edition created by the Van Gogh Museum and the Huygens Institute.
https://vangoghletters.org/
BOOK INFORMATION
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Publication date: 1 March 1998
Paperback ISBN: 9780140446746
Publisher page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/261167/the-letters-of-vincent-van-gogh-by-vincent-van-gogh/
