Miracle of the Rose — Jean Genet

“One of the greatest achievements of modern literature.” -- Richard Howard

“A major achievement . . . . Genet transforms experiences of degradation into spiri­tual exercises and hoodlums into bearers of the majesty of love.” -- Saturday Review

“Genet can use a brutal phraseology that makes prison life specific and immediate. Yet through his singular sensibility, these elements are transmuted into something fragile, rare, beautiful.” -- The New York Times

“This book recreates for the reader Genet's magic world, one of dazzling beauty charged with novelty and excitement.” -- Bettina Knapp

“Genet would have deserved international standing for this novel alone. . . . He succeeds to an amazing degree in creating poetry from the profoundest degradation.” -- The Times (London)