Scenes from the Life of Bohemia — Henri Murger

The inspiration for Puccini's great opera La Bohème, Henri Murger's episodic story of the bohemians of mid-19th century Paris is a lively, eccentric and amusing narrative - it is presented here with the original 33 drawings. Less a novel and more a series of entertaining encounters, Murger's work constructs a picture of artistic community and madcap association - aspiring painters, musicians and writers, all with strange stories to tell. Though struggling with poverty, the bohemians are blessed with occasional good fortune; eccentric but monied clients, or jobs landed by sheer luck and opportunistic panache. More than this however is the abiding theme of bonhomie between the young associates; all share the same dream - recognition and money for their creative endeavours - and are bound together by their place of meeting and low social standing. The café where the group gather to socialize serves as the genesis for several plotlines; here the protagonists commiserate and collaborate in equal measure.