495 pages Text(s) by Philippe Junod Designed by Catherine Baud 21.5 x 14.5 cm Language: French Paperback Publisher: Infolio éditions 2024
Vandalism is as old as humanity itself. Whether directed against people, their possessions, works of art, or the natural world, its motives and methods remain strikingly familiar, and its threat more present than ever.
This anthology gathers, for the first time, a wide selection of literary texts that confront the phenomenon of destruction across history. From Cicero to Raphael, Victor Hugo to Gustave Flaubert, John Ruskin to Albert Camus, writers and thinkers have grappled with the meanings of vandalism; its violence, its symbolism, and its paradoxical role in shaping culture.
By placing these voices in dialogue, Philippe Junod traces an evolving story: from the revolutionary origins of the term “vandalism” to its contemporary extensions: genocide, ecocide, and the devastation of cultural heritage in times of war. Accompanied by critical commentary and documentation on the history of heritage and its preservation, this volume explores not only the destructive impulse but also the shifting values that define what is worth protecting.
