Egoists, A Book of Supermen Stendhal, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Anatole France, Huysmans, Barrès, Nietzsche, Blake, Ibsen, Stirner, and Ernest Hello

"Egoists, A Book of Supermen" by James Huneker is a collection of literary essays written in the early 20th century. The book explores prominent figures in literature and philosophy, including Stendhal, Flaubert, and Nietzsche, highlighting their contributions and idiosyncrasies. Through a critical lens, Huneker delves into the intricacies of their lives and works, examining the traits that set them apart as "supermen" in the literary canon. The opening of the collection introduces the first essay, focusing on Henry Beyle, better known as Stendhal. Huneker paints a vivid portrait of Stendhal, contrasting his delicate psychological insights with his unremarkable physical appearance. The text discusses Stendhal's duality as a passionate lover and cynical observer, emphasizing how his seemingly contradictory nature informed his writing. The essay sets the tone for the subsequent pieces, suggesting a rich exploration of the complex interplay between personality, creativity, and the societal contexts in which these literary figures existed. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

James Gibbons Huneker was an American art, book, music, and theater critic. A colorful individual and an ambitious writer, he was "an American with a great mission," in the words of his friend, the critic Benjamin De Casseres, and that mission was to educate Americans about the best cultural achievements, native and European, of his time. From 1892 to 1899, he was the husband of the sculptor Clio Hinton.