Vies imaginaires

by Marcel Schwob

"Vies imaginaires" by Marcel Schwob is a collection of twenty-two semi-biographical short stories published in 1896. Blending historical facts with fantastical elements, these biographical fictions reimagine the lives of obscure and famous figures alike. This pioneering work helped establish biographical fiction as a genre and profoundly influenced Jorge Luis Borges, who translated one story and drew inspiration for his own Universal History of Infamy. Schwob transforms biography into an art of creative reinvention.