Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was famously driven by his passion for God, for art – and for books. Vincent’s life with books is examined here chapter by chapter, from his early adulthood, when he considered becoming a pastor, to his decision to be a painter, to the end of his life. He moved from Holland to Paris to Provence; at each moment, ideas he encountered in books defined and guided his thoughts and his life. Vincent’s letters to his brother refer to at least 200 authors. Books and readers – whether dreaming or deeply absorbed – are frequent subjects of his paintings.

Vincent not only read fiction, he also knew many works of art from detailed descriptions and illustrations in monographs, biographies and museum guides. Always keeping up to date, he never missed the latest literary and artistic magazines. This thought-provoking and original study takes the reader on an artistic-literary journey through Vincent’s discoveries, his favourite authors and best-loved books, revealing a continuous dialogue between his own work, the artists and the authors who inspired him, and giving life to his comment: ‘Books and reality and art are the same kind of thing for me.’

梵高（Vincent Van Gogh，1853年至1890年）对上帝，艺术和书籍的热情广为人知。本书一章接一章地探讨了梵高的书籍人生，从他成年初期（当时他考虑做牧师），到他决定成为画家，一直到生命的尽头。他从荷兰搬到巴黎，再从巴黎搬到普罗旺斯。在每个时刻，他在书中遇到的想法都会定义并指导他的思想和生活。文森特给写弟弟的信中至少提到了200位作者。书籍和读者都是他画作的常见主题。

梵高不仅读小说，还从专著、传记和博物馆指南中的详细描述和插图中了解许多艺术作品。永远紧跟时代潮流的他从未错过最新的文学杂志和艺术杂志。这项发人深省的原创研究是一场艺术文学之旅，带领读者全面了解梵高的发现，他最喜欢的作家和最受喜爱的书籍的，揭示了他自己的作品，启发过他的艺术家和作家之间的持续对话，并为他的评论——“书，现实和艺术对我来说都是同一种东西。”——赋予了生命力。