En Route by Huysmans
En Route (1895)
by J.K. Huysmans, translated by W. Flemming
313 pages - Dedalus European Classics
Huysmans's noted cycle of books begins with A Rebours in which a jaded and disillusioned man tries to separate himself entirely from the world, and indulge in a world of aesthetic pleasure. The next book is in essence a continuation of this story, though a new protagonist is introduced, Durtal, a stand-in for the author. In La-Bas Durtal researches the life of Gilles de Rais, the child-murderer known as Bluebeard, while also investigating Satanism in modern France.
At the start of this book, Durtal is considering writing the biography of a saint, but most of the first half is occupied with Durtal's personal struggles and religious thoughts. He visits various churches and finds things to despise about the people, the architecture, and the music; though he makes friends with an abbé to whom he can open up a little. In the second half of the book he is convinced to spend a week in retreat at a Trappist monastery, and finds some measure of peace and reconciliation, though at the end he needs to go back into the world.
This is very much not a normal novel, as it is mostly occupied by Durtal's thoughts, reflections, and inner struggles. Indeed, the most dramatic sequence is just an interior dialogue he has between two aspects of himself. But, I think a lot of the quality of a book comes from how fully and faithfully it renders the world it chooses to focuses on, and Durtal's world is rendered very effectively here, even if you do not agree with all of his views. It's a good read, but would probably seem to be very unbalanced and obsessive if read apart from the preceding books.
by J.K. Huysmans, translated by W. Flemming
313 pages - Dedalus European Classics
Huysmans's noted cycle of books begins with A Rebours in which a jaded and disillusioned man tries to separate himself entirely from the world, and indulge in a world of aesthetic pleasure. The next book is in essence a continuation of this story, though a new protagonist is introduced, Durtal, a stand-in for the author. In La-Bas Durtal researches the life of Gilles de Rais, the child-murderer known as Bluebeard, while also investigating Satanism in modern France.
At the start of this book, Durtal is considering writing the biography of a saint, but most of the first half is occupied with Durtal's personal struggles and religious thoughts. He visits various churches and finds things to despise about the people, the architecture, and the music; though he makes friends with an abbé to whom he can open up a little. In the second half of the book he is convinced to spend a week in retreat at a Trappist monastery, and finds some measure of peace and reconciliation, though at the end he needs to go back into the world.
This is very much not a normal novel, as it is mostly occupied by Durtal's thoughts, reflections, and inner struggles. Indeed, the most dramatic sequence is just an interior dialogue he has between two aspects of himself. But, I think a lot of the quality of a book comes from how fully and faithfully it renders the world it chooses to focuses on, and Durtal's world is rendered very effectively here, even if you do not agree with all of his views. It's a good read, but would probably seem to be very unbalanced and obsessive if read apart from the preceding books.