Showing results by author "Joris-Karl Huysmans" in All Categories

Against Nature was one of the most shocking French novels of the 19th century. When it was published in 1884, it thrilled the aesthetes, the poets, and the intellectuals of Europe on both sides of the Channel (notably Oscar Wilde) because for all its lofty tone, it had, as its core, an unbridled decadence, and it was this same character that challenged, even horrified, established bourgeois society.

La-bas follows the troubled novelist Durtal, disillusioned by the superficiality and crudeness of the modern world. In his quest for solace, he immerses himself in the study of the Middle Ages, becoming engrossed in the chilling history of the infamous 15th-century child-murderer, Gilles de Rais. Through his connections in Paris‚particularly with Dr. Johannes, a character inspired by Joseph-Antoine Boullan‚Durtal uncovers the unsettling truth that Satanism thrives in turn-of-the-century France. Joined by his lover, Madame Chantelouve, he delves into the shadowy realms of the occult. The ...

Des Esseintes, dernier descendant d'une noblesse épuisée, après avoir profité un temps des plaisirs d'une vaste fortune, ayant finalement asséché la veine des amitiés charnelles, des mondanités insipides et de l'exubérance juvénile décide, fébrile, de se retirer de Paris en un pavillon qu'il aménage en havre salutaire où il pourra se consacrer en paix à la lecture et aux raffinements des sens.

Published in 1884, Against Nature (À rebours) concerns the attempts of its cultured and neurotic anti-hero, Des Esseintes, to escape contemporary Parisian life. At his rural retreat he is able to indulge his particular artistic tastes as he muses on a range of topics including literature, religion and painting.

Faut-il manger pour vivre, ou vivre pour manger ? La madeleine de Proust est-elle vraiment celle que l'on croit ? La trompe d'éléphant est-elle comestible ? Vous trouverez réponse à ces épineuses questions, et à bien d'autres, dans notre sélection de 19 textes cultes commentés Une balade littéraire divertissante et instructive à travers les textes de Brillat-Savarin, La Bruyère, Théophile Gauthier, Proust, Zola, Rabelais, Flaubert, Balzac, Maupassant, Molière, Hugo, Huysmans, Pétrone, Daudet, Madame de Sévigné et des Frères Goncourt. Bon appétit ! Textes commentés par Sylvain Trias.

Dive into the mesmerizing world of Joris-Karl Huysmans’ 1884 masterpiece, known as the Bible of Decadence and famously adored by Oscar Wilde. In Against Nature (or Against The Grain in this translation), we follow the reclusive Duc Jean Floressas Des Esseintes, a life-long aesthete who retreats from society into his own carefully crafted artificial paradises. However, this journey is not a solemn reflection; Des Esseintes grand ambitions lead to ludicrous failures, resulting in both personal dissatisfaction and health troubles, while an unsuspecting tortoise becomes an unwitting victim of ...

In this captivating sequel to La-bas, Huysmans delves deeper into the spiritual journey of the novelist Durtal. After grappling with a past steeped in depravity and Satanism, Durtal embarks on a desperate quest for solace within the Catholic faith. Guided by his keen aesthetic sensibilities and the wisdom of a compassionate priest, he begins to find his way. It is only through a transformative retreat in a Trappist monastery that he experiences profound spiritual awakening, leading him toward a renewed sense of purpose and belief. (Peter Tucker)

פריז, סוף המאה התשע-עשרה. המודרניזציה מחוללת שינויים בתודעתו של האדם המערבי. הערים הגדולות עמוסות עד להתפקע בסחורות חדשות; זה עתה מחו את שארית שרידי ימי הביניים. תאורה מלאכותית זורחת ברחובות ובפסאז׳ים ומאפשרת לחקור את הלילה. הבורגנות הזעירה צומחת, ועודפי מזומנים מעניקים לאזרחים אשליה של חופש בחירה. הדמוקרטיות המערביות מייצרות ומשווקות לנו תרמית: "אנחנו חופשיים". הן מספרות לנו שגורלנו בידינו, שניתן לממש את שאיפותינו על פי יכולותינו ועל רקע שוויון הזדמנויות.