Sebastien Roch (Empire of the Senses) (Dedalus European Classics) - Softcover

Mirbeau, Octave

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1873982437 ISBN 13: 9781873982433

Publisher: Dedalus Ltd, 2000

Synopsis

'In the catalogue of novels about lives distorted by unhappy schooldays, Mirbeau's contribution must be one of the bitterest. He follows the young, carefree Sebastien from a small French town to the bleak Breton coast. There the Jesuit fathers, in whom his snobbish father has placed so much trust, heap misery upon misery. The ironmonger's son is mocked by France's adolescent aristocracy and turns for comfort to the perfidious priests. An angry novel, but poignant through Mirbeau's descriptions of landscape to which his hero sensitively responds. But the age allows no redemption for Roch except oblivion.' Isobel Montgomery in The Guardian 'The tale is a semi-autobiographical portrait of a boy's coming of age in provincial France against a Belle Epoque backdrop. From serene impressionism to violent pornographic excesses, the bones of Mirbeau's life makes for a moving novel.' Alex O'Connell in The Times 'It is a novel that combines anger and lyricism, the raw beauty of the landscape in sharp contrast to the ugliness of real life.' Tariq Ali in The Financial Times

About this title

From the Publisher

Reviews in The Times and The Guardian
" Octave Mirbeau was the Angry Young Man of early 20th-century Paris. He wrote for the radical newspaper La France and championed Dreyfus in politics.Rather than being remembered for his life, however, he is best know for his later writings:The Diary of a Chambermaid and the decadent romp, Torture Garden. The arrival of Sebastien Roch should redress that balance. The tale is a semi-autobiographical portrait of a boy's coming of age in provincial France against a Belle Epoque backdrop. From serene impressionism to violent pornographic excesses, the bones of Mirbeau's life make for a moving novel." Alex O'Connell "In the catalogue of novels about lives distorted by unhappy schooldays, Mirbeau's contribution must be one of the bitterest. He follows the young, carefree Sebastien from a small French town to the bleak Breton coast. There the Jesuit fathers, in whom, his snobbish father has placed so much trust, heap misery upon misery. The ironmonger's son is mocked by France's adolescent aristocracy and turns for comfort to the perfidious priests. An angry novel, but poignant through Mirbeau's descriptions of landscapes to which his hero sensitively responds.But the age allows no redemption, for Roch except oblivion." Isobel Montgomery in The Guardian

About the Author

Octave Mirbeau (1848-1917) was a French playwright, journalist, novelist, and staunch supporter of the anarchist cause in France. His work was influenced by many, especially Moliere and Dostoyevsky. He was also a lover of art and was one of the earliest supporters of Van Gogh, Pissarro, and Rodin.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dedalus Ltd
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1873982437
• ISBN 13: 9781873982433
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Costa Margaret Jull