Drifting (Dedalus European Classics) - Softcover

Brendan King

3.91

295 ratings by Goodreads

9781910213636: Drifting (Dedalus European Classics)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1910213632 ISBN 13: 9781910213636

Publisher: Dedalus Ltd, 2017

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

The misfortunes of Jean Folantin, a downtrodden clerk working for the Ministry of the Interior in Paris, form the subject of J.-K. Huysmans' blackly comic novella, Drifting (a vau-l'eau). At first glance, Folantin's problems seem to be a world away from those of Jean Floressas des Esseintes, the aristocratic anti-hero of Huysmans' Decadent classic Against Nature, written just two years later in 1884. But the two men share more than just a first name: like des Esseintes, Folantin is in the throes of an existential crisis: alienated from a Paris undergoing rapid modernisation, the pace of social change leaves him feeling out of place, impotent, a small cog in an impersonal commercial world. Through the distorting lens of Huysmans' dark sense of humour, the dyspeptic Folantin is transformed into a modern-day Ulysses, and his tortuous quest through the streets of Haussmann's Paris to find a capable housekeeper and a decent meal reaches its conclusion in one of the most daring anti-climaxes -- literally speaking -- in the whole of nineteenth century fiction. This new translation by Brendan King includes, for the first time in English, a contemporary profile of Huysmans' life and work in which the author plays both interviewer and interviewee, and which was published pseudonymously for the journal, Les Hommes d'aujourd'hui (Men of Today) in 1885.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Huysmans's protagonist here, M Jean Folantin, is an ageing bachelor employed at the Ministry of the Interior... Wandering the streets of Paris, wallowing in antipathy towards the encroaching Americanization of European manners and modernizing construction works that are ruining his once-familiar city, he seeks refuge in taprooms and chop-houses, hoping only for for the fleeting satisfaction offered by a savoury meal. Alas, in attempting to achieve even this modest goal he is repeatedly thwarted. ...but his condemnation of the world around him are ultimately comic and inspiriting, and are given piquancy by Brendan King's new translation, which preserves the sheer delectability of the language even when it's describing something disgusting. That, along with King's introduction, notes, with their intelligence on everything from lead oxide used to adulterate nineteenth-century wines to the ubiquity of syphilis in the French capital, makes A Vau -l'eau a good place in which to consort with Huysmans's miserable creations.' --Matt Sturrock in The Times Literary Supplement

This is a Ulysses of the eatery, whose Odyssey, limited to voyages from one dish in which rancid butter surrounds uneatable meat to another, is heartbreaking, touching and despairing. --Guy de Maupassant in Le Gaulois

A very remarkable novel..the penetration of his analysis and the consciousness and patience of his imagery call to mind the minute brush strokes of a Holbein. --Jean Richepin in Gil Blas

About the Author:

J.-K. Huysmans (1847-1907) began writing as a naturalist in the style of Zola. His early works excel in their descriptive ability and he is one of the greatest authors at describing the life of Paris and its surroundings as witnessed by his Parisian Sketches. He changed from being an obscure author and art critic to one of the most famous authors of his day with the publication of A Rebours in 1884.His novel about Satanism, La-Bas (1891) is surely the cult novel of the nineteenth century. It is the first of four novels about Huysmans alter ego Durtal.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.