DRIFTING: A vau-l'eau
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About this ebook
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 (À 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.
“[The] Iliad of indigestion.” James Huneker, Unicorns
J.-K. Huysmans
.-K. Huysmans (1847-1907) 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 (Against Nature) in 1884. A Rebours is a ground-breaking novel which captures the decadent spirit of the day and marks his final break with Zola and naturalism. Dedalus have published 12 books by J.-K. Huysmans, all in new translations by Brendan King; Marthe, Parisian Sketches, The Vatard Sisters, Stranded (En Rade), Drifting, Against Nature, La- Bas, Modern Art, Certain Artists, En Route, The Cathedral and The Oblate of St Benedict.
Read more from J. K. Huysmans
Against Nature (À Rebours) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLa-Bas: A Journey into the Self Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5LÃ -bas (Down There) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsModern Art Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Damned (La Bas) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLà-bas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAgainst the Grain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAgainst the Grain (À Rebours) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAgainst Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cathedral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDrifting: A vau-l'eau Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Oblate: (L'Oblat) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAgainst the Grain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEn Route Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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