Peninsula
29.99 €
In stock
Peninsula
29.99 €
Julien Gracq, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and "the last classic of French literature," was exceptionally honored during his lifetime by being published in the renowned Pléiade series of classics.
Gracq's exquisite prose, influenced in part by surrealism and romanticism, the mythological dimension of Wagnerian operas, and his professional studies in geography, is at once innovative and classical in spirit. It is deeply rooted in the centuries-old history of French literature and hardly fits within any predetermined boundaries of reader expectations.
Perhaps the greatest French writer of the 20th century after Proust, Julien Gracq consistently forged his own path and maintained aloofness from any contemporary school, literary fashion, or, more broadly, any literary climate. Even at the height of the success of The Coast of Sirte, he chose to decline the Prix Goncourt and continued publishing with the modest independent publishing house José Corti.
A unique triptych of short stories, The Peninsula became the writer's last "fictional" book—or, rather, one fueled primarily by imagination rather than memory—summarizing the constant leitmotifs of his prose. However, Gracq is a style, and the small masterpieces included in this collection reveal the full breadth of the mature master's palette: "The Road," where a meticulous description of the surroundings reveals an almost fantasy-like epic quality, not coincidentally evoking thoughts of "The Coast"; The impressionistic, pastel imagery of "The Peninsula," which captures the Breton landscapes and the hero's inner experiences in frozen time; the polished prose of "King Cophetua," whose strict meanders are punctuated by shadows of mythological motifs.
Gracq's exquisite prose, influenced in part by surrealism and romanticism, the mythological dimension of Wagnerian operas, and his professional studies in geography, is at once innovative and classical in spirit. It is deeply rooted in the centuries-old history of French literature and hardly fits within any predetermined boundaries of reader expectations.
Perhaps the greatest French writer of the 20th century after Proust, Julien Gracq consistently forged his own path and maintained aloofness from any contemporary school, literary fashion, or, more broadly, any literary climate. Even at the height of the success of The Coast of Sirte, he chose to decline the Prix Goncourt and continued publishing with the modest independent publishing house José Corti.
A unique triptych of short stories, The Peninsula became the writer's last "fictional" book—or, rather, one fueled primarily by imagination rather than memory—summarizing the constant leitmotifs of his prose. However, Gracq is a style, and the small masterpieces included in this collection reveal the full breadth of the mature master's palette: "The Road," where a meticulous description of the surroundings reveals an almost fantasy-like epic quality, not coincidentally evoking thoughts of "The Coast"; The impressionistic, pastel imagery of "The Peninsula," which captures the Breton landscapes and the hero's inner experiences in frozen time; the polished prose of "King Cophetua," whose strict meanders are punctuated by shadows of mythological motifs.
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author