In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Roger Martin du Gard was one of
the most famous writers in the Western world. He won the Nobel
Prize for Literature in 1937, and his works, especially Les
Thibault, a multivolume novel, were translated into English and
read widely. Today, this close friend of André Gide, Albert Camus,
and André Malraux is almost unknown, largely because he left
unfinished the long project he began in the 1940s, Lieutenant
Colonel de Maumort. Initially, the novel is an account of the
French experience during World War II and the German occupation as
seen through the eyes of a retired army officer. Yet, through
Maumort's series of recollections, it becomes a morality tale that
questions the values of late nineteenth- and early
twentieth-century European civilization. A fragmentary version of
the novel was published in 1983, twenty-five years after its
author's death, and an English translation appeared in 1999. Even
incomplete, it is a work of haunting brilliance. In this
groundbreaking study, Benjamin Franklin Martin recovers the life
and times of Roger Martin du Gard and those closest to him. He
describes the genius of Martin du Gard's literature and the causes
of his decline by analyzing thousands of pages from journals and
correspondence. To the outside world, the writer and his family
were staid representatives of the French bourgeoisie. Behind this
veil of secrecy, however, they were passionate and combative,
tearing each other apart through words and deeds in clashes over
life, love, and faith. Martin interweaves their accounts with the
expert narration that distinguishes all of his books, creating a
blend of intellectual history, family drama, and biography that
will appeal to scholars, students, and general readers alike.
Â
General
Imprint: |
Northern Illinois University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies |
Release date: |
February 2020 |
Authors: |
Benjamin Franklin Martin
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
246 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-5017-4783-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-5017-4783-5 |
Barcode: |
9781501747830 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!