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The Damned (Penguin Classics)
 
 

The Damned (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Joris-Karl Huysmans (Author), Terry Hale (Introduction, Translator)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics (1 Dec 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140447679
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140447675
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 118,714 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description
J.-K. Huysmans's gaudy, shocking, and largely autobiographical novel, The Damned (Là-Bas) was quickly condemned and just as quickly achieved cult status. It follows Durtal, a shy, censorious man, who is writing a biography of Gilles de Rais, the fifteenth-century nobleman, child-murderer, and supposed model for "Bluebeard." Bored and disgusted by the vulgarity of everyday life, Durtal seeks spiritual solace by immersing himself in another age. But when he meets the exquisitely evil Madame Chantelouve, he is drawn inextricably into the twilight world of black magic and erotic devilry in fin-de-siècle Paris.

About the Author
Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) is now recognized as one of the most challenging and innovative figures in European literature and an acknowledged principal architect of the fin-de-siècle imagination. He was a career civil servant who wrote ten novels, most notably A Rebours and Là-Bas.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The lure of darkness, 21 Nov 2003
By A Customer
This book is about late nights in dark garrets, intelligent discussions on the practice of satanism, and the imperious power of sexual dreams. The hero, Durtal, is writing a biography of Bluebeard- that Gilles de Rais who was both a Marshall of France and the killer of so many children at Tiffauges castle. The subject matter unbalances Durtal and he is himself driven towards exploring the darkness. I recommend it highly to those looking for unusual books, and the decadent fringes of C19th Paris.

La Bas is part of a trilogy in which Durtal appears to lose himself and then comes back to God, in the second volume, after a stay at the Monastery of La Trappe (for which read 'En Route').

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not For Everyone, 3 May 2008
By M. Dowden (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Huysmans' novel is a bit different from most books that you buy. If you are expecting a gory type of horror novel then you will be sorely disappointed.

This book is about Durtal, who is writing a biography of Gilles de Rais and his attrocious crimes. He spends most of the novel talking about his book, writing styles, religion, and mysticism. He usually discourses amongst his friends at a bell ringer's apartment.

Over half way through the book there is a bit of sex thrown in, and Durtal eventually gets to witness a Black Mass. So why would you read this book? The book ranges from the ridiculous to the absurd, with its arcane subject matter. The actual story isn't really what holds this book together but rather Huysmans' writing technique and narrative style. To be honest, Huysman could have written about going to buy a loaf of bread, and he would have still produced an emminently readable book.
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2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars the damned, 15 Jan 2005
By Mr. P. W. Martin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
fantastic
everybody should read this
a great fin de siecle (c19)novel
dark & foreboding, with some shocks, a true masterpiece
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars down there
exellent, intelligent, unusual.
away to get my hands on some of his other works.
a real undiscovered gem.
Published on 17 Jun 2007 by Andrew Ferguson

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