Description
The Wanderer "belongs to, and is the finest example of, a category in fiction that has no name but exists. Unfortunately, the most accurate description would be the novel of adolescence--I say 'unfortunately' because in our time the adolescent has come to be regarded as either a deteriorated child or an insufficient adult, and to speak of a se
The Wanderer "belongs to, and is the finest example of, a category in fiction that has no name but exists. Unfortunately, the most accurate description would be the novel of adolescence--I say 'unfortunately' because in our time the adolescent has come to be regarded as either a deteriorated child or an insufficient adult, and to speak of a serious novel of adolescence seems almost a contradiction in terms. That, of course, is precisely what Alain-Fournier wrote--and not only a serious novel, but a very great one. It has haunted the European mind since it first appeared in 1913. It is the book one never quite forgets, a book like a secret garden, the kind of novel you recommend as a disguised test: 'If you don't like this, there must be something wrong with you.'" Thus writes John Fowles in his memorable Afterword to one of the most extraordinary experiences in all literature--a tale of youthful questing that moves along a magical path between moonlit night and bright day, romantic dream and razor-edged reality.
... (more)
(less)
Written by
Loved by
|
Ratings of The Wanderer (Le Grand Meaulnes)
Reviews of The Wanderer (Le Grand Meaulnes) - View all - Post review
|