“It’s in the very depths of winter, at the instant when the sun touches the horizon, that I see the girl on the ferry again.” Early Memories The […]
French literature
The Counterfeiters
“The true counterfeiters are those who pass off their own lies as truths.” Part One The novel opens with Bernard Profitendieu, a young man who discovers he is […]
French literature
The Immoralist
“I was now seeking in all things the occasion for a self-betrayal.” Chapter 1 Michel, the protagonist, recounts his life story to three friends who have come to […]
French literature
Death on Credit
“Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” — (Paraphrasing Shakespeare, often echoed in Céline’s tone) Part One: The Doctor’s Descent […]
French literature
Journey to the End of the Night
“Travel is useful, it exercises the imagination. All the rest is disappointment and fatigue. Our journey is entirely imaginary. That is its strength.” Part 1: War and Disillusionment […]
French literature
She Came to Stay
“I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. […]
French literature
The Mandarins
The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir is a sweeping post-war novel that delves into the lives of French intellectuals grappling with political disillusionment, personal relationships, and existential dilemmas […]
French literature
The Second Sex
“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” Volume 1: Facts and Myths The first volume of The Second Sex examines the historical, biological, and social construction […]
French literature
Being and Nothingness
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” Introduction Being and Nothingness is Jean-Paul Sartre’s seminal work […]
French literature
Nausea
“Existence is not something which lets itself be thought of from a distance: it must invade you suddenly, master you, weigh heavily on your heart like a great […]