Describe Appertaining To Books L'Œuvre au noir
| Title | : | L'Œuvre au noir |
| Author | : | Marguerite Yourcenar |
| Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 480 pages |
| Published | : | June 25th 1976 by Folio (first published May 8th 1968) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Cultural. France. Classics. European Literature. French Literature |
Marguerite Yourcenar
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 480 pages Rating: 4.07 | 3712 Users | 227 Reviews
Narration Conducive To Books L'Œuvre au noir
En créant le personnage de Zénon, alchimiste et médecin du XVIe siècle, Marguerite Yourcenar, l'auteure des Mémoires d'Hadrien, ne raconte pas seulement le destin tragique d'un homme extraordinaire. C'est toute une époque qui revit dans son infinie richesse, comme aussi dans son âcre et brutale réalité ; un monde contrasté où s'affrontent le Moyen Age et la Renaissance, et où pointent déjà les temps modernes, monde dont Zénon est issu, mais dont peu à peu cet homme libre se dégage, et qui pour cette raison même finira par le broyer.
Present Books As L'Œuvre au noir
| Original Title: | L'Œuvre au noir |
| ISBN: | 2070367983 (ISBN13: 9782070367986) |
| Edition Language: | French URL http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Folio/Folio/L-OEuvre-au-Noir |
| Literary Awards: | Prix Femina (1968) |
Rating Appertaining To Books L'Œuvre au noir
Ratings: 4.07 From 3712 Users | 227 ReviewsWrite Up Appertaining To Books L'Œuvre au noir
beautifully written historical novel, maybe one if the best ever. a story of Zenon a typical renaissance person who a bit resemble de vinchi and arasmus from roterdam in the ability to look for truth, the strong will for liberty and the believe in the ability of man. things which are easily forgotten in dark timesMysteriously satisfying. As far as historical recreations go, something like the polar opposite of Deadwood or Amalgamation Polka: the past is interesting not because of its excessive color and profuse cocksucking but because of the relentless nature of its blandness. I find myself puzzling over how exactly Y manages this. She gets a certain amount of momentum from establishing and then abjuring scenes; everything is setup for more setup, narrative for more narrative, until you realize that,
I read this book 30 years ago, but it made no lasting impression, back then. The second reading, I started in French, but after 160 pages I had to switch to a Dutch translation: Yourcenar uses a vocabulary that is quite out of the common, and in addition the book is frequently very "hermetic" (deliberately, given the alchemist-like character of the protagonist Zeno ?). This is also my main criticism: some dialogues, meditations, reflections of Zeno are hard to follow. Also the structure of the
This is a must read if you want to know something about the way scholars were treated by the church in the Middle Ages. It's not an easy read, but Yourcenar's language, even in translation, is so poetic. The book was composed of several stories the author wrote was she was a young girl. For years those stories were left unpublished. Finally Marguerite Yourcenar picked up the story, edited it and published it as L'Œuvre au noir. The title refers to the alchemist process of finding the ultimate
The first thing I ever read written about Marguerite Yourcenar was simply "Yourcenar conjures worlds." It was with this revealing piece of information that I went into one of the better known works of an immensely powerful writer, bearer of an equally powerful name. And, try as I may, I cannot find the words to put it any better: Yourcenar does conjure worlds, as she taps into the depths of a complex, high symbolical story that finds its ideal way of storytelling in the heavy, description-based
(I can see that this is going to be tough going as fiction, as Chris says -- and probably not worth the effort - for me, at least. But I'll let the "initial comment" below stand, and put this book back on the shelf. The Author's Note at the back of the book is worth reading.) Initial comment:In the notes appended to the english edition of Memoirs of Hadrian, Youcenar writes to Frick that the book was in large part inspired by a quote she found in 1927, from Flaubert's correspondence, that runs:
I'm sure this is more wonderful book for some folks that it was for me. I liked it well enough but beyond that ... well... I know I have the history background for it but it's the philosophical background I'm lacking. I wasn't too fond of the way Yourcenar invented her main characters by amalgamating them from historical characters and using "typical" situations for their adventures (some real ones). She was obviously more focused on the philosophy and the ideas of a renegade
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