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Marthe (Dedalus European Classics): The Story of a Whore
Author(s): J. K. Huysmans (Author), Brendan King (Translator)
- Publisher: Dedalus Ltd
- Publication Date: 13 Oct. 2006
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 160 pages
- ISBN-10: 1903517478
- ISBN-13: 9781903517475
Book Description
First published in 1876, Marthe was an important landmark in J.K. Huysmans’s literary career: it was the 28-year old writer’s first excursion into the novel form and propelled him into the growing ranks of the Naturalist movement, then beginning to take shape under Zola’s direction. Marthe was one of the first French novels to tackle head-on the subject of prostitution, a theme that was to become a central preoccupation in the work of many novelists, painters and poets. Set in and around the demi-monde of the Parisian music hall, it centres on a would-be actress, Marthe, who works in one of the lowest dives in Paris, and tells the story of her brief and ultimately doomed relationship with Leo, a romantic searching for something to take the place of his lost illusions. It will appeal to admirers of French Naturalism and the novels of Zola. Huysmans is particularly good in evoking the Paris of his day. ‘Huysmans was part of Zola’s coterie of naturalist writers driven by a desire to break from the dominance of romantic fiction.Certainly this tale set in a brothel, his debut novel banned at publication in his native France in 1876, would be fertile ground for such a venture. The translation, its first in 50 years, is wonderfully bawdy and a fine tribute to a great work.’ The Herald
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
J.-K. Huysmans (1847-1907) changed from being an obscure author and art critic to one of the most famous authors of his day with the publication of A Rebours (Against Nature) in 1884. A Rebours is a ground-breaking novel which captures the decadent spirit of the day and marks his final break with Zola and naturalism. Dedalus have published 12 books by J.-K. Huysmans, 11 in new translations by Brendan King; Marthe, Parisian Sketches, The Vatard Sisters, Stranded (En Rade), Drifting, Against Nature, Las Bas, Modern Art, Certain Artists, The Cathedral and The Oblate of St Benedict. In addition to an old translation of En Route which will be replaced by a new translation by Brendan King in 2023.
Robert Baldick’s brilliant book The Life of J.-K. Huysmans was published by Dedalus in the autumn of 2005, updated and edited by Brendan King.
Brendan King is a freelance writer, reviewer and translator with a special interest in late nineteenth-century French fiction. His Ph.D. was on the life and work of J.-K.Huysmans.
He has translated La-Bas, Parisian Sketches, Marthe, Against Nature, Stranded, The Cathedral, The Vatard Sisters, Drifting, Modern Art, Certain Artists and The Oblate of St Benedict by J.-K. Huysmans for Dedalus.
He has also edited The Life of J.-K.Huysmans by Robert Baldick for Dedalus.
He lives in Paris.
