Set against the backdrop of Europe's slide into Fascism, Blue of Noon is a blackly compelling account of depravity and violence. As its narrator lurches despairingly from city to city in a surreal sexual and mental nightmare of squalor, sadism and drunken encounters, his internal collapse mirrors the fighting and marching on the streets outside. Exploring the dark forces beneath the surface of civilization, this is a novel torn between identifying with history's victims and being seduced by the monstrous glamour of its ...
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Set against the backdrop of Europe's slide into Fascism, Blue of Noon is a blackly compelling account of depravity and violence. As its narrator lurches despairingly from city to city in a surreal sexual and mental nightmare of squalor, sadism and drunken encounters, his internal collapse mirrors the fighting and marching on the streets outside. Exploring the dark forces beneath the surface of civilization, this is a novel torn between identifying with history's victims and being seduced by the monstrous glamour of its terrible victors, and is one of the twentieth century's great nihilist works.
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George Bataille is a writer of world renown. His influence in philosophy and literature alike are ubiquitous. His twisted, though wonderfully composed novel, "The Blue of Noon"/"Le bleu du ciel," was originally written in his native French in 1935, though not published until 1957. He claims to have forgotten about it entirely, particularly due to the political context of its setting, and the self-same time in which he wrote it. Compared to its historical context, he felt the novel of little importance, leaving it up to his friends and colleagues to publish of their own accord and insistence. If you have a penchant for darker literature and get sentimental about Barcelona, this book will more than suffice. The imagery is stunning as the city of Barcelona is relived in its pages, and your mind, if you've been. I disagree that it is an adaptation of Don Juan, and I do not believe that it is overtly erotic. Here is a great novel from a blisteringly bright mind. Enjoy!
