Calvary

Description

<p>Despite a troubled youth and harrowing experiences in the Franco-Prussian war, Jean Mintié is on the rise in Paris. He mingles in artistic circles and has modest success with his first writings.</p> <p>That all changes when he meets socialite Julie Roux. Feeling both intrigued and unsettled by her extravagance and outspokenness, he can’t shake her from his thoughts. Their ensuing affair, initially captivating, takes a sharp turn as other aspects of Julie’s personality come to the fore.</p> <p><i>Calvary</i>, also commonly referred to by its French title <i lang="fr">Le Calvaire</i>, is a tale of ruin, obsession and redemption. It marked <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/octave-mirbeau">Octave Mirbeau’s</a> debut under his own name, after he anonymously penned no less than ten works for others. He didn’t have to look far for inspiration: the novel’s portrayal of Jean and Julie’s relationship parallels Mirbeau’s own disastrous love affair with the notorious Judith Vinmer. He would later revisit this exercise in “writing as trauma therapy” in his third book <i>Sebastien Roch</i>, a novel about sexual abuse at a Jesuit school for boys.</p>

First Sentence

I was born one October evening at St-Michel-les-Hetres, a village in the departement of Orne and I was immediately christened with the names Jean Francois Marie Mintie.

Excerpt

I was born one October evening at St-Michel-les-Hetres, a village in the departement of Orne and I was immediately christened with the names Jean Francois Marie Mintie.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Calvary: (a novel)Lieber & Lewis1922-01-01
• CalvaryLieber & Lewis1922-01-01
• CalvaryAlbert & Charles Boni1924-01-01
• CalvaryStandard Ebooks2024-01-01