Henry de Montherlant (1895–1972)

An aging veteran of the Spanish Civil War has been living in Paris, in exile, for many years. He is an ardent anarchist, obsessed with Spanish politics. Initially he seems somewhat ludicrous and out of touch with the times, as well as absurdly paranoid about his need to watch out for being arrested for his crimes during the war. Due to family circumstances he must risk a return to Spain. I will not spoil the plot, but the ending is excellent.

More than a story, this novel represents an exposition on facing mortality. The author suggests that all that is true are "chaos" (life) & "night" (that which exists before birth & after death). Much philosophical pondering occurs throughout this tale, and the combination make for an excellent reading experience.

One warning: If one does not know Paris intimately the beginning can be confusing. Eventually, however, it makes no difference.… (more)

Not what I was expecting- I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't latter day Celine. Montherlant's protagonist is an anarchist who, thanks to self-obsession and an almost pathological hatred of actually existing human beings, turns into a nihilist, despite his own better judgment. HdM does a nice job mixing up omniscient third person narration and free indirect discourse. It's quite tricky, sometimes, working out whether we're reading 'Celestino,' HdM, or HdM's thoughts on Celestino's thoughts... and so on. Anyway, plenty of irony, which apparently a lot of readers don't pick up on, despite the author's preface (in which he denies having any of the thoughts in the book, and denies that he was trying to paint a portrait of 'The Left' in general). I don't know how much of the 'philosophy' of this book HdM truly believe; I'd like to think none of it. But who knows. Novelists aren't necessarily the brightest bulbs in the box.
Otherwise, plenty of nifty aphorisms, a killer ending, and a fabulous scene in which Celestino watches a bullfight. Also, it's short, and, pace Celine/Dostoevsky etc., nihilism is best treated quickly. And well translated.
On the down side, what's with all the typos? Get on that, NYRB.… (more)