Louis Ferdinand Celine

[saliotthomas]

Maybe the greatest 20th century French writer.

An hard case at any rate. His master piece "Journey to the end of the night" is a prowess of writing.Dark,cynical,terribly humain,full of hatred and profond love for his congener in equal mesure.The story goes to Africa and back to Paris,it sound like a biography without being one.
His other books are harder to read,"North" and worth "Castle to castle" make Kafka sound light hearted.

 

[saliotthomas]

I just revive this thread because i very curious to know if any of you(such cultivated people lick,lick..)heard about him,or better read some of his books.He is,to me, the precursor of the like Palahniuk,Mccarthy,..In the darkness of the humain description,the unconventionnal writing,the disconnection to society.
I see many of you have a wild knowledge of French litterature,maybe it's just dislike but i would like to know.


Ps-my comparaison might be far fletch,as well as my spelling and grammar

 

[beer good]

I read Journey To The End Of The Night a few years ago. While I thought it was interesting, I must say I wasn't all that bowled over by it. I didn't dislike it, it was occasionally both funny, disturbing, and fascinating, but...

For one thing, the translation I read was awful. It feels unfair to blame Celine for that, but it's not like I can read French, so I have no idea if the original sounds as dated and old-fashioned as the translated version.

For another, I have a bit of the same problem with him as I have with Michel Houllebecq; they're so desperately, gleefully misanthropic, misogynistic... I'd say "racist" except they seem to hate just about everyone equally. It just gets a bit too bleak with absolutely NO sympathetic characters. There's a point to that, I guess, but I found myself not caring what would happen next since I couldn't become invested in it.

 

[saliotthomas]

Thanks for your opinion,and i'm not surprise you knew him.
I agree with you about Houllebecq whom i absolutly dispise for his trandy cynicisme.His writing is an attitude,wallowing in decadence like a pig in his mire.
Celine is someone else alltogether,first of all he was a doctor by trade,and it would not be the choice of proffession of a true misanthrop,specialy in the lowest distric,often for free.It is true it is the first image he give,but there is more to him than that-Like it's often the case real love nurse hatred.Celine in is writing make a very suttle mix of both.
Thanks again,i shall try the English translation,you got my curiosity up on this.

 

[beer good]

Thanks again,i shall try the English translation,you got my curiosity up on this.

Well, I read it in Swedish. You're welcome to try that one.

 

[LoeMa]

I also read "Journey To The End Of The Night" some time ago and I liked it.
"Death on Credit" is still waiting in my bookshelves for me.

Greetings

 

[Marc___]

Thanks for your opinion,and i'm not surprise you knew him.
I agree with you about Houllebecq whom i absolutly dispise for his trandy cynicisme.His writing is an attitude,wallowing in decadence like a pig in his mire.
Celine is someone else alltogether,first of all he was a doctor by trade,and it would not be the choice of proffession of a true misanthrop,specialy in the lowest distric,often for free.It is true it is the first image he give,but there is more to him than that-Like it's often the case real love nurse hatred.Celine in is writing make a very suttle mix of both.
Thanks again,i shall try the English translation,you got my curiosity up on this.

You shouldn't be so harsh with Houellebecq. He might be excessively cynical in his writings, but it is exactly what makes them interesting. His style, clinically cold and exempted from any sort of lyricism, makes truthful portrays of a socially and emotionally atrophied humanity.

That is according to my own personal experience at least - and I have never been apart of the happy kind :lol:

 

[PimpinAintEasy]

Saliot, even I feel that Celine could have been a humanitarian and is wrongly called a misanthrope. There is a bit about the smile of a child which the main character sees on one of his patients in JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT. Here it is:

“I've never been able to forget the infinite little smile of pure affection that danced across his livid face. Enough gaiety to fill the universe.
Few people past twenty preserve any of the affection, the affection of animals. This world isn't what we expected. So our looks change! They change plenty! We made a mistake! And turned into a thorough stinker in next to no time! Past twenty it shows in our face! A mistake! Our face is just a mistake!”

Another famous misanthrope - CHARLES BUKOWSKI called celine the best writer in the last 2000 years.

Nearly every page of JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT is packed with quotes that best explain the rottenness of the human condition.