Bouvard and Pécuchet

Item Details

New York, New Directions, 1954, Hardcover

New Edition of a 19th Century Classic, Very Good

FLAUBERT, Gustave / Bouvard and Pécuchet • New York, New Directions, 1954

8.3 x 5.8 in (211 X 147 mm). 1 volume of 347 pp.

First published in France in 1881, Bouvard and Pécuchet is the unfinished novel published after Flaubert’s death (1821–1880). Its hapless protagonists embark on an endless succession of pursuits, only to abandon each as their ambitions unravel. Their quest for universal knowledge proves easier imagined than achieved. Less widely known than Madame Bovary or Salammbô, this exuberant satire offers a delightfully ironic exploration of Flaubert’s view of the then air du temps —a rewarding read and an appealing addition to any collection of French literature.

This edition presents a modern English translation and marks only the novel’s second publication in the United States.

Two Paris copy-clerks receive an unexpected inheritance, quit their jobs, and attempt to master every branch of human knowledge—from agriculture and chemistry to history and philosophy—only for each attempt to end in complete disaster.

Because Bouvard and Pécuchet was left unfinished at Flaubert's death and met with tepid reviews upon its initial French release in 1881, English publishers largely ignored it in favor of his masterpiece, Madame Bovary. It was not considered a highly commercial text.

Source: Wikipedia

The 1954 New Directions edition was a major literary event because it finally brought a fresh, modern translation (by T.W. Earp and G.W. Stonier, originally published in the UK in 1936) to the American public. Backed by Lionel Trilling's influential introductory essay, this edition successfully revived the book's reputation in the U.S., framing it as a forerunner to modernist and absurdist fiction.

Source: Complete-review.com

In near fine condition in an unclipped Dust Jacket.

$ 70

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