A Dark Stranger
 First English-language edition | |
| Author | Julien Gracq |
|---|---|
| Original title | Un beau ténébreux |
| Translator | W. J. Strachan |
| Cover artist | Gertrude Houston (pictured) |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Publisher | José Corti |
Publication date | 1945 |
Published in English |
1950 (publ. New Directions) |
A Dark Stranger (French: Un beau ténébreux) is a 1945 novel by the French writer Julien Gracq. It tells the story of two lovers, Allan and Dolorès, who stay at an isolated hotel in Brittany where they have decided to kill themselves.
Publication
José Corti published the book in France in 1945. It was published in English through Peter Owen Publishers in 1950, translated by W. J. Strachan.[1] A new translation by Christopher Moncreiff was published by Pushkin Press in 2009.[2]
Reception
John Cournos of The Saturday Review wrote about the book in 1950: "Its matter is morbid, its prose overwrought, its range narrow; it is tedious. ... This is the sort of book that the Soviet critics constantly hold up before their readers as an example of the decadence of the bourgeoisie, and for once there is no answer. The author's ability to describe landscape and its moods, however brilliant, is not enough."[3]
References
- ↑ "A dark stranger (Book, 1950)". WorldCat. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ↑ "A dark stranger (Book, 2009)". WorldCat. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ↑ Cournos, John (1950-09-09). "The Dark Stranger, by Julien Gracq". The Saturday Review. p. 34. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
External links
- A Dark Stranger at the French publisher's website (in French)
- A Dark Stranger at the British publisher's website