En Route

This is the first new translation of En Route since C. Kegan Paul's expurgated original of 1895, which censored or completely cut sections dealing with Durtal's sexual obsessions. Restoring these cuts serves to heighten the drama surrounding Durtal's existential crisis, and gives the novel a perspective that has hitherto been lacking for English-speaking readers. En Route was J. K. Huysmans' first novel after his conversion to Catholicism and effectively opens a trilogy of novels detailing the spiritual journey of his alter-ego protagonist, Durtal. The novel caused a sensation on its first publication, not just because of the surprisingly frank descriptions of Durtal's obsessive sexual thoughts, but also because Huysmans' was still best known as a disciple of Zola's Naturalist school and few expected this frank and detailed account of a conversion from a writer who only a few years previously had scandalised the Parisian literary world with his Satanic novel of 1891, La-bas. AUTHOR: J. K. Huysmans (1847-1907) changed from being an obscure author and art critic to one of the most famous authors of his day with the publication of A Rebours (Against Nature) in 1884. A Rebours is a ground-breaking novel which captures the decadent spirit of the day and marks his final break with Zola and naturalism. Dedalus have published 12 books by J. K. Huysmans, 11 in new translations by Brendan King; Marthe, Parisian Sketches, The Vatard Sisters, Stranded (En Rade), Drifting, Against Nature, Las Bas, Modern Art, Certain Artists, The Cathedral and The Oblate of St Benedict. In addition to an old translation of En Route which will be replaced by a new translation by Brendan King in 2023.