The Desert/Le Desert

Cover Art for 9780874804270, The Desert/Le Desert by Pierre Loti
ISBN: 9780874804270
Publisher: Univ of Utah Pr (T)
Published: 1 July, 1993
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Links Australian Libraries (Trove)
Editions:
1 other edition of this product
Part of Eyewitness Books (Series)

Eccentric! Decadent! The words pale when applied to Pierre Loti, the pseudonym of Julien Viaud, 1850-1923. Artist, naval officer, consort of countesses, & well-published author, his excesses & experimentation mirror those of such Decadent contemporaries as Rimbaud & Verlaine. First published in 1895 & finally available in English, THE DESERT has gone through dozens of French editions. Loti's book is the diary of a journey on camelback through the Sinai. He describes in detail the various sheikhs he encounters & the set up of the caravan, all crafted in poetic prose of gripping beauty. Loti's preface hints at the reason behind the journey; in an attempt to bolster his flagging faith, he chose to visit the desert Holy Land. Suffering (as he saw it) would prepare his soul for an awakened faith. Yet despite the perils of the open desert, the relative luxury of the trip is evident. This beautiful work, admirably rendered in English by Jay Paul Minn, reveals a rudderless man retracing Biblical trails in the wilderness in classic fin-de-siecle style.

Booko is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Shop Preferences

Customize which shops to display. You can include the following shops by logging in to change your settings.

Booko is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Historical Prices

Loading...
This graph is for informational purposes only. Occasionally pricing data is captured incorrectly, through bugs in Booko or the stores supplying data, which may distort the graph, providing undue hope that even lower prices sometimes appear.

Recently Updated