{"product_id":"the-desperate-man-paperback","title":"The Desperate Man - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLéon Bloy\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eRichard Robinson\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Desperate Man\u003c\/em\u003e (first published in 1887) is arguably \u003cem\u003ethe\u003c\/em\u003e French decadent novel \u003cem\u003epar excellence\u003c\/em\u003e of the 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century. It is also Léon Bloyʼs first novel and a seminal work which, as such, planted the seeds of just about every other important theme or topic that the author would later develop in subsequent works throughout his life and career. Life is rain water for talented writers; and habitual poverty for Bloy acted as the mulch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is in \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eDesperate Man\u003c\/em\u003e the seed of satire, which was actually a small tree by the time \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eDesperate Man\u003c\/em\u003e came out, the seed having been sprouted earlier in his career, in the articles for newspapers, predominantly the \u003cem\u003eChat Noir\u003c\/em\u003e journal, - such satire as to rival Jonathan Swiftʼs; there is also the seed of apocalyptic Catholicism in \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eDesperate Man\u003c\/em\u003e, and the nuts of the exegeses of commonplaces, not to mention the germs of the blood of the poor; there is the kernel of the constant attack on contemporaneous clergy and Bloyʼs self-professed fondness for cenobitism. There is the spore of the eulogy for sainthood, and the embryo of the denunciation of the proxenetism of the press, Parisian high-society and the bourgeoisie. There are the negative grains of anti-Republicanism, and anti-German sentiment. There are the positive grains of pro-conservativism, pro-Medievalism, pro-Monarchy, and pro-Merovingian French Dynasty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 540\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 16, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41962783801479,"sku":"9781955392372","price":57.53,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/be32b7e2df0734c80e346f373e404400.webp?v=1734073453","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/the-desperate-man-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}