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Albucius
This book unearths a treasure trove of stories composed in the early reign of Augustus a Roman writer Albucius. Pascal Quignard restores the life of this writer which we know almost nothing about. With fifty-three short stories of sex, murder, violence and legal debate, taken from these writings, he creates a Roman "Thousand and One Nights". Marquis de Sade is not far away.
- GenresFrench LiteratureFiction
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Pascal Quignard
128 books250 followersRomancier, poète et essayiste, Pascal Quignard est né en 1948. Après des études de philosophie, il entre aux Éditions Gallimard où il occupe les fonctions successives de lecteur, membre du comité de lecture et secrétaire général pour le développement éditorial. Il enseigne ensuite à l’Université de Vincennes et à l’École Pratique des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. Il a fondé le festival d’opéra et de théâtre baroque de Versailles, qu’il dirige de 1990 à 1994. Par la suite, il démissionne de toutes ses fonctions pour se consacrer à son travail d’écrivain. L’essentiel de son oeuvre est disponible aux Éditions Gallimard, en collection blanche et en Folio.
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Pascal Quignard is a French writer born in Verneuil-sur-Avre, Eure. In 2002 his novel Les Ombres errantes won the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize. Terrasse à Rome (Terrasse in Rome), received the French Academy prize in 2000, and Carus was awarded the "Prix des Critiques" in 1980.
One of Quignard's most famous works is the eighty-four "Little Treatises", first published in 1991 by Maeght. His most popular book is probably Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings in the World), about 17th-century viola de gamba player Marin Marais and his teacher, Sainte-Colombe, which was adapted for the screen in 1991, by director Alain Corneau. Quignard wrote the screenplay of the film, in collaboration with Corneau. Tous les matins du monde, starring Jean-Pierre Marielle, Gérard Depardieu and son Guillaume Depardieu, was a tremendous success in France and sold 2 million tickets in the first year, and was subsequently distributed in 31 countries. The soundtrack was certified platinum (500,000 copies) and made musician Jordi Savall an international star.
The film was released in 1992 in the US.
Quignard has also translated works from the Latin (Albucius, Porcius Latro), Chinese (Kong-souen Long), and Greek (Lycophron) languages.
===
Pascal Quignard is a French writer born in Verneuil-sur-Avre, Eure. In 2002 his novel Les Ombres errantes won the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize. Terrasse à Rome (Terrasse in Rome), received the French Academy prize in 2000, and Carus was awarded the "Prix des Critiques" in 1980.
One of Quignard's most famous works is the eighty-four "Little Treatises", first published in 1991 by Maeght. His most popular book is probably Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings in the World), about 17th-century viola de gamba player Marin Marais and his teacher, Sainte-Colombe, which was adapted for the screen in 1991, by director Alain Corneau. Quignard wrote the screenplay of the film, in collaboration with Corneau. Tous les matins du monde, starring Jean-Pierre Marielle, Gérard Depardieu and son Guillaume Depardieu, was a tremendous success in France and sold 2 million tickets in the first year, and was subsequently distributed in 31 countries. The soundtrack was certified platinum (500,000 copies) and made musician Jordi Savall an international star.
The film was released in 1992 in the US.
Quignard has also translated works from the Latin (Albucius, Porcius Latro), Chinese (Kong-souen Long), and Greek (Lycophron) languages.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 2, 2014
I acquired this mysterious volume decades ago, when the now-defunct publisher released several works solely aimed at winning a prize in book design (which they did). It has the sort of glossy attractiveness of a prop in a music-video apartment in Chelsea; but it's not the sort of allure that makes you actually want to, you know, read the thing.
If you persevere, however, you'll find a rather singular work, in which Quignard offers up his translations of an obscure Roman orator, Titus Albucius. Wafting between the curious little fragments of Albucius that remain (and it seems all we have left is a handful of quotations by other authors) is Quignard's rambling discursions about life and philosophy.
Trouble is, I'm not completely sure that Albucius is a real, historical figure, and not some gnomic invention of Quignard. The book certainly does nothing to dispel this suspicion, carefully avoiding (easily) verified facts. And the terse wikipedia entry on Albucius looks like it could have been written by Quignard himself, to perpetuate the prank. And so, much like a "prop" book it hovers in some nebulous realm between fact and fiction.
If you persevere, however, you'll find a rather singular work, in which Quignard offers up his translations of an obscure Roman orator, Titus Albucius. Wafting between the curious little fragments of Albucius that remain (and it seems all we have left is a handful of quotations by other authors) is Quignard's rambling discursions about life and philosophy.
Trouble is, I'm not completely sure that Albucius is a real, historical figure, and not some gnomic invention of Quignard. The book certainly does nothing to dispel this suspicion, carefully avoiding (easily) verified facts. And the terse wikipedia entry on Albucius looks like it could have been written by Quignard himself, to perpetuate the prank. And so, much like a "prop" book it hovers in some nebulous realm between fact and fiction.
March 27, 2018
Además de haber sido un regalo hermoso, este libro es excelente.
September 8, 2021
Quignard entre la crónica histórica y el testimonio ficcional. No sabemos si Caius Albucius Silus, escritor y declamador sofista de la antigua Roma, existió en realidad. Lo único que sabemos es que esta especie de arqueología textual trasladada a una recopilación de relatos e interpretaciones del autor, es una exquisita reunión de pasajes que recrean la lógica de la cotidianidad del mundo antiguo occidental y la particularidad de un autor (ficcionado o no) que resulta un personaje de un atractivo inmenso, sobre todo, por su teoría de lo sordidísimo y la quinta estación (aquello que podría traducirse como ese espacio intermedio entre lo normal y lo perverso/abyecto). Al ser Quignard un experto académico e investigador de la literatura clásica greco-latina, no dudamos sobre la veracidad de su texto. O al menos, su verosimilitud.
March 8, 2021
"İnsan duruyor, ama sanatçı öldü." sf.10
"Ölüm bir ilaç olduğunda bile öldürmek cinayettir." sf.21
"İnsan doğuştan ne özgür ne köledir. Bu nitelikler insanlara daha sonra rastlantı sonucu yamanmıştır." sf. 22
"Zenginlik yoldan çıkarmıştır. Aynı şekilde güzellik ve dindarlık da bozmuştur insanları." sf.24
"İNSANİ SEFALETLER ATÖLYESİ"
"İnsanlar arıdır. Deliler ya da talihsiz insanlar gibi sessizlik içince aptallaşmamak için yaşamlarını bir öykü gibi kusarlar. Gecenin her dönüşünde topladıkları özleri getirirler, yığarlar, paylaşırlar ve yok ederler. Bunlar geceler ve düşlerdir." sf.146
"Ölüm bir ilaç olduğunda bile öldürmek cinayettir." sf.21
"İnsan doğuştan ne özgür ne köledir. Bu nitelikler insanlara daha sonra rastlantı sonucu yamanmıştır." sf. 22
"Zenginlik yoldan çıkarmıştır. Aynı şekilde güzellik ve dindarlık da bozmuştur insanları." sf.24
"İNSANİ SEFALETLER ATÖLYESİ"
"İnsanlar arıdır. Deliler ya da talihsiz insanlar gibi sessizlik içince aptallaşmamak için yaşamlarını bir öykü gibi kusarlar. Gecenin her dönüşünde topladıkları özleri getirirler, yığarlar, paylaşırlar ve yok ederler. Bunlar geceler ve düşlerdir." sf.146
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews