Mr Bs Emporium of Reading Delights: Immoralist

A reserved, naive, young academic marries and goes on his honeymoon. The next time his three best friends hear from him, years later, is a summons to the heart of Algeria. There they are told the story of his near death, recovery, and awakening to life - to his repressed longings and the consequences of indulging them.
Gide examines, without moralising, the fault-line between the individual and society and the moral and psychological tensions that arise when the individual awakens.

Harvey Packham (Thu 14th Jul 2011)

Publisher synopsis: 'To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one's freedom' - Andre Gide. Michel had been a blindfold scholar until, newly married, he contracted tuberculosis. His will to recover brings self-discovery and the growing desire to rebel against his background of culture, decency and morality. But the freedom from constraints that Michel finds on his restless travels is won at great cost. And freedom itself, he finds, can be a burden. Gide's novel examines the inevitable conflicts that arise when a pleasure seeker challenges conventional society and, without moralizing, it raises complex issues involving the extent of personal responsibility.

ISBN: 9780141182995

Pub. Date: 4th May 2000

Pages: 144

Height: 198mm

Width: 129mm

Spine: 8mm

Weight: 112gms

Introduction by: Alan Sheridan

Translated by: David Watson