The Open Road
Okt 2021 · New York Review of Books
E-Book
224
Seiten
Tools
info
family_home
Zulässig
info
Über dieses E-Book
A nomad and a swindler embark on an eccentric road trip in this picaresque, philosophical novel by the author of The Man Who Planted Trees.
The south of France, 1950: A solitary vagabond walks through the villages, towns, valleys, and foothills of the region between northern Provence and the Alps. He picks up work along the way and spends the winter as the custodian of a walnut-oil mill. He also picks up a problematic companion: a cardsharp and con man, whom he calls “the Artist.”
The action moves from place to place, and episode to episode, in truly picaresque fashion. Everything is told in the first person, present tense, by the vagabond narrator, who goes unnamed. He himself is a curious combination of qualities—poetic, resentful, cynical, compassionate, flirtatious, and self-absorbed.
While The Open Road can be read as loosely strung entertainment, interspersed with caustic reflections, it can also be interpreted as a projection of the relationship of author, art, and audience. But it is ultimately an exploration of the tensions and boundaries between affection and commitment, and of the competing needs for solitude, independence, and human bonds. As always in Jean Giono, the language is rich in natural imagery and as ruggedly idiomatic as it is lyrical.
The south of France, 1950: A solitary vagabond walks through the villages, towns, valleys, and foothills of the region between northern Provence and the Alps. He picks up work along the way and spends the winter as the custodian of a walnut-oil mill. He also picks up a problematic companion: a cardsharp and con man, whom he calls “the Artist.”
The action moves from place to place, and episode to episode, in truly picaresque fashion. Everything is told in the first person, present tense, by the vagabond narrator, who goes unnamed. He himself is a curious combination of qualities—poetic, resentful, cynical, compassionate, flirtatious, and self-absorbed.
While The Open Road can be read as loosely strung entertainment, interspersed with caustic reflections, it can also be interpreted as a projection of the relationship of author, art, and audience. But it is ultimately an exploration of the tensions and boundaries between affection and commitment, and of the competing needs for solitude, independence, and human bonds. As always in Jean Giono, the language is rich in natural imagery and as ruggedly idiomatic as it is lyrical.
A nomad and a swindler embark on an eccentric road trip in this picaresque, philosophical novel by the author of The Man Who Planted Trees.
The south of France, 1950: A solitary vagabond walks through the villages, towns, valleys, and foothills of the region between northern Provence and the Alp...
Mehr entdecken
Autoren-Profil
Jean Giono (1895–1970) was born and lived most of his life in the town of Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. He was elected to the Académie Goncourt in 1954. Three of his novels, Hill, Melville, and A King Alone, are available from NYRB Classics.
Paul Eprile has translated four novels by Jean Giono—Hill, Melville, The Open Road, and Fragments of a Paradise—and two by Colette—Chéri, and The End of Chéri. For Melville he was awarded the French-American Foundation Translation Prize. Eprile lives on the Niagara Escarpment northwest of Toronto.
Jacques Le Gall is Professor of Literature at the University of Pau and one of France's foremost interpreters of Jean Giono's works. He contributed extensively to the monumental Dictionnaire Giono.
Paul Eprile has translated four novels by Jean Giono—Hill, Melville, The Open Road, and Fragments of a Paradise—and two by Colette—Chéri, and The End of Chéri. For Melville he was awarded the French-American Foundation Translation Prize. Eprile lives on the Niagara Escarpment northwest of Toronto.
Jacques Le Gall is Professor of Literature at the University of Pau and one of France's foremost interpreters of Jean Giono's works. He contributed extensively to the monumental Dictionnaire Giono.
Jean Giono (1895–1970) was born and lived most of his life in the town of Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. He was elected to the Académie Goncourt in 1954. Three of his novels, Hill, Melville, and A King Alone, are available from NYRB Classics.
Paul Eprile has translated four novels by Jean Gi...
Dieses E-Book bewerten
Deine Meinung ist gefragt!
Informationen zum Lesen
Smartphones und Tablets
Nachdem du die Google Play Bücher App für Android und iPad/iPhone installiert hast, wird diese automatisch mit deinem Konto synchronisiert, sodass du auch unterwegs online und offline lesen kannst.
Laptops und Computer
Im Webbrowser auf deinem Computer kannst du dir Hörbucher anhören, die du bei Google Play gekauft hast.
E-Reader und andere Geräte
Wenn du Bücher auf E-Ink-Geräten lesen möchtest, beispielsweise auf einem Kobo eReader, lade eine Datei herunter und übertrage sie auf dein Gerät. Eine ausführliche Anleitung zum Übertragen der Dateien auf unterstützte E-Reader findest du in der Hilfe.
