This is the 1931 Printing of AGAINST THE GRAIN (Originally published in French as "A REBOURS") written by J. K. Huysmans, with an Introduction by Havelock Ellis and illustrated with striking B&W plates by Arthur Zaidenberb. It was published in an octavo measuring 5.5" x 8.25" containing 339 pages and bound in beige linen cloth attractively decorated in a embossed green floral design with blue "stars" and titled and decorated in blue, green and gilt on the spine.
À rebours (French pronunciation: [a ʁ(ə).buʁ]; translated Against Nature or Against the Grain) is an 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The last scion of an aristocratic family, Des Esseintes loathes nineteenth-century bourgeois society and tries to retreat into an ideal artistic world of his own creation. The narrative is almost entirely a catalogue of the neurotic Des Esseintes's aesthetic tastes, musings on literature, painting, and religion, and hyperaesthesic sensory experiences.
À rebours contains many themes that became associated with the Symbolist aesthetic. In doing so, it broke from Naturalism and became the ultimate example of "Decadent" literature,[1] inspiring works such as Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890).[2] In his preface for the 1903 publication of the novel, Huysmans wrote that he had the idea to portray a man "soaring upwards into dream, seeking refuge in illusions of extravagant fantasy, living alone, far from his century, among memories of more congenial times, of less base surroundings ... each chapter became the sublimate of a specialism, the refinement of a different art; it became condensed into an essence of jewellery, perfumes, religious and secular literature, of profane music and plain-chant."[3]
.PLEASE NOTE: ALL purchases include Free Shipping.
*****************************
Payment is requested within five days of auction's close. After payment is received normal shipping is within 4 days; super quick shipping can be arranged, JUST ASK.
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: We utilize the eBay International Shipping program, which will handle all Billing, Shipping and potential Returns.
Please note our years of positive feedback.... it offers proof of the overall satisfaction of our customers for over 20 years of selling Books, Maps, Autographs, Prints and other mostly Paper items on eBay. It is because items are accurately described and guaranteed, and carefully packaged. Our goal has always been your happiness with your purchase. If any item fails to do that, contact us and we will work to correct it through refunds or returns.