Synopsis
Canterel, a scholarly scientist whose enormous wealth imposes no limits upon his prolific ingenuity, is showing a group of visitors round Locus Solus, his secluded estate near Paris. One by one he introduces, demonstrates and expounds the discoveries and inventions of his fertile, encyclopaedic mind. An African mud-sculpture representing a naked child, a road-mender's tool which, activated by the weather, creates a mosaic of human teeth, a vast aquarium in which human beings can breathe and in which a depilated cat is seen stimulating the partially decomposed head of Danton to fresh flights of oratory - by each item in Canterel's exhibition there hangs a tale, a tale such as only that amazing genius Roussel, one of the founding fathers of the modern novel, could tell. As Canterel's devices become more and more elaborate, the richness and brilliance of Roussel's stories grow to match them; the flow of his imagination becomes a flood, until the reader finds himself swept along in a torrent of mingled wonder and hilarity.
Locus Solus, first published in 1914, is perhaps Roussel's most perfect masterpiece. Based, like the earlier Impressions of Africa, on uniquely eccentric principles of composition (which the interested reader will find outlined in Rayner Heppenstall's Raymond Roussel), this book invites the reader to enter a very special world of the imagination, a hauntingly unforgettable world which in its innocence, extravagance and deep reasonableness is unlike anything in the literature of the twentieth century.
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About the Author
Raymond Roussel (1877–1933) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, musician, chess enthusiast, neurasthenic, and drug addict. Through his novels, poems, and plays he exerted profound influence on certain groups within 20th century French literature, including the Surrealists, Oulipo, and the authors of the nouvenu roman. He is the author of Among the Blacks and How I Wrote Certain of My Books.
Language Notes
Text: English, French (translation)
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Locus Solus
Seller: Greenworld Books, Arlington, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: acceptable. Fast Free Shipping â" A well-loved copy with text fully readable and cover pages intact. May display wear such as writing, highlighting, bends, folds or library marks. Still a complete and usable book. Supplemental items like CDs or access codes may not be included. Seller Inventory # GWV.0714507342.A
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Locus Solus
Seller: THE CROSS Art + Books, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Seller rating 2 out of 5 stars
20.0 x 12.5cms254pp paperback & cover. First published in 1914 this Surrealist novel 'invites the reader to enter a very special world of the imagination a hauntingly unforgettable world which in its innocence extravagance & deep reasonablenessis unlike anything in the literature of the 20th century'. Seller Inventory # 30112711
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Locus Solus: A Novel
Published by
John Calder / Riverrun Press, 1983
ISBN 10: 0714507342
ISBN 13: 9780714507347
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Soft cover
Seller: Approximations, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Good. First thus. Trade paperback. Sunned spine is creased. Wear to corners, edges, surfaces. Few light vertical creases to front cover emanating from lower edge. Rear upper corner has multiple creases but remains sturdy. Text block mellowed. Small bookseller sticker affixed to lower left corner inside front cover. Personal signature dated '87 in black ink to lower left corner of front endpaper. Translated by Rupert Copeland Cuningham. 254pp. Textual interior unmarred. Duodecimo. Seller Inventory # ABE-1767697887607
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Locus Solus
Seller: Pistil Books Online, IOBA, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Trade Paperback. Condition: Fine. Book is in excellent condition, brand new. Binding is solid and square, covers have sharp corners, exterior shows no blemishes, text/interior is clean and free of marking of any kind. From the back cover: Canterel, a scholarly scientist whose enormous wealth imposes no limits upon his prolific ingenuity, is showing a group of visitors round Locus Solus, his secluded estate near Paris. One by one he introduces, demonstrates and expounds the discoveries and inventions of his fertile, encyclopaedic mind. An African mud-sculpture representing a naked child, a road-mender's tool which, activated by the weather, creates a mosaic of human teeth, a vast aquarium in which human beings can breathe and in which a depilated cat is seen stimulating the partially decomposed head of Danton to fresh flights of oratory - by each item in Canterel's exhibition there hangs a tale, a tale such as only that amazing genius Roussel, one of the founding fathers of the modern novel, could tell. As Canterel's devices become more and more elaborate, the richness and brilliance of Roussel's stories grow to match them; the flow of his imagination becomes a flood, until the reader finds himself swept along in a torrent of mingled wonder and hilarity. Locus Solus, first published in 1914, is perhaps Roussel's most perfect masterpiece. Based, like the earlier Impressions of Africa, on uniquely eccentric principles of composition (which the interested reader will find outlined in Rayner Heppenstall's Raymond Roussel), this book invites the reader to enter a very special world of the imagination, a hauntingly unforgettable world which in its innocence, extravagance and deep reasonableness is unlike anything in the literature of the twentieth century. Keywords: Surrealism, Neurasthenic, Homosexual, Drug Addict, Suicide, Usician Playwright, Novelist, Poet, Proust, Palermo, Nouveau Roman, Oulipo, Michel Foucault. Seller Inventory # 147153
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Locus Solus
Seller: GoldBooks, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
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Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 60Z39_73_0714507342
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Locus Solus
Seller: The Book Spot, Sioux Falls, MN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks104180