Invitation to a Journey [Paperback]

Sylvie Germain (Author), Christine Donougher (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

Ludvik is a man who has touched bottom. Eleven years ago he left his country appalled by the poisonous spiritual and moral bankruptcy of East European communism. Now he is back. Not because the situation has improved-the post-communist era has brought its own brand of cynicism and soullessness-but because he has been rejected by the woman he loved and, like a wounded animal seeking refuge, he has come home. But home is a bleak and comfortless place where the heart is broken and the lover has lost all capacity. Yet even when all seems hopeless, small miracles do occur, and salvation comes from the most unlikely quarters. In Invitation to a Journey, Sylvie Germain guides us with her illuminated prose through deserts of despair and the dark shades of night, and brings us unerringly to the threshold of a new and joyous day.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

While employed by the Ministry of Culture in Paris, where she remained between 1981 and 1986, she produced her first novel, Le Livre des Nuits in 1985. It won six French Literary Prizes as well as the Scott Moncrieff Translations Prize in English. The reception of the book established her as a significnt new author. From Paris she moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia, where, from 1987 to 1993, she taught philosophy at the French School, and continued to write. [1] In 1989, she published Jours de Colère, (Days of Anger), which won the Prix Femina. In 1993, Sylvie Germain returned to France. She then lived between Paris and La Rochelle. But Prague continued to inspire her, a theme especially apparent in the novel Immensités, as well as the cultural life of Czech Republic more generally, as reflected in her meditation on the life and work of Bohuslav Reynek. Since 1994 she has been involved only in literary activities. In 1999, Sylvie Germain produced a biography focusing on the life of Etty Hillesum, the young Dutch Jewish woman who died at Auschwitz in November 1943, leaving behind a journal. Germain explored her spiritual life and, a year later, she published several books in various genres: a travelogue, a spiritual text and a photo album. In 2002 she published a new novel, La Chanson des Mal-Aimants, translated in English as The Song of False Lovers. Her 2005 novel Magnus was awarded the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens (a prize voted on by French high school students). Her most recent novel, L'inaperçu, was published by Albin Michel in August 2008. In addition to novels, she has published essays on other artists (Vermeer: Patience et songe de lumière, 1993, for example), spiritual meditations (Les Echos du Silence) and a children's book (L'Encre du Poulpe). Most of her novels have been translated into English.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Dedalus Limited (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903517168
• ISBN-13: 978-1903517161
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,961,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Great French Novel in English, January 10, 2004

By 

Jaye Valentine (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invitation to a Journey (Paperback)

Sylvie Germain's 'Invitation to a Journey' is a wonderful postmodern fable about finding yourself and making your way in the world. The novel is divided into three parts - 'Preface', 'Face to Face' (about three-fourths of the novel), and 'Volte-Face' - indicating the three stages of the main character Ludvik's 'Journey' of self-discovery. It's a familiar story based on familiar themes (philosophical, biblical, historical) but Germain's work remains fresh, lively, and thought-provoking throughout. You don't wanna miss it (especially if you love salt). (Original French 'Eclats de sel', 1996; English translation by Christine Donougher, 2003)