Tropisms [Paperback]

Nathalie Sarraute (Author), Maria Jolas (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1967

Tropisms by NATHALIE SARRAUTE

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sensitive vignettes of minutely observed persons and things, with the human psychology implied so insistently and vividly that a page or two of the vignette reverberates in the reader's mind. -- The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Considered one of the major French writers of our century, Nathalie Sarraute is the author of several novels, plays, and essays, as well as of Childhood, her autobiography. A pioneer of the nouveau roman (or "new novel"), a literary movement that sought to free the novel from the confines of plot, characterization, and time, she was recently honored by the presentation of her complete works in the prestigious Pliade series (other authors in the series include Honor de Balzac, Ernest Hemingway, and Franz Kafka). George Braziller is delighted to have been publishing all of Sarraute's work in America since 1958.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: George Braziller (May 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807604127
• ISBN-13: 978-0807604120
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tropisms-- the ingredients of character, December 16, 1999

By 

Julia Gordon-Bramer (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropisms (Paperback)

A fascinating book for any writer or student of language. Tropisms doesn't tell a story so much as paint a scene and/or communicate feeling. Sarraute's language --originally written in the late 1930's-- for the most part still feels modern and fresh, in part due to her unconventional and brave writing style. Tropisms is a thin book I carry with me in my daytime planner and read over and over again. Sarraute's ability to clearly describe the most mundane actions and feelings is an excellent training ground for writers. I learn something new about words, language, and humanity every time I open this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars her best book, February 19, 2009

By 

Charles Haddox (El Paso, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tropisms (Paperback)

For anyone who loves language and literature, this book is a must. In Tropisms, Sarraute succeeded in creating a work that is inspiring, heartbreaking, and so full of life that it still seems fresh and new. A must for any would-be writer--this is what great use of language is all about.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tropisms?, May 13, 2000

By 

"elljay" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropisms (Paperback)

What on Earth are tropisms? Is there a cure? But don't ask me; read the cover blurb, which provides one definition: they're "moments and movements in time, delicate and precise intimations of what may be going on inside an individual or a family group, but all of them freed from the confines of plot, characterization, and time." At any rate, this brief (71 pages) volume is made up of a series of twenty-four delicately wrought prose sketches, or short-short stories, if you will. As an experiment in prose, it's fairly interesting--thanks largely to Sarraute's appealingly limpid style--but really nothing to get excited about.