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Disagreeable Tales Paperback – June 23, 2015

by Léon Bloy (Author), Erik Butler (Translator)

31 ratings

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Thirty tales from one of the best known but least translated of the French Decadent writers

Thirty tales of theft, onanism, incest, murder and a host of other forms of perversion and cruelty from the "ungrateful beggar" and "pilgrim of the absolute," Léon Bloy. Disagreeable Tales, first published in French in 1894, collects Bloy's narrative sermons from the depths: a cauldron of frightful anecdotes and inspired misanthropy that represents a high point of the French Decadent movement and the most emblematic entry into the library of the "Cruel Tale" christened by Villiers de l'Isle-Adam. Whether depicting parents and offspring being sacrificed for selfish gains, or imbeciles sacrificing their own individuality on a literary whim, these tales all draw sustenance from an underlying belief: the root of religion is crime against man, nature and God, and that in this hell on earth, even the worst among us has a soul.

A close friend to Joris-Karl Huysmans, and later admired by the likes of Kafka and Borges, Léon Bloy (1846–1917) is among the best known but least translated of the French Decadent writers. Nourishing antireligious sentiments in his youth, his outlook changed radically when he moved to Paris and came under the influence of Barbey d'Aurevilly, the unconventionally religious novelist best known for Les Diaboliques. He earned the dual nicknames of "The Pilgrim of the Absolute" through his unorthodox devotion to the Catholic Church, and "The Ungrateful Beggar" through his endless reliance on the charity of friends to support him and his family.

Print length

200 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Wakefield Press
Publication date

June 23, 2015
Dimensions

6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1939663105
ISBN-13

978-1939663108
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Perhaps his most explicit selection of harangues and exhortations, the newly reissued Disagreeable Tales (Histoires désobligeantes, 1894) represents a unique literary genre―inspired by Villiers de L’Isle-Adam’s Cruel Tales (1883), Barbey d’Aurevilly’s Les diaboliques (1874) and the short sketches of Poe and Lautréamont. -- Erik Morse ― The Paris Review

Bloy is yet to be discovered broadly by English-speaking readers. I would recommend starting with his Disagreeable Tales, translated by Erik Butler and published in 2015 by Wakefield Press. -- Alberto Manguel ― Geist

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wakefield Press; Translation edition (June 23, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1939663105
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1939663108
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #510,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9,471 in Short Stories (Books)
- #27,026 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
31 ratings

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4.8 out of 5

31 global ratings

5 star		83%
4 star		11%
3 star		6%
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1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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roy

Disagreeable but undeniable

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 11, 2022

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Don't come around me with a silken beard, I have a box of matches

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

This was an interesting read. Reminded me of the blustering, exaggerated style of Victor Hugo combined with Stephen King. Bloy uses horror and just plain malfeasance to address the condition of fallen of mankind. There is a real spiritual, almost religious feeling about these tales. I would definitely recommend them.

12 people found this helpful

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Michael

The Return of the Religious Repressed

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

An excellent way into the problems faced by the secular world. As the translator notes, a person stands before the judgments from eternity in each moment of his or her life. The secular world would make of life a perpetual vacation, taking time off from work, distraction from the core issue. The religious sees life as a mission, an ordeal, a test, and a victory.

14 people found this helpful

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30 Bizarre Plots 30

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 9, 2016

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It does not have "a plot" or rather it has thirty, since it's a collection of short stories. Tales of darkness, depravity and murder, corruption and decadence.- with a 19th century Catholic moralistic viewpoint. A most remnarkable volume and one I highly endorse.

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

mysterious

2 people found this helpful

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Jessica Maddox

an erudite Catholic who felt deep disgust with the way humanity was going

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 6, 2015

It's a gift to have these stories translated into English! Bloy was writing in the heat of the modern French literary movement, an oddball out in many ways: an erudite Catholic who felt deep disgust with the way humanity was going, a wicked sense of humor shaping his observations. For folks interested in Symbolism, early French modernism in literature, or who just like a twisted short story, I recommend this collection.

29 people found this helpful

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