Farewell, My Only One
A Novel of Abelard and Heloise
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- 75,00 kr
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- 75,00 kr
Publisher Description
A novel that brings to life one of the great romances of all time. “Evokes in gritty and poetic detail the streets of twelfth-century Paris.” —The New York Times Book Review
In the early twelfth century, William reaches Paris full of hope and without a penny. There, on the same day, he meets the two people who will dominate his life: young Heloise, with whom he immediately falls in love, and Abelard, the world-renowned philosopher. Through the eyes of William, we follow every turn in the greatest love story of the Middle Ages. We witness, in harrowing and lush descriptions, the scandal of the famous theologian falling for his educated and charming student; their flight and secret marriage; the barbaric revenge of the girl’s uncle; their years of separation; the writing of the famous letters; and finally the demise of a broken Abelard, whose books have been burned, a man who finds his ultimate solace in the thought of the woman who has never ceased to love him.
Antoine Audouard brings literary grace to a story that is palpably infused with sensuality, conflict, and intellectual ferment. Farewell, My Only One is intelligent and bawdy, philosophical and romantic—a universal story of star-crossed lovers.
“This is an elegantly written novel, refreshing in its bawdy portrayal of religious figures and intellectually stimulating in its rigorous treatment of the theological discourse of the time.” —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Audouard resurrects the medieval love story of Helo se and Abelard in this Goncourt Prize nominated novel, retelling it in the voice of a clever young student named William who travels from Oxford to Paris in 1116. Soon after his arrival, William is shaken by a vision of the ethereal, brilliant young Helo se, "man's dream and man's fear." Then he attends a lesson given by the great philosopher Peter Abelard, falling under the spell of Abelard's skepticism and rational approach to theology. Helo se, too, attends Abelard's lectures, and eventually Abelard initiates a fiery love affair with her. In his solitude, William begins to live his life through them, out of love for his two closest friends mingled with a not-so-subtle trace of voyeurism. Brutal punishment looms for the lovers, and when it comes, they turn to God for solace, exchanging their famous letters and discovering a world that extends beyond words and beyond the material world. Though slow in places, this is an elegantly written novel, refreshing in its bawdy portrayal of religious figures and intellectually stimulating in its rigorous treatment of the theological discourse of the time.