Salammbo
-
- $2.99
Publisher Description
Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), French novelist and short story writer, was considered to be a master of style, obsessively devoted to finding the right word ("le mot juste"), in every piece of literature he produced. As a child he expressed great imagination and took in all the stories he could from his nurse and neighbors, and in doing so, he prepared himself for a life consumed by literature and history. In addition to his "Madame Bovary", his first published novel and the one considered to be his masterpiece, Flaubert is remembered for his great historical romance, "Salammbô". This novel draws largely from Book I of Polybius' "Histories", and combines the history of the First Punic War and the mythology of ancient Carthage in a fashion that has never been equaled. Flaubert sealed his reputation with the publication of this sophisticated novel in 1862, as audiences were entranced with its lush and brilliantly detailed descriptions of a little-known, but fascinating, period of history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Druillet offers a new science-fictional take on Flaubert's 1862 protoheroic story involving the Punic Wars, creating a staggeringly vibrant but roundabout tale. In a cosmic landscape, Sloane betrays and kills his own crew aboard his space ship while looking for his friend Yearl. Sloane then finds himself in Carthage, hoping to conquer it after glimpsing the face of the beautiful Salammb , sacred virgin of the city. After interrupting a feast where Salammb is present, Sloane becomes involved in a war between unpaid mercenaries and their employers in Carthage that ultimately leads to both his and Salammb 's deaths. But the returning Yearl promises future resurrection. Despite Druillet's eye-catching use of high-contrast colors and masterfully intricate line work, the story is unfortunately marred by wordiness and excesses of world-building. The intricacy of Flaubert's original plot is lost and often unreadable due to the sheer volume of information and needless story components. Though visually stunning, this book ends up at war over the importance of detail and accessibility.
