With today's headlines and talk shows, it takes a lot to shock a reader--certainly more than was required in 1902, when Andre Gide's The Immoralist was first published. What was seen then as a story of dereliction translates today into a tale of introspection and fierce self-discovery. While traveling to Tunis with his new bride, the Parisian scholar Michel is overcome by tuberculosis. As he slowly convalesces, he revels in the physical pleasures of living and resolves to forgo his studies of the past in order to experience the present--to let "the layers of acquired knowledge peel away from the mind like a cosmetic and reveal, in patches, the naked flesh beneath, the authentic being hidden there."
But this is not the Michel his colleagues knew, nor the man Marceline married, and he must hide his new values under the patina of what he now reviles. Bored by Parisian society, he moves to a family farm in Normandy. He is happy there, especially in the company of young Charles, but he must soon return to the city and academe. Michel remains restless until he gives his first lecture and runs into Ménalque, who has long outraged society, and recognizes in him a reflection of his torment. Finally, Michel heads south, deeper into the desert, until, as he confides to his friends, he is lost in the sea of sand, under a clear, directionless sky.
What Gide's story lacks in sensationalism is fulfilled by his descriptive prose, which evokes the exotic nature of Michel's inner and outer journey: "I did not understand the forbearance of this African earth, submerged for days at a time and now awakening from winter, drunk with water, bursting with new juices; it laughed in this springtime frenzy whose echo, whose image I perceived within myself." --Joannie Kervran Stangeland
But this is not the Michel his colleagues knew, nor the man Marceline married, and he must hide his new values under the patina of what he now reviles. Bored by Parisian society, he moves to a family farm in Normandy. He is happy there, especially in the company of young Charles, but he must soon return to the city and academe. Michel remains restless until he gives his first lecture and runs into Ménalque, who has long outraged society, and recognizes in him a reflection of his torment. Finally, Michel heads south, deeper into the desert, until, as he confides to his friends, he is lost in the sea of sand, under a clear, directionless sky.
What Gide's story lacks in sensationalism is fulfilled by his descriptive prose, which evokes the exotic nature of Michel's inner and outer journey: "I did not understand the forbearance of this African earth, submerged for days at a time and now awakening from winter, drunk with water, bursting with new juices; it laughed in this springtime frenzy whose echo, whose image I perceived within myself." --Joannie Kervran Stangeland
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Used availability for André Gide's The Immoralist
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Hardback Editions
February 1996 : Library Binding
| Title: Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 1-4176-2940-1 / 978-1-4176-2940-4 (USA edition) Publisher: San Val Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 1984 : Hardback
| Title: Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-394-60500-4 / 978-0-394-60500-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Modern Library Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 1983 : Hardback
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Modern Library Availability: Amazon More details... |
September 1974 : Hardback
| Title: L'Immoraliste (Modern world literature series) Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-245-52271-9 / 978-0-245-52271-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Harrap Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
January 1970 : Hardback
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): GIDE ANDRE Publisher: KNOPF,N.Y.[ Availability: Amazon More details... |
1966 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: AlfredA Knopf Availability: Amazon More details... |
1958 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre (Transl by Dorothy Bussy) Gide Publisher: Vintage / Random House Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1954 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1953 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Cassell & Co. Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
1951 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Alfred Knopf Availability: Amazon More details... |
1949 : Hardback
| Title: Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1948 : Hardback
| Title: IMMORALIST Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Unknown Availability: Amazon More details... |
1948 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 1-199-72079-8 / 978-1-199-72079-5 Publisher: Knopf Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1930 : Hardback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback Editions
April 2004 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 1-4179-0978-1 / 978-1-4179-0978-0 (USA edition) Publisher: Kessinger Publishing Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
June 2003 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist/L'Immoraliste: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language French) Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-486-42695-5 / 978-0-486-42695-2 (USA edition) Publisher: Dover Publications Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
September 2001 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist (Penguin Classics) Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-14-218002-5 / 978-0-14-218002-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Classics Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
May 2000 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist (Penguin Modern Classics) Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-14-118299-7 / 978-0-14-118299-5 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Classics Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
July 1996 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist (Dover Thrift Editions) Author(s): André Gide ISBN: 0-486-29237-1 / 978-0-486-29237-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Dover Publications Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
February 1996 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): André Gide ISBN: 0-679-74191-7 / 978-0-679-74191-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
June 1990 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist (Twentieth Century Classics) Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-14-018042-7 / 978-0-14-018042-8 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1987 : Paperback
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1981 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): André Gide Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
1980 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
1978 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1976 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-553-10441-1 / 978-0-553-10441-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Bantam Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 1971 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): André Gide Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
August 1970 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist (Modern Classics) Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-14-001497-7 / 978-0-14-001497-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1969 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Bantam Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1968 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1966 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): andre gide Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1964 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
October 1962 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide ISBN: 0-8222-0555-6 / 978-0-8222-0555-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Dramatist's Play Service Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
April 1961 : Paperback
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Vintage Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1960 : Paperback
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): GIDE ANDRE Publisher: PENGUIN NO 1497 ORANGE PICTORIAL COVERS Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1959 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist: A Novel Author(s): André Gide Publisher: A Vintage Book/Originally Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1958 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Random House Availability: Amazon More details... |
1957 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Vintage Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
1956 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1955 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Vintage Books, New York; fourth printing Availability: Amazon More details... |
September 1954 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): André Gide ISBN: 0-394-70008-2 / 978-0-394-70008-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1953 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist. Author(s): Gide Andre Publisher: Cassell Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
1949 : Paperback
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): andre gide Publisher: bantam books Availability: Amazon More details... |
1930 : Paperback
| Title: Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: VINTAGE (DIV OF RANDOM HOUSE) Availability: Amazon More details... |
Other Editions
1970 : Unknown
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): ANDRE GIDE Publisher: VINTAGE Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1960 : Unknown
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
January 1954 : Unknown
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1954 : Unknown
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon More details... |
1948 : Unknown
| Title: The Immoralist Author(s): Andre Gide Publisher: Alfred A Knopf Availability: Amazon More details... |
1948 : Unknown
| Title: THE IMMORALIST Author(s): Andre GIDE Publisher: NY 1948 Availability: Amazon More details... |
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