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L'Atlantide
Au cours d'une exploration dans le Sahara, deux officiers français, André de Saint-Avit et Jean-Marie-François Morhange sont capturés et se retrouvent dans un palais merveilleux, un véritable paradis terrestre. Ils apprennent alors qu'ils sont prisonniers d'une femme, la reine, la sultane, la souveraine absolue du Hoggar, Antinéa, petite-fille de Neptune, la dernière descendante des Atlantes, et que, dès qu'ils l'auront vue, ils renieront tout pour elle, famille, patrie, honneur... Roman plein de péripéties, à l'atmosphère mystérieuse et envoûtante, dans un décor de complet dépaysement, L'Atlantide, Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie française, consacra de façon éclatante le talent de Pierre Benoit qui venait d'obtenir un énorme succès avec son premier ouvrage, Koenigsmark.
286 pages, Poche
First published January 1, 1919
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About the author
Pierre Benoit
241 books10 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Pierre Benoit was a French novelist and member of the Académie française.
Pierre Benoit was a French novelist and member of the Académie française.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 29, 2016
Somewhere, in a remote region of the Sahara desert, there, still hides a Queen and her servants, taking refuge inside caves. She’s a well-educated beautiful woman, a polyglot …yet, for men seeking after her charms, she’s fatal. She is queen Antinea, the sovereign of the “Hoggar”. You’re in the Blad-el-Khouf: the country of the fear.
She is the last descendant of Atlantis´ kings lineage; the offspring of Neptune and Clito. It’s written in the book of Benoit that, though sinking, Atlantis center isle didn’t submerge; it’s now surrounded by insurmountable mountains: only this oasis was left after the Sahara Sea dried out…9,000 years ago. The book is about the story of two military men who have been there. Morhange and Saint-Avit. The latter manages to escape the hide-out; but is found moribund in the desert, by a caravan. While in hospital, in a delirious state, he utters incomprehensible phrases like “it’s the number 54!!!”. Officers say that there’s no hope of finding Morhange. What really happened to him?
Saint-Avit returned to Paris. It’s 1914. He tries to forget about the experience. While in a café, midst the jazz tunes, he recalls the veiled-Queen.
On the 1st of May he’s back in the extreme south of the Sahara desert; he’s been appointed as commander of the post. This time he wants to go it alone…through the “great solitudes…and magic horizons”.
At the post he tells the story he’s been part of with Morhange. How they found out the palace… the strange tifinar (Tuareg) inscriptions;
how they got imprisoned, separately, inside the palace; how Morhange got received by the queen; and the jealousy of Saint Avit. How they were introduced in the red marble room: where golden statues of the men of the Queen stand. An archivist has told them: “they died of love”. Only one escaped, but even that one returned. Suicide, or craziness or opium can explain their deaths. Who shall become the 54th? or the 55th?
…
This review is partly based on the silent movie by Jacques Feyder (L’Atlantide) of 1921. As for the book, I would like to make a short commentary about the polemics (court-case) which involved Benoit: did he plagiarize H. R. Haggard (especially from the novel Ayesha)?
It’s been said that Benoit didn’t read English nor did he have any Ayesha’s novel published in France by his time. However, in the book there are plenty of English references, like:
«Je ne me souviendrai jamais sans émotion de mes dix-neuvième et vingtième années, époque où je liquidai complètement ce petit héritage. Londres était véritablement alors une ville adorable. Je m'étais arrangé une très aimable garçonnière dans Piccadilly.
Piccadilly! Shops, palaces, bustle and breeze,
The whirling of wheels, and the murmur of trees."
or
"Sur le mur, près de la fenêtre, avec son canif, il écrivait dans la pierre quelque chose. Regarde, ça se voit encore.
Was it not Fate, that, on this July midnight..."
Thus, he had to understand some English. And he lost the case.
Interestingly, in the library of Queen Antinea, Morhange and Saint Avit found many books; they browsed through them: one was Don Qijote…the other was Macbeth. Plus: Plato's Critias.
At least they (Haggard and Benoit) shared something: this taste for the adventurous and the exotic, and they were good at making it live,….through words. Erudite, as some of his characters, Benoit made it well.
October 25, 2011
Pierre Benoit (1886-1962) enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime and a considerable degree of literary acclaim as well. He was elected to the Académie française in 1931. Queen of Atlantis (L’Atlantide) was the second and probably the most famous of his forty-two novels.
He is out of favour these days, his conservative political views being sufficient to make him an unperson in today’s literary world.
Queen of Atlantis was slightly controversial at the time of its publication in 1919, its similarities to H. Rider Haggard’s classic She leading to accusations of plagiarism (although Haggard himself made no such accusations). While both books draw their inspiration from the same mythological and historical sources and there are thematic resemblances the two books are sufficiently distinct to stand on their own merits.
The setting is the French colonial empire in North Africa at the close of the 19th century. A new officer has arrived to take command of the small fort of Hassi-Inifel in the Sahara. Captain Saint-Avit is a rather notorious personage. On a previous expedition it is widely believed that he was responsible for the death of his colleague Captain Morhange, and in fact may have murdered him. There was insufficient evidence for any charges to be laid and Saint-Avit’s own account of the events was regarded as being unreliable due to the circumstance that he was suffering so severely from fever and general exhaustion when he was found.
Saint-Avit relates his strange tale to a brother officer.
Morhange was a man of slightly mystical bent. He had taken several years leave of absence from the army with the intention of taking religious orders but then returned to military service. Morhange is slightly evasive as to his purpose in undertaking the expedition with Saint-Avit. He is very interested in certain inscriptions regarding a woman named Antinea, presumably a queen from the distant past. Whatever it was he was searching for, what they find is beyond all expectations. It is nothing less than a hidden kingdom.
It is more than that. It is Atlantis. And it is ruled by Queen Antinea. Among her subjects are three ill-assorted and slightly disreputable Europeans. They are not the only Europeans to have reached Antinea’s kingdom. The others are to be found in the Hall of Red Marble, embalmed and encased in an unknown metal. When Morhange and Saint-Avit enquire what these men (there are over fifty of them) died from they are informed that all died of love. And died willingly.
These are Antinea’s former lovers. When she tires of them they die. She does not put them to death. They simply cannot live after being discarded by her. Some seek death through drugs, or drink, or suicide, or they simply die.
Escape from Antinea’s kingdom is almost impossible. One man did escape but a few years later he found himself compelled to return. Dying of love for Antinea seemed preferable to living. Saint-Avit and Morhange are destined to end up in The Hall of Red Marble, but Morhange is not like the queen’s other suitors and perhaps the cycle can be broken.
Antinea herself may be timeless, she may be immortal, she may be unimaginably old (the book is deliberately vague about these details), or she may be as much a victim of her own cult as her lovers.
Modern critics will find it difficult to resist the temptation to see the novel as expressing a negative view of women but in fact that’s not at all what the book is about. It was written just after the First World War and reflects the mood of extreme pessimism and despair that afflicted intellectuals at that period (a mood that has arguably had a fatal influence on the subsequent course of western civilisation). It in fact represents a kind of fatalistic death cult. It’s not so much a metaphor for the war as a metaphor for a world that has lost all hope. Which makes it peculiarly relevant to our own age.
The afterword by Hugo Frey is worth reading simply as an illustration of the deadly effects of political correctness and postmodernism on literary criticism. The irony is that it is Frey rather than Benoit who is unable to escape the narrow-minded prison of his own times.
This novel has been seen as a precursor of magic realism, and that’s not unreasonable. either way it’s an immensely fascinating tale which I recommend very highly.
He is out of favour these days, his conservative political views being sufficient to make him an unperson in today’s literary world.
Queen of Atlantis was slightly controversial at the time of its publication in 1919, its similarities to H. Rider Haggard’s classic She leading to accusations of plagiarism (although Haggard himself made no such accusations). While both books draw their inspiration from the same mythological and historical sources and there are thematic resemblances the two books are sufficiently distinct to stand on their own merits.
The setting is the French colonial empire in North Africa at the close of the 19th century. A new officer has arrived to take command of the small fort of Hassi-Inifel in the Sahara. Captain Saint-Avit is a rather notorious personage. On a previous expedition it is widely believed that he was responsible for the death of his colleague Captain Morhange, and in fact may have murdered him. There was insufficient evidence for any charges to be laid and Saint-Avit’s own account of the events was regarded as being unreliable due to the circumstance that he was suffering so severely from fever and general exhaustion when he was found.
Saint-Avit relates his strange tale to a brother officer.
Morhange was a man of slightly mystical bent. He had taken several years leave of absence from the army with the intention of taking religious orders but then returned to military service. Morhange is slightly evasive as to his purpose in undertaking the expedition with Saint-Avit. He is very interested in certain inscriptions regarding a woman named Antinea, presumably a queen from the distant past. Whatever it was he was searching for, what they find is beyond all expectations. It is nothing less than a hidden kingdom.
It is more than that. It is Atlantis. And it is ruled by Queen Antinea. Among her subjects are three ill-assorted and slightly disreputable Europeans. They are not the only Europeans to have reached Antinea’s kingdom. The others are to be found in the Hall of Red Marble, embalmed and encased in an unknown metal. When Morhange and Saint-Avit enquire what these men (there are over fifty of them) died from they are informed that all died of love. And died willingly.
These are Antinea’s former lovers. When she tires of them they die. She does not put them to death. They simply cannot live after being discarded by her. Some seek death through drugs, or drink, or suicide, or they simply die.
Escape from Antinea’s kingdom is almost impossible. One man did escape but a few years later he found himself compelled to return. Dying of love for Antinea seemed preferable to living. Saint-Avit and Morhange are destined to end up in The Hall of Red Marble, but Morhange is not like the queen’s other suitors and perhaps the cycle can be broken.
Antinea herself may be timeless, she may be immortal, she may be unimaginably old (the book is deliberately vague about these details), or she may be as much a victim of her own cult as her lovers.
Modern critics will find it difficult to resist the temptation to see the novel as expressing a negative view of women but in fact that’s not at all what the book is about. It was written just after the First World War and reflects the mood of extreme pessimism and despair that afflicted intellectuals at that period (a mood that has arguably had a fatal influence on the subsequent course of western civilisation). It in fact represents a kind of fatalistic death cult. It’s not so much a metaphor for the war as a metaphor for a world that has lost all hope. Which makes it peculiarly relevant to our own age.
The afterword by Hugo Frey is worth reading simply as an illustration of the deadly effects of political correctness and postmodernism on literary criticism. The irony is that it is Frey rather than Benoit who is unable to escape the narrow-minded prison of his own times.
This novel has been seen as a precursor of magic realism, and that’s not unreasonable. either way it’s an immensely fascinating tale which I recommend very highly.
February 17, 2017
We have this image of French literature as being intellectual and even ethereal. Well, Pierre Benoît aims to prove you wong with his The Queen of Atlantis, also known as L'Atlantide. Reading him is like reading H. Rider Haggard. In fact, he was accused of plagiarizing Haggard: He got off the hook because he could not read English, and Haggard had not yet been translated into French.
Benoit writes about a Kingdom of Atlantis that was not so much sunk into the ocean as arisen from the ocean, where it exists as a mountain kingdom in the middle of the Sahara Desert, no less.
Antinea, the Queen of Atlantis, likes to capture young Europeans that stray or are misguided into her realm, where she proceeds to love them to death and exhibit their mummified remains in a red marble hall. Lieutenant Andre de Saint-Avit and Captain Morhange find themselves in this situation. One of them escapes to tell the tale.
Benoit was accused of being a collaborationist during the Second World War, and he was convicted, which affected his writing career for a while. He served six months in prison, and his work was blacklisted for a few years.
This is a fast read and is fun once the plot gets going.
Benoit writes about a Kingdom of Atlantis that was not so much sunk into the ocean as arisen from the ocean, where it exists as a mountain kingdom in the middle of the Sahara Desert, no less.
Antinea, the Queen of Atlantis, likes to capture young Europeans that stray or are misguided into her realm, where she proceeds to love them to death and exhibit their mummified remains in a red marble hall. Lieutenant Andre de Saint-Avit and Captain Morhange find themselves in this situation. One of them escapes to tell the tale.
Benoit was accused of being a collaborationist during the Second World War, and he was convicted, which affected his writing career for a while. He served six months in prison, and his work was blacklisted for a few years.
This is a fast read and is fun once the plot gets going.
August 21, 2019
Please understand that I am a fan not only of scifi from this period, but also of French literature--see my other Goodreads reviews and you'll appreciate why my poor rating for this novel is somewhat shocking to me. But it is honest.
First of all, when I was 20% into the novel and yet still didn't know what was going on, I knew there was more than a problem than just with the translation from the original French. It was a problem with the author himself. Benoit is guilty of being too pompous to admit he was writing a pulp adventure, and so had to fluff it to make it seem more "intellectual" than it is. One of the common ways writers from the 1850s to the present day do this is by "name-dropping." Here is a great example that I literally found by randomly putting my finger on a page:
"The hope of settling once for all the secular disputes which have divided so many keen minds; d’Anville, Heeren, Berlioux, Quatremere on the one hand,—on the other Gosselin, Walckenaer, Tissit, Vivien, de saint-Martin; you think that that is devoid of interest?"
Not convinced? Here is another random example just a few pages away:
"...you know of the existence of the two Tadekkas. But the one of which you have just spoken is the Tadekka of Ibn-Batoutah, located by this historian seventy days from Touat, and placed by Schirmer, very plausibly, in the unexplored territory of the Aouelimmiden. This is the Tadekka by which the Sonrhaï caravans passed every year, travelling by Egypt. My Tadekka is different, the capital of the veiled people, placed by Ibn-Khaldoun twenty days south of Wargla, which he calls Tadmekka. It is towards this Tadmekka that I am headed. I must establish Tadmekka in the ruins of Es-Souk..." blah blah blah blah blah...
This kind of thing is not done just a few times. It is CONSISTENT and CONSTANT. The author inserts innumerable names of places, artists, writers, philosophers, cities, etc. not to enrich the text or to color the story, but to dazzle the reader for whom the author has no respect. The result of all these lists is that the reader becomes cross-eyed, starts skimming, and then gets lost. By "lost," I mean the exact opposite of immersed or engaged.
And it is easy to get lost in the book, because Benoit's writing is particularly rambling while somehow not being very descriptive or poetic. There is nothing joyous in the reading of his prose. He just intentionally pads the job while leaving the action opaque. There is very little action in the first place, because very little actually happens in the plot. What does occur has been done better elsewhere.
I am very surprised this book got such good reviews. Maybe I missed something. But I am not willing to reread it again to figure that out. Life's too short.
Overall, this is the first and only book I've reviewed to receive my lowest rating. Not recommended. Watch one of the many film versions instead.
Merged review:
Please understand that I am a fan not only of scifi from this period, but also of French literature--see my other Goodreads reviews and you'll appreciate why my poor rating for this novel is somewhat shocking to me. But it is honest.
First of all, when I was 20% into the novel and yet still didn't know what was going on, I knew there was more than a problem than just with the translation from the original French. It was a problem with the author himself. Benoit is guilty of being too pompous to admit he was writing a pulp adventure, and so had to fluff it to make it seem more "intellectual" than it is. One of the common ways writers from the 1850s to the present day do this is by "name-dropping." Here is a great example that I literally found by randomly putting my finger on a page:
"The hope of settling once for all the secular disputes which have divided so many keen minds; d’Anville, Heeren, Berlioux, Quatremere on the one hand,—on the other Gosselin, Walckenaer, Tissit, Vivien, de saint-Martin; you think that that is devoid of interest?"
Not convinced? Here is another random example just a few pages away:
"...you know of the existence of the two Tadekkas. But the one of which you have just spoken is the Tadekka of Ibn-Batoutah, located by this historian seventy days from Touat, and placed by Schirmer, very plausibly, in the unexplored territory of the Aouelimmiden. This is the Tadekka by which the Sonrhaï caravans passed every year, travelling by Egypt. My Tadekka is different, the capital of the veiled people, placed by Ibn-Khaldoun twenty days south of Wargla, which he calls Tadmekka. It is towards this Tadmekka that I am headed. I must establish Tadmekka in the ruins of Es-Souk..." blah blah blah blah blah...
This kind of thing is not done just a few times. It is CONSISTENT and CONSTANT. The author inserts innumerable names of places, artists, writers, philosophers, cities, etc. not to enrich the text or to color the story, but to dazzle the reader for whom the author has no respect. The result of all these lists is that the reader becomes cross-eyed, starts skimming, and then gets lost. By "lost," I mean the exact opposite of immersed or engaged.
And it is easy to get lost in the book, because Benoit's writing is particularly rambling while somehow not being very descriptive or poetic. There is nothing joyous in the reading of his prose. He just intentionally pads the job while leaving the action opaque. There is very little action in the first place, because very little actually happens in the plot. What does occur has been done better elsewhere.
I am very surprised this book got such overall good reviews. Maybe I missed something. But I am not willing to reread it again to figure that out. Life's too short.
Overall, this is the first and only book I've reviewed to receive my lowest rating. Not recommended. Watch one of the many film versions instead.
First of all, when I was 20% into the novel and yet still didn't know what was going on, I knew there was more than a problem than just with the translation from the original French. It was a problem with the author himself. Benoit is guilty of being too pompous to admit he was writing a pulp adventure, and so had to fluff it to make it seem more "intellectual" than it is. One of the common ways writers from the 1850s to the present day do this is by "name-dropping." Here is a great example that I literally found by randomly putting my finger on a page:
"The hope of settling once for all the secular disputes which have divided so many keen minds; d’Anville, Heeren, Berlioux, Quatremere on the one hand,—on the other Gosselin, Walckenaer, Tissit, Vivien, de saint-Martin; you think that that is devoid of interest?"
Not convinced? Here is another random example just a few pages away:
"...you know of the existence of the two Tadekkas. But the one of which you have just spoken is the Tadekka of Ibn-Batoutah, located by this historian seventy days from Touat, and placed by Schirmer, very plausibly, in the unexplored territory of the Aouelimmiden. This is the Tadekka by which the Sonrhaï caravans passed every year, travelling by Egypt. My Tadekka is different, the capital of the veiled people, placed by Ibn-Khaldoun twenty days south of Wargla, which he calls Tadmekka. It is towards this Tadmekka that I am headed. I must establish Tadmekka in the ruins of Es-Souk..." blah blah blah blah blah...
This kind of thing is not done just a few times. It is CONSISTENT and CONSTANT. The author inserts innumerable names of places, artists, writers, philosophers, cities, etc. not to enrich the text or to color the story, but to dazzle the reader for whom the author has no respect. The result of all these lists is that the reader becomes cross-eyed, starts skimming, and then gets lost. By "lost," I mean the exact opposite of immersed or engaged.
And it is easy to get lost in the book, because Benoit's writing is particularly rambling while somehow not being very descriptive or poetic. There is nothing joyous in the reading of his prose. He just intentionally pads the job while leaving the action opaque. There is very little action in the first place, because very little actually happens in the plot. What does occur has been done better elsewhere.
I am very surprised this book got such good reviews. Maybe I missed something. But I am not willing to reread it again to figure that out. Life's too short.
Overall, this is the first and only book I've reviewed to receive my lowest rating. Not recommended. Watch one of the many film versions instead.
Merged review:
Please understand that I am a fan not only of scifi from this period, but also of French literature--see my other Goodreads reviews and you'll appreciate why my poor rating for this novel is somewhat shocking to me. But it is honest.
First of all, when I was 20% into the novel and yet still didn't know what was going on, I knew there was more than a problem than just with the translation from the original French. It was a problem with the author himself. Benoit is guilty of being too pompous to admit he was writing a pulp adventure, and so had to fluff it to make it seem more "intellectual" than it is. One of the common ways writers from the 1850s to the present day do this is by "name-dropping." Here is a great example that I literally found by randomly putting my finger on a page:
"The hope of settling once for all the secular disputes which have divided so many keen minds; d’Anville, Heeren, Berlioux, Quatremere on the one hand,—on the other Gosselin, Walckenaer, Tissit, Vivien, de saint-Martin; you think that that is devoid of interest?"
Not convinced? Here is another random example just a few pages away:
"...you know of the existence of the two Tadekkas. But the one of which you have just spoken is the Tadekka of Ibn-Batoutah, located by this historian seventy days from Touat, and placed by Schirmer, very plausibly, in the unexplored territory of the Aouelimmiden. This is the Tadekka by which the Sonrhaï caravans passed every year, travelling by Egypt. My Tadekka is different, the capital of the veiled people, placed by Ibn-Khaldoun twenty days south of Wargla, which he calls Tadmekka. It is towards this Tadmekka that I am headed. I must establish Tadmekka in the ruins of Es-Souk..." blah blah blah blah blah...
This kind of thing is not done just a few times. It is CONSISTENT and CONSTANT. The author inserts innumerable names of places, artists, writers, philosophers, cities, etc. not to enrich the text or to color the story, but to dazzle the reader for whom the author has no respect. The result of all these lists is that the reader becomes cross-eyed, starts skimming, and then gets lost. By "lost," I mean the exact opposite of immersed or engaged.
And it is easy to get lost in the book, because Benoit's writing is particularly rambling while somehow not being very descriptive or poetic. There is nothing joyous in the reading of his prose. He just intentionally pads the job while leaving the action opaque. There is very little action in the first place, because very little actually happens in the plot. What does occur has been done better elsewhere.
I am very surprised this book got such overall good reviews. Maybe I missed something. But I am not willing to reread it again to figure that out. Life's too short.
Overall, this is the first and only book I've reviewed to receive my lowest rating. Not recommended. Watch one of the many film versions instead.
June 30, 2022
This was a weird one...
Very interesting, erudite early 20th century adventure/horror novel revolving around a French officer shunned by his fellow soldiers due to the mysterious death of his partner on an expedition.
The expedition, as retold by the protagonist, makes up the epicenter of this book and details the discovery of a hidden, mysterious mountain hideout that may have Atlantean origins.
The danger lies within, as the officers meet an alluring woman who seems to have a supernatural ability to beguile accidental guests.
This is a quick read, and recommended for aficiondos of colonial-era pulp literature.
Very interesting, erudite early 20th century adventure/horror novel revolving around a French officer shunned by his fellow soldiers due to the mysterious death of his partner on an expedition.
The expedition, as retold by the protagonist, makes up the epicenter of this book and details the discovery of a hidden, mysterious mountain hideout that may have Atlantean origins.
The danger lies within, as the officers meet an alluring woman who seems to have a supernatural ability to beguile accidental guests.
This is a quick read, and recommended for aficiondos of colonial-era pulp literature.
March 18, 2008
Lu vers 11/13 ans cette histoire m’avait fait une forte impression. Exotisme et mystère, amour et mort, ce court roman, furtif comme un mirage en plein désert, se lit d’une traite. Je ne me souvenais pas de sa briéveté, et c’est le seul point qui me déçoit à la relecture, je l’aurais voulu plus long. Mais quelle joie de le relire !
May 6, 2021
Un début un peu lent, mais on l'oublie vite dès qu'on entre dans l'action, et dans la narration du lieutenant de Saint-Avis.
Une belle surprise !
Une belle surprise !
April 4, 2018
Hell hath no fury like Antinea!
In some ways this is a weird recipe. It's from 1920 and has some superficial resemblance to H. Rider Haggard's “She”. There's also parallels to Clark Ashton Smith and strong echoes to Tony Scott's 1983 opus “The Hunger” (I'd mention Whitley Strieber, but I never read his book and don't know how much of it was in that film).
“Atlantida” is a French military man recounting the circumstances under which he killed a fellow soldier during a expedition in the Sahara in the 1890s. Lieutenant de Saint-Avit recounts accidentally finding Atlantis in the middle of the Sahara, no longer an island yet still alive with ancient mystery. The major factor there being the near-immortal queen, Antinea, who loves men to death and keeps them bronzed and on display in a red marble hall.
The elements of adventure and romance are present, but neither seems to truly dominate this odd fantasy. The book is a might long winded, taking a lot of time with characters recounting their origins and other histories. I didn't find myself bored by the slow boil or by the fact that it is never a truly action-based story.
Pierre Benoit's story is a moody one and revolves on fate and the magnetism of evil. It was kinda nice biting into something a little denser than my usual fare. I'd have appreciated more escapes and fights and all that, but the book was substantial without them.
In some ways this is a weird recipe. It's from 1920 and has some superficial resemblance to H. Rider Haggard's “She”. There's also parallels to Clark Ashton Smith and strong echoes to Tony Scott's 1983 opus “The Hunger” (I'd mention Whitley Strieber, but I never read his book and don't know how much of it was in that film).
“Atlantida” is a French military man recounting the circumstances under which he killed a fellow soldier during a expedition in the Sahara in the 1890s. Lieutenant de Saint-Avit recounts accidentally finding Atlantis in the middle of the Sahara, no longer an island yet still alive with ancient mystery. The major factor there being the near-immortal queen, Antinea, who loves men to death and keeps them bronzed and on display in a red marble hall.
The elements of adventure and romance are present, but neither seems to truly dominate this odd fantasy. The book is a might long winded, taking a lot of time with characters recounting their origins and other histories. I didn't find myself bored by the slow boil or by the fact that it is never a truly action-based story.
Pierre Benoit's story is a moody one and revolves on fate and the magnetism of evil. It was kinda nice biting into something a little denser than my usual fare. I'd have appreciated more escapes and fights and all that, but the book was substantial without them.
May 16, 2019
Atlantida by Pierre Benoît
Even though this is a bit average in a classic; I enjoyed reading it.
It reminded me of those old Tarzan movies.
What it is though; is more of an example of the old Trope about the beautiful, seductive, feminine character whom the protagonists all fall in love with (sometimes inexplicably).
It seems there was some argument that Pierre plagiarized this from H.R. Haggard's SHE.
Though it does use a similar template of lost world and has Africa as a setting and the lovely irresistible woman as the centerpiece; the similarities end there.
Where She's Alesha, the centerpiece of H.R. Haggards story, is an almost tragic woman trapped in her own tragic love story; the centerpiece of Alantida, Antinea, is more of a sinister siren that would be almost a complete opposite to Alesha.
Alantida seems to lack the examination of morals and ethics that She has.
It's still an interesting read that once again gives the reader an examination of the views of woman and the affect on literature. But as I mentioned, it reads, to me, more like some of the movies I've seen from that time where the male characters are paralyzed under the influence of a hideously though beautiful and seductive evil.
I recommend this to anyone who has read SHE for the contrast and to those who have read this I'd recommend SHE for something with just a bit more substance.
J.L. Dobias
Even though this is a bit average in a classic; I enjoyed reading it.
It reminded me of those old Tarzan movies.
What it is though; is more of an example of the old Trope about the beautiful, seductive, feminine character whom the protagonists all fall in love with (sometimes inexplicably).
It seems there was some argument that Pierre plagiarized this from H.R. Haggard's SHE.
Though it does use a similar template of lost world and has Africa as a setting and the lovely irresistible woman as the centerpiece; the similarities end there.
Where She's Alesha, the centerpiece of H.R. Haggards story, is an almost tragic woman trapped in her own tragic love story; the centerpiece of Alantida, Antinea, is more of a sinister siren that would be almost a complete opposite to Alesha.
Alantida seems to lack the examination of morals and ethics that She has.
It's still an interesting read that once again gives the reader an examination of the views of woman and the affect on literature. But as I mentioned, it reads, to me, more like some of the movies I've seen from that time where the male characters are paralyzed under the influence of a hideously though beautiful and seductive evil.
I recommend this to anyone who has read SHE for the contrast and to those who have read this I'd recommend SHE for something with just a bit more substance.
J.L. Dobias
January 13, 2020
Esta es una historia de aventuras, de exploradores, en la que se cruza un amor semidivino (por lo único y especial de este). Es la historia de siempre muy bien contada (amor, peligro, belleza), que nos evoca imágenes románticas del desierto (y terribles), sentimientos irrefrenables y una intriga, un misterio y un secreto perdido en medio del desierto.
***
Great desert exploration story that stumbles upon a magnetic and misterious love. Totally worth it.
***
Great desert exploration story that stumbles upon a magnetic and misterious love. Totally worth it.
February 1, 2023
a game of chess, the latest in a long line of.
all the pieces are there from the kick off.
all the pieces are there from the kick off.
January 21, 2025
ciekawa historia, czytało się szybciutko
October 9, 2015
"Η Ατλαντίδα", εκδόσεις Άγκυρα.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Δεν είναι αμιγώς φαντασίας, όμως έχουμε την μυθική Ατλαντίδα καταμεσής της Σαχάρας και μια βασίλισσα που μέσω των θέλγητρων της οδηγεί στον θάνατο θαρραλέους αξιωματικούς και εξερευνητές, που έτυχε να βρεθούν σ'αυτά τα μέρη. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, διαβάζουμε την εξιστόρηση ενός Γάλλου αξιωματικού που κατάφερε να αποδράσει από την Ατλαντίδα, έχοντας όμως σκοπό να ξαναγυρίσει πίσω έξι χρόνια αργότερα.
Το βιβλίο είναι γραμμένο το 1919 και δείχνει σε μεγάλο βαθμό τα χρόνια του, όμως το διάβασα αρκετά ευχάριστα και γρήγορα. Δεν ξετρελάθηκα και τόσο από την πλοκή, που νιώθω ότι κάπου την έχω ξαναδεί ή ξανακούσει, όμως μου άρεσαν οι περιγραφές των τοπίων, οι σκηνές δράσης και η όλη ατμόσφαιρα. Η γραφή είναι καλούτσικη και με λίγο λεπτό χιούμορ εδώ και κει και οι χαρακτήρες αρχετυπικοί.
Το πιθανότερο είναι ότι ο Μπενουά διάβασε τα βιβλία του Χάγκαρντ (π.χ. She, King Solomon's Mines - το δεύτερο το έχω διαβάσει και είναι εξαιρετικό), του άρεσαν και φαίνεται ότι ήθελε και αυτός να βάλει το λιθαράκι του στην παλπ λογοτεχνία της εποχής. Καθόλου άσχημη η προσπάθεια, ακόμα και τόσα χρόνια μετά, όμως δεν μπορώ να του βάλω τέσσερα αστεράκια. Όπως και να'χει πέρασα καλά και το προτείνω σε όσους θέλουν μια παλαιών εποχών περιπέτεια στην έρημο, σχετικά με την μυθική Ατλαντίδα.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Δεν είναι αμιγώς φαντασίας, όμως έχουμε την μυθική Ατλαντίδα καταμεσής της Σαχάρας και μια βασίλισσα που μέσω των θέλγητρων της οδηγεί στον θάνατο θαρραλέους αξιωματικούς και εξερευνητές, που έτυχε να βρεθούν σ'αυτά τα μέρη. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, διαβάζουμε την εξιστόρηση ενός Γάλλου αξιωματικού που κατάφερε να αποδράσει από την Ατλαντίδα, έχοντας όμως σκοπό να ξαναγυρίσει πίσω έξι χρόνια αργότερα.
Το βιβλίο είναι γραμμένο το 1919 και δείχνει σε μεγάλο βαθμό τα χρόνια του, όμως το διάβασα αρκετά ευχάριστα και γρήγορα. Δεν ξετρελάθηκα και τόσο από την πλοκή, που νιώθω ότι κάπου την έχω ξαναδεί ή ξανακούσει, όμως μου άρεσαν οι περιγραφές των τοπίων, οι σκηνές δράσης και η όλη ατμόσφαιρα. Η γραφή είναι καλούτσικη και με λίγο λεπτό χιούμορ εδώ και κει και οι χαρακτήρες αρχετυπικοί.
Το πιθανότερο είναι ότι ο Μπενουά διάβασε τα βιβλία του Χάγκαρντ (π.χ. She, King Solomon's Mines - το δεύτερο το έχω διαβάσει και είναι εξαιρετικό), του άρεσαν και φαίνεται ότι ήθελε και αυτός να βάλει το λιθαράκι του στην παλπ λογοτεχνία της εποχής. Καθόλου άσχημη η προσπάθεια, ακόμα και τόσα χρόνια μετά, όμως δεν μπορώ να του βάλω τέσσερα αστεράκια. Όπως και να'χει πέρασα καλά και το προτείνω σε όσους θέλουν μια παλαιών εποχών περιπέτεια στην έρημο, σχετικά με την μυθική Ατλαντίδα.
May 17, 2021
This was nothing like the blurb above, which makes it seem like an Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure/romance. In actuality the book consisted mostly of biographical and background information of the characters, descriptions of the flora and fauna, mostly camels, and anecdotes about many of the minor characters. In fact the first 50 pages had nothing to do with Atlantis; it was biographical filler about the two French explorers who planned to look for Atlantis in the middle of the Sahara. The next 50 pages were about the trip in the desert and the discovery of a secret passage way through a mountain range. The explorers get trapped by a sudden flood and pass out. When they recover they are in Atlantis in a hidden valley deep within the mountains. On page 108 we finally meet Antinea, the queen of Atlantis, who is irresistible to men and turns them into metallic statues when they die of love for her. There was absolutely no sense of adventure, wonderment, or excitement concerning the discovery of a lost civilization, and there was surprisingly little in the way of descriptions of the people, buildings, and culture of Atlantis, although there was a horrific racist remark on page 144. All-in-all a big DUD!
November 20, 2022
This book, written almost 100 years ago, was, for me, fascinating. I read it twice...!
It's the story of a woman, the daughter of Neptune (although in the translation I read, she was referred to at one point as the granddaughter of Neptune) who has taken it upon herself to avenge the women of history who were betrayed or in some way deceived by men by. -- well, I think you should read it if you are tall curious...
In any event it is interesting to me because it relates a certain myth and develops it into a real life depiction of how the myth can become a reality. I'm not sure that makes sense to most people, but that's what the story seems to be. It is almost like the analysis of a myth in such a way that one can relate it to one's own life, in a practical and understandable, way, and in this case, the fantastic nature of the story makes perfect sense as presented by the author (Pierre Benoit), but one does not see the relevance of this until the very last sentence of the novel, and it is that single fact that, for me, made the book not only worthwhile, but a most enjoyable read.
It's the story of a woman, the daughter of Neptune (although in the translation I read, she was referred to at one point as the granddaughter of Neptune) who has taken it upon herself to avenge the women of history who were betrayed or in some way deceived by men by. -- well, I think you should read it if you are tall curious...
In any event it is interesting to me because it relates a certain myth and develops it into a real life depiction of how the myth can become a reality. I'm not sure that makes sense to most people, but that's what the story seems to be. It is almost like the analysis of a myth in such a way that one can relate it to one's own life, in a practical and understandable, way, and in this case, the fantastic nature of the story makes perfect sense as presented by the author (Pierre Benoit), but one does not see the relevance of this until the very last sentence of the novel, and it is that single fact that, for me, made the book not only worthwhile, but a most enjoyable read.
October 1, 2022
There is very little plot to this book, which is the basis for many of the bad reviews on this book, and I can't entirely disagree. There is a lot of exposition and a very gradual building of suspense, then the title character appears when you're nearly halfway into the book, then some backstory, then at last, the meat of the story. The narrator is pompous and unheroic, and lives to tell the tale entirely because of the action of others, especially an African princess (and her pet mongoose!) enslaved by the beautiful, fickle, and deadly Antinea (Atlantida). All the action comes in the last fifth of the book, and when the reader reaches the end, there is a haunting memory of mysterious places and inescapable doom. This aftertaste of fatal destiny, at least for me, was enough to make this a satisfying read, but the effort to reach the juicy parts made this less interesting than I had hoped it would be.
May 30, 2018
Ah, Pierre Benoît... A forgotten French master, who wrote an astonishing number of novels filled with adventure, exotic settings, lethal femmes fatales (whose first names always start with an A), hopeless romantic loves. All those books -who were extremely popular when they were published- are actually very well written, and some of them, like MADEMOISELLE DE LA FERTE, are in fact real masterpieces of great psychological depth. This one -about the myth of Atlantis- was a tremendous hit, inspired countless movies, and it remains a very enjoyable read.
April 7, 2022
Roman d’aventure tel qu’on les écrivait, désolé pour les amateurs, au début du IXe siècle. Ça a un peu mal vieilli. Attrait du désert saharien, attitudes coloniales et machistes sont au rendez-vous. Ce livre qui traite entre autre de ce mythe de l'Atlantide est cependant meilleur que Le roi lépreux, du même auteur.
December 18, 2014
diciamo che come romanzo avrebbe pure i suoi perché, purtroppo è scritto davvero male.
La trama si svolge in maniera troppo superficiale.
Un vero peccato: l'idea è bellissima.
La trama si svolge in maniera troppo superficiale.
Un vero peccato: l'idea è bellissima.
April 7, 2025
Ce livre est misogyne. Ouais. Ça va commencer direct comme ça.
Certes, il a été écrit en 1919, certes les droits des femmes... c'était pas tout à fait ça (le droit de vote n'est arrivé qu'en 1944, étrangement juste un peu avant la fin de l'Occupation), mais ça ne m'empêchera pas de dénoncer le discours.
J'en comprends à la lecture que le livre doit sa popularité majoritairement à la recommendation prestigieuse d'un autre auteur prestigieux (André Suarès) dont les livres allaient être mis sous la Liste Otto (index) lors de l'Occupation.
Ironique d'ailleurs considérant que Pierre Benoît soutenait ouvertement le régime de Vichy et qu'il n'était aucunement aligné avec les opinions politiques de Suarès, mais bon. Outre cela, la popularité du livre est aussi dû à sa sortie plutôt inhabituel du roman classique d'aventure français pour se tourner vers quelque chose de plus érotique, mais c'est tellement anecdoctique dans l'histoire.
Nous y suivons dans le présent l'histoire racontée par Olivier Ferrières, un lieutenant dans l'armée française qui nous parle d'une histoire qu'il a vécu en 1909 et qu'il veut nous partager. Il se retrouvera en mission avec André Saint-Avit qui va lui-même finir par raconter son histoire passée et expliquer comment son ancien camarade, le Capitaine Morhange, est mort lors d'une mission en Algérie.
Il explique qu'ils ont littéralement découvert où était la fameuse Atlantide des légendes et qu'elle est désormais dirigée par une femme qui serait la descendante du dieu Neptune/Poséidon.
Déjà : Pourquoi une triple "inception" d'histoire dans un récit? C'est narrativement compliqué pour rien de suivre et en plus, l'auteur parle au présent quand les histoires sont racontées comme si elles se déroulaient au moment présent... aucun intérêt de faire ça et ça nuit à l'immersion plus que d'autre chose. Je vois bien que l'auteur semble s'être inspiré des écrits classiques liés à la grèce antique (surtout Platon), mais cette "triple inception" est utilisée dans l'Odyssée d'Homère quand Ulysse est à Porkys et raconte son voyage à la foule... mais au moins c'est clair tout au long et ce n'est qu'une "double inception"... là c'est trop en plus d'être inutile.
Point positif cependant, on sent vraiment une ambiance de voyage qui est décrite dans l'histoire et qui nous fait ressentir la même vibe que l'auteur a dû ressentir quand il est allé lui-même en Algérie avec son père en mission qui était lui-même militaire français. Par contre c'est contemplatif et lent et il faut l'apprécier, parce qu'il n'y a pas vraiment de péripéties. On est davantage face à une personne qui découvre des curiosités et qui est passionné comme quelqu'un dans un musée qui essaie de comprendre toutes les expositions.
Mais sinon... je l'ai dit, mais le livre est sexiste. Les analyses disent que l'auteur rend hommage aux femmes qu'il aimait tout particulièrement, mais j'aurais envie de dire qu'il devait surtout être un coureur de jupons. TOUS les personnages féminins y compris ceux qui n'ont aucun dialogue et sont juste physiquement présents dans une pièce n'existent que pour être belles et susciter le désir.
Antinéa, la reine de l'Atlantide est présentée comme une femme fatale qui tombe amoureuse du seul homme qui ne tombe pas sous ses charmes et qui pète une crise parce qu'elle n'arrive pas à le séduire. Quant aux autres personnages en pâmoison devant elle, ils la présentent comme une femme prenant le contrôle sur les hommes et leur faisant faire des actions contre leur nature.
On se croirait dans Blanche-Neige devant la réplique de Grincheux quand il dit que "toutes les femmes c'est du poison", mais 20 ans en avance.
Bref, ce n'est pas parce que tu rends hommage à la beauté des femmes que tu ne les objectifies pas, d'autant plus qu'elles n'ont aucun trait de caractère qui ne se définissent en dehors des hommes de l'histoire et que la seule le moindrement développée est presque une caricature de celles qu'on accusait d'être des sorcières dans les temps modernes.
Cette lecture a peut-être été révolutionnaire à son époque, mais aujourd'hui on sent qu'elle a vieilli et même à l'époque de la littérature classique, on avait des personnages féminins beaucoup plus intéressants.
Certes, il a été écrit en 1919, certes les droits des femmes... c'était pas tout à fait ça (le droit de vote n'est arrivé qu'en 1944, étrangement juste un peu avant la fin de l'Occupation), mais ça ne m'empêchera pas de dénoncer le discours.
J'en comprends à la lecture que le livre doit sa popularité majoritairement à la recommendation prestigieuse d'un autre auteur prestigieux (André Suarès) dont les livres allaient être mis sous la Liste Otto (index) lors de l'Occupation.
Ironique d'ailleurs considérant que Pierre Benoît soutenait ouvertement le régime de Vichy et qu'il n'était aucunement aligné avec les opinions politiques de Suarès, mais bon. Outre cela, la popularité du livre est aussi dû à sa sortie plutôt inhabituel du roman classique d'aventure français pour se tourner vers quelque chose de plus érotique, mais c'est tellement anecdoctique dans l'histoire.
Nous y suivons dans le présent l'histoire racontée par Olivier Ferrières, un lieutenant dans l'armée française qui nous parle d'une histoire qu'il a vécu en 1909 et qu'il veut nous partager. Il se retrouvera en mission avec André Saint-Avit qui va lui-même finir par raconter son histoire passée et expliquer comment son ancien camarade, le Capitaine Morhange, est mort lors d'une mission en Algérie.
Il explique qu'ils ont littéralement découvert où était la fameuse Atlantide des légendes et qu'elle est désormais dirigée par une femme qui serait la descendante du dieu Neptune/Poséidon.
Déjà : Pourquoi une triple "inception" d'histoire dans un récit? C'est narrativement compliqué pour rien de suivre et en plus, l'auteur parle au présent quand les histoires sont racontées comme si elles se déroulaient au moment présent... aucun intérêt de faire ça et ça nuit à l'immersion plus que d'autre chose. Je vois bien que l'auteur semble s'être inspiré des écrits classiques liés à la grèce antique (surtout Platon), mais cette "triple inception" est utilisée dans l'Odyssée d'Homère quand Ulysse est à Porkys et raconte son voyage à la foule... mais au moins c'est clair tout au long et ce n'est qu'une "double inception"... là c'est trop en plus d'être inutile.
Point positif cependant, on sent vraiment une ambiance de voyage qui est décrite dans l'histoire et qui nous fait ressentir la même vibe que l'auteur a dû ressentir quand il est allé lui-même en Algérie avec son père en mission qui était lui-même militaire français. Par contre c'est contemplatif et lent et il faut l'apprécier, parce qu'il n'y a pas vraiment de péripéties. On est davantage face à une personne qui découvre des curiosités et qui est passionné comme quelqu'un dans un musée qui essaie de comprendre toutes les expositions.
Mais sinon... je l'ai dit, mais le livre est sexiste. Les analyses disent que l'auteur rend hommage aux femmes qu'il aimait tout particulièrement, mais j'aurais envie de dire qu'il devait surtout être un coureur de jupons. TOUS les personnages féminins y compris ceux qui n'ont aucun dialogue et sont juste physiquement présents dans une pièce n'existent que pour être belles et susciter le désir.
Antinéa, la reine de l'Atlantide est présentée comme une femme fatale qui tombe amoureuse du seul homme qui ne tombe pas sous ses charmes et qui pète une crise parce qu'elle n'arrive pas à le séduire. Quant aux autres personnages en pâmoison devant elle, ils la présentent comme une femme prenant le contrôle sur les hommes et leur faisant faire des actions contre leur nature.
On se croirait dans Blanche-Neige devant la réplique de Grincheux quand il dit que "toutes les femmes c'est du poison", mais 20 ans en avance.
Bref, ce n'est pas parce que tu rends hommage à la beauté des femmes que tu ne les objectifies pas, d'autant plus qu'elles n'ont aucun trait de caractère qui ne se définissent en dehors des hommes de l'histoire et que la seule le moindrement développée est presque une caricature de celles qu'on accusait d'être des sorcières dans les temps modernes.
Cette lecture a peut-être été révolutionnaire à son époque, mais aujourd'hui on sent qu'elle a vieilli et même à l'époque de la littérature classique, on avait des personnages féminins beaucoup plus intéressants.
February 21, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️histoire intéressante ou originale et style correct
Après Lunegarde, je poursuis mes envies de lecture d'auteurs désuets mais qui furent parmi les plus grands de leur époque : Pierre Benoit fut membre de l'Académie française. J'avais déjà lu ce roman dans ma jeunesse mais je n'en avais gardé aucun souvenir.
J'ai été plus intéressée par le thème de l'aventure, du dépassement de soi dans des conditions extrêmes, de l'aspect géostratégique de cette aventure, mais pas du tout convaincue par l'histoire d'amour (et de mort) de cette mystérieuse Antinéa, une psychopathe qui momifie ses amants qu'elle fait assassiner lorsqu'elle s'en lasse. J'ai trouvé assez invraisemblable la description de la salle de marbre rouge qui contient 120 niches dans les murs ou sont déjà entreposés une cinquantaine d'amants momifiés. Antinéa tombe amoureuse de Morhange qui est presque "dans les ordres religieux et qui reste complétement insensible à son charme vénéneux. Saint-Avit est envoûté par Antinéa et assassine son compagnon et ami Morhange dans un épisode de délire jaloux. Situation pour le moins rocambolesque. Après le meurtre, Saint-Avit décide de s'échapper et est aidé par une jeune esclave ancienne princesse déchue. Il sera retrouvé par miracle. 6 ans plus tard, il décide de retourner dans la cité de l'Atlantide et Ferrières ne peut s'empêcher de le suivre et nous laisse son journal en guise de testament.
Le roman a été plusieurs fois adaptés mais le film de 1932 est le plus fidèle, les autres films sont une interprétation très éloignée du récit.
Comme d'autres romans d'aventure à cette époque, l'histoire de l'Atlantide paraît d'abord en feuilleton dans la Revue de Paris à partir du 15 novembre 1918 avant d'être publié par Albin Michel en 1919.
ma critique
https://lecturesencontrepoint.blogspo...
Après Lunegarde, je poursuis mes envies de lecture d'auteurs désuets mais qui furent parmi les plus grands de leur époque : Pierre Benoit fut membre de l'Académie française. J'avais déjà lu ce roman dans ma jeunesse mais je n'en avais gardé aucun souvenir.
J'ai été plus intéressée par le thème de l'aventure, du dépassement de soi dans des conditions extrêmes, de l'aspect géostratégique de cette aventure, mais pas du tout convaincue par l'histoire d'amour (et de mort) de cette mystérieuse Antinéa, une psychopathe qui momifie ses amants qu'elle fait assassiner lorsqu'elle s'en lasse. J'ai trouvé assez invraisemblable la description de la salle de marbre rouge qui contient 120 niches dans les murs ou sont déjà entreposés une cinquantaine d'amants momifiés. Antinéa tombe amoureuse de Morhange qui est presque "dans les ordres religieux et qui reste complétement insensible à son charme vénéneux. Saint-Avit est envoûté par Antinéa et assassine son compagnon et ami Morhange dans un épisode de délire jaloux. Situation pour le moins rocambolesque. Après le meurtre, Saint-Avit décide de s'échapper et est aidé par une jeune esclave ancienne princesse déchue. Il sera retrouvé par miracle. 6 ans plus tard, il décide de retourner dans la cité de l'Atlantide et Ferrières ne peut s'empêcher de le suivre et nous laisse son journal en guise de testament.
Le roman a été plusieurs fois adaptés mais le film de 1932 est le plus fidèle, les autres films sont une interprétation très éloignée du récit.
Comme d'autres romans d'aventure à cette époque, l'histoire de l'Atlantide paraît d'abord en feuilleton dans la Revue de Paris à partir du 15 novembre 1918 avant d'être publié par Albin Michel en 1919.
– Quel est ce livre ? balbutia Morhange, dont la pâleur, en cet instant, m’épouvanta.
– Ce livre, répondit lentement, pesant ses mots, avec une extraordinaire impression de triomphe, M. Le Mesge, c’est le plus grand, le plus beau, le plus hermétique des dialogues de Platon, c’est le Critias ou l’Atlantide.
– Le Critias ? Mais il est inachevé, murmura Morhange.
– Il est inachevé en France, en Europe, partout, dit M. Le Mesge. Ici, il est achevé. Vérifiez l’exemplaire que je vous tends. – Mais quel rapport, quel rapport, répétait Morhange, tandis qu’il parcourait avidement le manuscrit, quel rapport y a-t-il entre ce dialogue, complet, il me semble, oui, complet, quel rapport avec cette femme, Antinéa ? Pourquoi est-il en sa possession ?
– Parce que, répondit imperturbablement le petit homme, parce que ce livre, à cette femme, c’est son livre de noblesse, son Gotha, en quelque sorte, comprenez-vous ? Parce qu’il établit sa prodigieuse généalogie ; par ce qu’elle est…
– Parce qu’elle est ? répéta Morhange.
– Parce qu’elle est la petite-fille de Neptune, la dernière descendante des Atlantes.
ma critique
https://lecturesencontrepoint.blogspo...
June 1, 2017
sahafta, yeni gelenleri arasında bir kitap. önkapağı atlantid olunca, arka kapağında bilimkurgu, macera yazınca hemen atladım, aldım. zaati ben, üzerinde, mu, atlantis, agarta, ufo gibi sihirli kelimeler olmasın, hemen üstüne 4 elimle atlar alırım. kaçar mı benden. (pisliğin tekiyim var ya.).
(her şeye inanan safın teki olarak ben, bu hikayenin de doğruluğuna, yaşanmış olduğuna inanırım, platonun, herodotun yazdıklarına inandığım gibi. internette hoggarla ilgili biraz araştırma yapınca, harita üzerinde yeri, bölgenin fiziksel özellikleri falan, sanki taşlar yerine oturuyor, bilgileri-hikayeyi doğruluyor gibi.).
kitap, sahrada görevli birkaç fransız askerinin-subayının, sahrada, bugünkü cezayir-algeriada, targi-tuareglerin-berberilerin yaşadığı yerde, yalıtılmış dağlık Hoggar adlı dağlık, kayalık, kalelerden oluşmuş, tıpkı babil kulesi gibi, gerçek dünyadan saklı bir cennete yolculuğu ve burada yaşananları anlatır.
buranın, hoggarın kraliçesi Antinea adlı güzel bir kadındır. anlaşıldığına göre soyu atlantislilerden gelir. ve burası kayıp atlantisin devamı bir medeniyetmiş. ama gelen ziyaretçileri yiyen bir canavar sanki.
olay, keşif, serüven, yolculuk 1897'de yaşanır.
bu kaydı ulaştıran; teğmen Oliver Ferrieres.
yolculuğu yapanlar; yüzbaşı Saint-Avit, yüzbaşı Jean Marie Franöois Morhange.
kraliçenin baş yardımıcısı-kölesi, tantit-zerga adlı kız.
daha fazla bilgi verirsem "spoiler" olur. merak edip okunması gerek, özellikle mutlu son için.
tabii, afrikada yapılan bilimsel keşiflerden de dem vuruluyor, özellikle tassili mağara-duvar resimleri gibi.
şimdi kitabın bölüm başlıklarını buraya alayım;
-mektup, 1903, [olayın dünyaya açıklandığı bilgi]
-güney karagahı, [afrika, büyük sahra, fransız sömürgesi]
-yüzbaşı Saint-Avit,
-morhange-Saint-Avit misyonu,
-yirmibeşinci dereceye doğru.
-mağaradaki yazılar,
-esrarlı yazılar,
-korku ülkesi,
-hoggarda sabah,
-atlantid [atlantis],
-kırmızı mermer salon,
-antinea,
-morhange, gidiyor ve gelmiyor,
-jitomir atamanı kont bielowskynin hikayesi,
-bekleyiş,
-tantit-zerganın şikayeti,
-gümü�� çekiç,
-kayalıktaki bakireler,
-ateşböcekleri,
-tanezruft,
-çember kapanıyor.
-[acı, ama mutlı son].
31.5.2017
(her şeye inanan safın teki olarak ben, bu hikayenin de doğruluğuna, yaşanmış olduğuna inanırım, platonun, herodotun yazdıklarına inandığım gibi. internette hoggarla ilgili biraz araştırma yapınca, harita üzerinde yeri, bölgenin fiziksel özellikleri falan, sanki taşlar yerine oturuyor, bilgileri-hikayeyi doğruluyor gibi.).
kitap, sahrada görevli birkaç fransız askerinin-subayının, sahrada, bugünkü cezayir-algeriada, targi-tuareglerin-berberilerin yaşadığı yerde, yalıtılmış dağlık Hoggar adlı dağlık, kayalık, kalelerden oluşmuş, tıpkı babil kulesi gibi, gerçek dünyadan saklı bir cennete yolculuğu ve burada yaşananları anlatır.
buranın, hoggarın kraliçesi Antinea adlı güzel bir kadındır. anlaşıldığına göre soyu atlantislilerden gelir. ve burası kayıp atlantisin devamı bir medeniyetmiş. ama gelen ziyaretçileri yiyen bir canavar sanki.
olay, keşif, serüven, yolculuk 1897'de yaşanır.
bu kaydı ulaştıran; teğmen Oliver Ferrieres.
yolculuğu yapanlar; yüzbaşı Saint-Avit, yüzbaşı Jean Marie Franöois Morhange.
kraliçenin baş yardımıcısı-kölesi, tantit-zerga adlı kız.
daha fazla bilgi verirsem "spoiler" olur. merak edip okunması gerek, özellikle mutlu son için.
tabii, afrikada yapılan bilimsel keşiflerden de dem vuruluyor, özellikle tassili mağara-duvar resimleri gibi.
şimdi kitabın bölüm başlıklarını buraya alayım;
-mektup, 1903, [olayın dünyaya açıklandığı bilgi]
-güney karagahı, [afrika, büyük sahra, fransız sömürgesi]
-yüzbaşı Saint-Avit,
-morhange-Saint-Avit misyonu,
-yirmibeşinci dereceye doğru.
-mağaradaki yazılar,
-esrarlı yazılar,
-korku ülkesi,
-hoggarda sabah,
-atlantid [atlantis],
-kırmızı mermer salon,
-antinea,
-morhange, gidiyor ve gelmiyor,
-jitomir atamanı kont bielowskynin hikayesi,
-bekleyiş,
-tantit-zerganın şikayeti,
-gümü�� çekiç,
-kayalıktaki bakireler,
-ateşböcekleri,
-tanezruft,
-çember kapanıyor.
-[acı, ama mutlı son].
31.5.2017
January 6, 2025
Adentrarse a sus páginas, es asomarse a una novela irresistible, maravillosa, fascinante. El mismo título ya atrae y en aquella época más: las elucubraciones místico-científicas en torno a la perdida civilización atlante estaban de actualidad, el florecimiento en Estados Unidos del pulp, la arqueología a viva piel, con el descubrimiento de Troya y Cnossos muy cercano en el tiempo, estaba en pleno apogeo la fiebre por encontrar las civilizaciones que hasta entonces se creían puramente míticas.
Benoit retoma la minuciosa documentación con que la aventura de los protagonistas se imbrica en una previa tradición científica, símil verniano.
El teniente de Saint-Avit, protagonista y relator de la historia, a la vez valiente soldado y riguroso científico, conforme va cayendo en la irracional fascinación por Antinea, va perdiendo sus vínculos con la razón del hombre.
Benoit ofrece un prodigio de narración a lo largo de la novela, que va elaborando una atmósfera trabada a la vez de fatalismo e irrealidad que resulta imborrable.
¿Novela misógina, o novela feminista avant la lettre? En cualquier caso, Antinea es un personaje caracterizado como destructora no sólo de hombres, sino del Hombre, imbuida por la misión de vengar a todas las grandes víctimas femeninas de la Antigüedad, citando a mujeres notables por haber sido víctimas del engaño masculino (Medea, Ariadna, Calipso o la misma Cleopatra, de quien se proclama descendiente).
Las travesías por el desierto infernal son de las más realistas jamás contadas. Si bien como novela de aventuras, sus personajes hablan mucho, los escenarios se lucen de maravilla, Antinea aparece poco y nada, al final impregna la totalidad de la obra.
Benoit retoma la minuciosa documentación con que la aventura de los protagonistas se imbrica en una previa tradición científica, símil verniano.
El teniente de Saint-Avit, protagonista y relator de la historia, a la vez valiente soldado y riguroso científico, conforme va cayendo en la irracional fascinación por Antinea, va perdiendo sus vínculos con la razón del hombre.
Benoit ofrece un prodigio de narración a lo largo de la novela, que va elaborando una atmósfera trabada a la vez de fatalismo e irrealidad que resulta imborrable.
¿Novela misógina, o novela feminista avant la lettre? En cualquier caso, Antinea es un personaje caracterizado como destructora no sólo de hombres, sino del Hombre, imbuida por la misión de vengar a todas las grandes víctimas femeninas de la Antigüedad, citando a mujeres notables por haber sido víctimas del engaño masculino (Medea, Ariadna, Calipso o la misma Cleopatra, de quien se proclama descendiente).
Las travesías por el desierto infernal son de las más realistas jamás contadas. Si bien como novela de aventuras, sus personajes hablan mucho, los escenarios se lucen de maravilla, Antinea aparece poco y nada, al final impregna la totalidad de la obra.
February 13, 2022
10 Novembre 1903, Africa coloniale, durante una spedizione nel deserto funestata da una terribile tempesta, due ufficiali francesi, il tenente Andrea de Saint-Avit e il capitano Morhange fanno la conoscenza di un Tuareg che li porterà al cospetto delle vestigia della perduta città di Atlantide, governata dalla languida e bellissima principessa Antinea, figlia del dio Nettuno, che "colleziona" amanti che prima concupisce e poi fa morire di disperazione per trasformarli poi in statue di oricalco.
"L'Atlantide", pubblicato nel 1919 da Pierre Benoit e vincitore del "Gran Prix du Roman", è un romanzo di genere avventuroso con risvolti fantastici divenuto sin da subito un best seller.
A far da padrone nella narrazione sono i lunghi ed elaborati dialoghi fra i personaggi, dialoghi che molto spesso raccontano del passato dei protagonisti o di fatti accadutigli.
Grazie ad un linguaggio spesso ricercato, la storia, nel suo dipanarsi, riesce a sviluppare delle atmosfere che abbracciano il lettore in maniera convincente trasportandolo in un mondo "ovattato" e delicato ma al contempo disperato.
Essendo questo un romanzo ambientato nell'Africa coloniale, il lettore si troverà spesso davanti a titoli nobiliari o a nomi in lingua africana, ció non precluderà comunque la comprensione della storia ma renderà un pó più difficoltosa la lettura.
Un romanzo lento, cadenzato, che fa della meditazione, rispetto all'azione, il suo punto forte, un romanzo sì lento ma non noioso grazie alle scelte stilistiche effettuate dallo scrittore.
Meritevole di menzione è poi la caratterizzazione dei personaggi, pochi ma ben descritti, che calano il lettore molto bene all'interno del racconto.
"L'Atlantide", pubblicato nel 1919 da Pierre Benoit e vincitore del "Gran Prix du Roman", è un romanzo di genere avventuroso con risvolti fantastici divenuto sin da subito un best seller.
A far da padrone nella narrazione sono i lunghi ed elaborati dialoghi fra i personaggi, dialoghi che molto spesso raccontano del passato dei protagonisti o di fatti accadutigli.
Grazie ad un linguaggio spesso ricercato, la storia, nel suo dipanarsi, riesce a sviluppare delle atmosfere che abbracciano il lettore in maniera convincente trasportandolo in un mondo "ovattato" e delicato ma al contempo disperato.
Essendo questo un romanzo ambientato nell'Africa coloniale, il lettore si troverà spesso davanti a titoli nobiliari o a nomi in lingua africana, ció non precluderà comunque la comprensione della storia ma renderà un pó più difficoltosa la lettura.
Un romanzo lento, cadenzato, che fa della meditazione, rispetto all'azione, il suo punto forte, un romanzo sì lento ma non noioso grazie alle scelte stilistiche effettuate dallo scrittore.
Meritevole di menzione è poi la caratterizzazione dei personaggi, pochi ma ben descritti, che calano il lettore molto bene all'interno del racconto.
July 30, 2019
I Read This Book Many Years Ago...
I still find it mysterious and fascinating, an immortal woman has single-handedly taken it upon herself to revenge the historical abandonment and abuse of women by their lovers. Protected by its remote location, Antinea reigns supreme over a luxurious kingdom, and is served up a series of lovers, by a faithful servant who scouts the desert for new amours when she tires of the current favorite. Each of the former lovers will be transformed into statues of orichalch upon their deaths caused by longing after she tires of them. They are placed in numbered niches in a red marble hall, the center of which will also serve as her final resting place when the 120th niche is filled. She may be immortal, or just long-lived and ageless in appearance. What will happen when she falls in love at last with an erudite and ascetic French scholar who resists her charms?
I still find it mysterious and fascinating, an immortal woman has single-handedly taken it upon herself to revenge the historical abandonment and abuse of women by their lovers. Protected by its remote location, Antinea reigns supreme over a luxurious kingdom, and is served up a series of lovers, by a faithful servant who scouts the desert for new amours when she tires of the current favorite. Each of the former lovers will be transformed into statues of orichalch upon their deaths caused by longing after she tires of them. They are placed in numbered niches in a red marble hall, the center of which will also serve as her final resting place when the 120th niche is filled. She may be immortal, or just long-lived and ageless in appearance. What will happen when she falls in love at last with an erudite and ascetic French scholar who resists her charms?
January 30, 2026
Antinea
Lieutenant de Saint Avit
Tanit-Zerga
Morhange
Ceghéir-ben-Cheikh
The Sahara lays its impassable barrier about Antinea; that is why the most unreasonable requirements of this woman are, in reality, more modest and chaste than your marriage will be, with its vulgar public show, the bans, the invitations, the announcements telling an evil-minded and joking people that after such and such an hour, on such and such a day, you will have the right to violate your little tupenny virgin.
Let go of Antinea. Love Tanit-Zerga.
Lieutenant de Saint Avit
Tanit-Zerga
Morhange
Ceghéir-ben-Cheikh
The Sahara lays its impassable barrier about Antinea; that is why the most unreasonable requirements of this woman are, in reality, more modest and chaste than your marriage will be, with its vulgar public show, the bans, the invitations, the announcements telling an evil-minded and joking people that after such and such an hour, on such and such a day, you will have the right to violate your little tupenny virgin.
Let go of Antinea. Love Tanit-Zerga.
May 8, 2023
2.5/5 arrondi.
J'ai lu ce livre dans le cadre de mes cours de lettres et je dois dire que je n'avais pas vraiment envie de me pencher sur celui-là. C'est donc avec surprise de que je me suis surprise à apprécier l'intrigue et ma lecture en général entre les énumérations de noms géographiques qui cassaient le rythme.
Petite pensée pour Galé et Tanit-Zerga qui m'ont vraiment émue sur la fin du roman.
J'ai lu ce livre dans le cadre de mes cours de lettres et je dois dire que je n'avais pas vraiment envie de me pencher sur celui-là. C'est donc avec surprise de que je me suis surprise à apprécier l'intrigue et ma lecture en général entre les énumérations de noms géographiques qui cassaient le rythme.
Petite pensée pour Galé et Tanit-Zerga qui m'ont vraiment émue sur la fin du roman.
July 5, 2023
C'est difficile de trouver un arrière-plan mieux que le Sahara pour un roman. Pierre Benoit l'a utilisé avec un maximum de succès dans L'Atlantide. Est-ce-que le lieutenant Saint-Avit a tué le capitaine Morhange? Il faut traverser le désert pour avoir la réponse. Un bouquin écrit en 1919 mais qui reste relevant, a jour, et avec autant de passion aujourd'hui. J’espère qu'il y aurait un autre Pierre Benoit dans mon avenir proche.
September 11, 2023
Pues el libro está bien pero a mí modo de ver tiene varias pegas. La supuesta antagonista, Antinea, no aparece hasta pasada la mitad y luego contadas veces. No se entiende la fascinación de los hombres por ella, la verdad. Y lo que cuentan de ella más bien la hace parecer una persona caprichosa y criminal, con unas motivaciones para matar un tanto sui géneris... Es casi más creíble la Ayesha de Ella de Rider Haggard, de la cual toma una notable inspiración por no decir otra cosa...
May 13, 2018
yeni baskısı olmayan eski bir kitap,sahaflardan buldum
mihail bulgakov'un bir kitabında adı geçtiği için merak edip okudum
Aslında klasik bir konusu olsada,kısaca sahranın ortasındaki kale gibi yerde kapatılmış,dünya güzeli antinea ve onun planları yinede üslüp ve yazıldığı devir için iyi sayılabilecek bir kitap
okurken keyif aldım,bilimkurgu sevenlerin seveceği türden bir kitap
mihail bulgakov'un bir kitabında adı geçtiği için merak edip okudum
Aslında klasik bir konusu olsada,kısaca sahranın ortasındaki kale gibi yerde kapatılmış,dünya güzeli antinea ve onun planları yinede üslüp ve yazıldığı devir için iyi sayılabilecek bir kitap
okurken keyif aldım,bilimkurgu sevenlerin seveceği türden bir kitap
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