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Cand cersetorii devin ingeri...
„Personajul principal al acestui roman este Antonin Dampierre, in varsta de treizeci de ani, preocupat de infatisarea sa, un barbat ca oricare altul. Sau, cel putin, asa pare. Lucreaza intr-o agentie imobiliara de lux pana intr-o zi, cand rateaza o tranzactie din cauza doi betivi, se repede la unul dintre ei si il omoara in bataie. Antonin are un moment de iluminare: vrea sa purifice lumea de cersetori. Incepe cautarea halucinanta prin Parisul epavelor umane, unde o cunoaste pe Isolde de Hauteluce, un fel de mama a ranitilor. Va reusi aceasta eroina dedicata intru totul umanitatii sa-l salveze pe Antonin de el insusi?“ - Pascal Bruckner
Autorul reflecteaza asupra decaderii umane si a contrastului izbitor dintre viata „civilizata“ si cei aflati pe treapta cea mai de jos a ierarhiei sociale. Oare cersetorii sunt reversul fatal al societatii noastre ultraigienizate?
„Personajul principal al acestui roman este Antonin Dampierre, in varsta de treizeci de ani, preocupat de infatisarea sa, un barbat ca oricare altul. Sau, cel putin, asa pare. Lucreaza intr-o agentie imobiliara de lux pana intr-o zi, cand rateaza o tranzactie din cauza doi betivi, se repede la unul dintre ei si il omoara in bataie. Antonin are un moment de iluminare: vrea sa purifice lumea de cersetori. Incepe cautarea halucinanta prin Parisul epavelor umane, unde o cunoaste pe Isolde de Hauteluce, un fel de mama a ranitilor. Va reusi aceasta eroina dedicata intru totul umanitatii sa-l salveze pe Antonin de el insusi?“ - Pascal Bruckner
Autorul reflecteaza asupra decaderii umane si a contrastului izbitor dintre viata „civilizata“ si cei aflati pe treapta cea mai de jos a ierarhiei sociale. Oare cersetorii sunt reversul fatal al societatii noastre ultraigienizate?
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
11 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Pascal Bruckner
112 books464 followersPascal Bruckner est un romancier et essayiste français, d'origine suisse protestante, né à Paris le 15 décembre 1948. Après des études au Lycée Henri IV à Paris, à l'université de Paris I et de Paris VII, et à l'Ecole pratique des hautes études, Pascal Bruckner devient professeur invité à l'Université d'Etat de San Diego en Californie et à la New York University de 1986 à 1995. Maître de conférences à l'Institut d'études politiques de Paris de 1990 à 1994, il collabore également au Monde et au Nouvel Observateur. Romancier prolifique, on lui doit Lunes de fiel - adapté à l'écran par Roman Polanski - Les Voleurs de beauté - prix Renaudot en 1997 - et plus récemment L'Amour du prochain (2005).
Pascal Bruckner is a French writer, one of the "New Philosophers" who came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of his work has been devoted to critiques of French society and culture. He is the author of many books including The Tyranny of Guilt, Perpetual Euphoria and The Paradox of Love. He writes regularly for Le Nouvel Observateur.
Pascal Bruckner is a French writer, one of the "New Philosophers" who came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of his work has been devoted to critiques of French society and culture. He is the author of many books including The Tyranny of Guilt, Perpetual Euphoria and The Paradox of Love. He writes regularly for Le Nouvel Observateur.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 30, 2019
2.5 stars rounded to 3
I found the idea interesting but the story didn't captivate me at all. It had a nice ending.
I found the idea interesting but the story didn't captivate me at all. It had a nice ending.
August 10, 2016
This novel gives you a totally and radically different view from the usual charming touristic sight of Paris. This book tells the story of Paris as seen and lived by the homeless. The novel seems to start off as the typical serial killer genre, but the story evolves and ends differently from what you'd expect.
November 13, 2013
Prima data postata pe http://nervidetoamna.blogspot.ro/
Cand am cumparat aceasta carte nu credeam ca o voi citi atat de curand, dar asa cum, de cand a aparut, m-a intrigat descrierea si subiectul cartii, ideea tratata, atunci cand am avut-o in fata m-am apucat de ea. Chiar daca incepusem alta carte, dar imi facea cu ochiul si... recunosc ca la inceput, in primele capitole totul mi se parea sec, aveam impresia ca nu-mi va placea, ca autorul e cam rece si ca nu ma voi atasa de personaj, chiar imi parea rau de idee, dar continuand sa citesc, pentru ca nu-i foarte lunga cartea, are doar 248 de pagini, parerea a inceput sa mi se schimbe si n-am mai lasat-o din mana. Cu cat citeam mai mult cu atat, mental ratingul cartii crestea, pana cand... a explodat, odata cu citirea epilogului. Dar o voi lua treptat.
Antonin *pe care eu mereu il citesc Antoin, habar n-am de ce* nu mi se parea la inceput un personaj complex, poate doar putin "dus" din cauza obsesiei lui pentru curatenie, insa cand l-a apucat "boala" si a vrut sa curete Parisul de cersetori nu m-am putut abtine sa nu-l plac si sa nu-l urmaresc, in calatoria lui, c-un zambet mare pe fata. Recunosc ca am o mica - mare placere pentru ucigasi sau oameni care au asemenea tendinte - mai putin sau mai mult justificate. Antonin de-a lungul cartii evolueaza foarte mult, ajunge chiar sa cada in alta extrema *dar nu va dau detalii, eu inca imi adun maxilarul de pe jos*, incepe sa vada lumea cu alti ochi si mai ales gusta din propriul medicament. Desi eu zic ca nu merita finalul acela, dar nu comentez. Autorul stie mai bine.
Ar trebui sa vorbim putin si de tanti Hauteluce *al carei nume mi-a pus destule probleme in a-l citi corect de fiecare data, asa ca eu ii zic doamna H.*. Un personaj care iar m-a indus in eroare si nu m-a lasat sa vad ce se ascunde sub fata de tanti cuminte, care ajuta nevoiasii. La un moment dat am numit-o ticnita pentru ca ii ajuta chiar daca ei nu voiau, chiar daca dupa ce plecau de la C.I. se duceau pe strada si apoi iar reveneau, ea tot ii ajuta. Dar fiecare om cu problemele lui. Dar oh, DOAMNE! ce se ascunde in capul babei asteia. Mai sa-mi cada fata, a doua oara, cand am citit.
Ce sa va mai zic. Chiar daca ideea, chit ca-i ciudata, pare foarte simpla, e asa doar in aparenta. Atat personajele, deciziile lor, replicile, dar si felul cum se desfasoara lucrurile fac totul sa devina complex, sa vrei sa treci prin pagini mai repede, sa afli cum sunt personajele cu adevarat, ce vor, ce se va intampla cu ele. Sincer pentru mine aceasta carte a fost una originala, atat ca idee, cat si ca scriitura, mi-a placut mult si chiar si lumea murdata a cersetorilor a capatat parca o culoare mai blanda. Nu m-asteptat ca-n 250 sa citesc atatea lucruri, sa raman surprinsa, socata, sa ma bucur, sa ma enervez, sa vreau ca Antonin sa reuseasca si totusi sa-mi fie mila de acei oameni fara acoperis. Si inca ceva, nu va lasati indusi in eroare de titlu, pentru ca exprima prea putin ceea ce-i cartea aceasta. Eu va zic s-o cititi pentru ca merita. Mult! Iar de final ... nu gasesc destule cuvinte ca sa va spun. Epilogul e... mortal.
Cand am cumparat aceasta carte nu credeam ca o voi citi atat de curand, dar asa cum, de cand a aparut, m-a intrigat descrierea si subiectul cartii, ideea tratata, atunci cand am avut-o in fata m-am apucat de ea. Chiar daca incepusem alta carte, dar imi facea cu ochiul si... recunosc ca la inceput, in primele capitole totul mi se parea sec, aveam impresia ca nu-mi va placea, ca autorul e cam rece si ca nu ma voi atasa de personaj, chiar imi parea rau de idee, dar continuand sa citesc, pentru ca nu-i foarte lunga cartea, are doar 248 de pagini, parerea a inceput sa mi se schimbe si n-am mai lasat-o din mana. Cu cat citeam mai mult cu atat, mental ratingul cartii crestea, pana cand... a explodat, odata cu citirea epilogului. Dar o voi lua treptat.
Antonin *pe care eu mereu il citesc Antoin, habar n-am de ce* nu mi se parea la inceput un personaj complex, poate doar putin "dus" din cauza obsesiei lui pentru curatenie, insa cand l-a apucat "boala" si a vrut sa curete Parisul de cersetori nu m-am putut abtine sa nu-l plac si sa nu-l urmaresc, in calatoria lui, c-un zambet mare pe fata. Recunosc ca am o mica - mare placere pentru ucigasi sau oameni care au asemenea tendinte - mai putin sau mai mult justificate. Antonin de-a lungul cartii evolueaza foarte mult, ajunge chiar sa cada in alta extrema *dar nu va dau detalii, eu inca imi adun maxilarul de pe jos*, incepe sa vada lumea cu alti ochi si mai ales gusta din propriul medicament. Desi eu zic ca nu merita finalul acela, dar nu comentez. Autorul stie mai bine.
Ar trebui sa vorbim putin si de tanti Hauteluce *al carei nume mi-a pus destule probleme in a-l citi corect de fiecare data, asa ca eu ii zic doamna H.*. Un personaj care iar m-a indus in eroare si nu m-a lasat sa vad ce se ascunde sub fata de tanti cuminte, care ajuta nevoiasii. La un moment dat am numit-o ticnita pentru ca ii ajuta chiar daca ei nu voiau, chiar daca dupa ce plecau de la C.I. se duceau pe strada si apoi iar reveneau, ea tot ii ajuta. Dar fiecare om cu problemele lui. Dar oh, DOAMNE! ce se ascunde in capul babei asteia. Mai sa-mi cada fata, a doua oara, cand am citit.
Ce sa va mai zic. Chiar daca ideea, chit ca-i ciudata, pare foarte simpla, e asa doar in aparenta. Atat personajele, deciziile lor, replicile, dar si felul cum se desfasoara lucrurile fac totul sa devina complex, sa vrei sa treci prin pagini mai repede, sa afli cum sunt personajele cu adevarat, ce vor, ce se va intampla cu ele. Sincer pentru mine aceasta carte a fost una originala, atat ca idee, cat si ca scriitura, mi-a placut mult si chiar si lumea murdata a cersetorilor a capatat parca o culoare mai blanda. Nu m-asteptat ca-n 250 sa citesc atatea lucruri, sa raman surprinsa, socata, sa ma bucur, sa ma enervez, sa vreau ca Antonin sa reuseasca si totusi sa-mi fie mila de acei oameni fara acoperis. Si inca ceva, nu va lasati indusi in eroare de titlu, pentru ca exprima prea putin ceea ce-i cartea aceasta. Eu va zic s-o cititi pentru ca merita. Mult! Iar de final ... nu gasesc destule cuvinte ca sa va spun. Epilogul e... mortal.
July 18, 2018
SUPERBĂ!!
December 21, 2017
Parisul altfel...
March 6, 2017
Not bad. I had a feeling about the end, but, overall, it was kinda good.
May 13, 2014
I've read most of Bruckner's books (I really like the author), but I have to say "La maison des anges" is not his best work. It's not that I didn't like it, but I found it a bit predictable. I would've given a 3 star rating if it wasn't for this ending. The finale took shape in my mind halfway through the book (otherwise the only acceptable one in my opinion) so I gave Bruckner another star for proving me once again we think alike. :)
June 9, 2015
Definitely this is not one of Bruckner's best books, not even close. I observed that he had taken some ideas and some features from the old characters developed in his previous books ( the aim of the crimes)
November 9, 2021
Pascal Bruckner has been identified with a new group of philosophers who broke away from Marxist thinking in the early 1970's. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's writing, particularly [The Gulag Archipelago] had an effect on what they described as the worship of the master thinkers of the left. They came to believe that these comprehensive systems of thought led to oppression, be it of the left or the right. It is no surprise then that Bruckner's novel published in 2013 is to some extent a critique of western society grounded in the streets of Paris France.
Antonin Dampierre comes from a bourgeois family and two events in his early young life have left scars that cannot be healed. The first and most important of these was as a young man of twenty travelling across an alpine pass alone in his car in mid winter. The car breaks down and he must find shelter from the cold. He finds an inn; closed for the winter, but manages to persuade the ancient female proprietor to let him stay. He is shown a room upstairs and soon falls asleep. He is awakened by the old woman coming into his room; she gets into his bed and lays on top of him, he is pinned down and does not know what to do. He falls asleep again only to find that the old woman has died and he crawls out from underneath and makes his escape. The second incident occurs when he is working as an estate agent in Paris. He is awaiting the arrival of some very rich clients outside a luxurious apartment that he hopes to sell. Just as their chauffeur driven car pulls up at the kerb side, two very drunk homeless men come barrelling down the road. One of them stops outside of the street entrance to the apartment and vomits over the doorstep. His clients agree to look at the apartment but they no longer have an interest and soon leave. As a furious Antonin leaves the apartment the tramp is lying propped up in the doorway and he grabs Antonin's leg. Antonin kicks him and keeps on kicking him until he is dead. He hastily flees the scene waiting then for a call from the police. Nothing happens; he has got away with it. Two things are thus revealed about Antonin: he has a hatred of old or destitute people and has a violent temper. He hatches plans to rid Paris of the homeless destitute people littering the streets and finds himself volunteering to work in a refuge for the homeless, so that he can carry out his murderous schemes.
Antonin's close association with the destitute brings forth all sorts of emotions, on the one hand he bitterly despises them, but on the other hand he comes to grudgingly admire their ability to look after themselves. Pascal Bruckner's novel takes the readers down amongst the homeless and their bitter struggle to survive. We see them through Antonin's eyes and so the worst aspects of their existence are brought to life. It is no surprise that Antonin finds himself sinking down among them and for him it becomes a question of sinking to the bottom, before he can get some sort of redemption.
The novel literally takes the reader through the streets of Paris and the catacombs and sewers that run beneath it: to another world barely glimpsed by most people. Bruckner is careful not to make this seem a fantasy world and real personalities like Bono of the group U2 and Christopher Hitchings: the American critic, find themselves included in the general debate about homeless people. Another theme straddling this novel is the tribal nature of the destitute, the groupings into nationalities that were a feature of the last french novel I read, which was Olivier Noreks's Entre Deux Mondes.
The central story about the fate of Antonin Dampier is a good one and holds the book together. I found the descent into the world of the misery on the streets of Paris pretty good for my soul, but Bruckner's point that some can survive, albeit usually at the expense of others is a fairly hard dose of reality. Of course the question of homeless people in the big cities and what if anything can be done, is outside the scope of this novel, but Bruckner sets the background for such a debate. A four star read.
Antonin Dampierre comes from a bourgeois family and two events in his early young life have left scars that cannot be healed. The first and most important of these was as a young man of twenty travelling across an alpine pass alone in his car in mid winter. The car breaks down and he must find shelter from the cold. He finds an inn; closed for the winter, but manages to persuade the ancient female proprietor to let him stay. He is shown a room upstairs and soon falls asleep. He is awakened by the old woman coming into his room; she gets into his bed and lays on top of him, he is pinned down and does not know what to do. He falls asleep again only to find that the old woman has died and he crawls out from underneath and makes his escape. The second incident occurs when he is working as an estate agent in Paris. He is awaiting the arrival of some very rich clients outside a luxurious apartment that he hopes to sell. Just as their chauffeur driven car pulls up at the kerb side, two very drunk homeless men come barrelling down the road. One of them stops outside of the street entrance to the apartment and vomits over the doorstep. His clients agree to look at the apartment but they no longer have an interest and soon leave. As a furious Antonin leaves the apartment the tramp is lying propped up in the doorway and he grabs Antonin's leg. Antonin kicks him and keeps on kicking him until he is dead. He hastily flees the scene waiting then for a call from the police. Nothing happens; he has got away with it. Two things are thus revealed about Antonin: he has a hatred of old or destitute people and has a violent temper. He hatches plans to rid Paris of the homeless destitute people littering the streets and finds himself volunteering to work in a refuge for the homeless, so that he can carry out his murderous schemes.
Antonin's close association with the destitute brings forth all sorts of emotions, on the one hand he bitterly despises them, but on the other hand he comes to grudgingly admire their ability to look after themselves. Pascal Bruckner's novel takes the readers down amongst the homeless and their bitter struggle to survive. We see them through Antonin's eyes and so the worst aspects of their existence are brought to life. It is no surprise that Antonin finds himself sinking down among them and for him it becomes a question of sinking to the bottom, before he can get some sort of redemption.
The novel literally takes the reader through the streets of Paris and the catacombs and sewers that run beneath it: to another world barely glimpsed by most people. Bruckner is careful not to make this seem a fantasy world and real personalities like Bono of the group U2 and Christopher Hitchings: the American critic, find themselves included in the general debate about homeless people. Another theme straddling this novel is the tribal nature of the destitute, the groupings into nationalities that were a feature of the last french novel I read, which was Olivier Noreks's Entre Deux Mondes.
The central story about the fate of Antonin Dampier is a good one and holds the book together. I found the descent into the world of the misery on the streets of Paris pretty good for my soul, but Bruckner's point that some can survive, albeit usually at the expense of others is a fairly hard dose of reality. Of course the question of homeless people in the big cities and what if anything can be done, is outside the scope of this novel, but Bruckner sets the background for such a debate. A four star read.
April 21, 2020
Average book, inferior to other books by Pascal Bruckner (like for instance The Divine Child). The writing is pretty erratic, the action is very slow, the only pretty good part are the final chapters. My rating: 2.5
February 26, 2018
O carte buna cu un sfarsit genial! Daca inceputul cartii m-a lasat rece, cam de la jumatate incolo, efectiv cu greu m-am mai desprins de carte.
June 27, 2018
Speechless.
November 27, 2022
Sa nu o mai vad.
May 11, 2021
* Curățenia nu era doar la suprafață. Nu ești curat doar fiindcă ai încetat să mai fii murdar, e doar o primă etapă pe calea mântuirii.
* O viață poate dispărea într-o secundă, cu un simplu gest.
*Binecuvântată inventarea prezervativelor și și-ar fi dorit să existe unele și pentru sărut, pentru strângerile de mână, ba chiar și pentru cuvinte, pentru a exista astfel un filtru și a se evita contaminarea timpanelor. Pentru cuvintele murdare, care rănesc și se încrustează în memorie, de unde nu mai pleacă.
* Adevăratele eroine ale zilelor noastre sunt eroine de suflet. Sexul e ceva obișnuit, arta prea aleatorie. Altruismul este o profesiune deschisă tuturor și lipsită de limite.
* Zdrențele cerșetorilor nu trebuie disprețuite, zicea Sfântul Ioan Gură de Aur. Și cei al căror aspect ne scârbește sunt tot copiii Domnului, făcuți din același pământ ca și noi.
* Tot ceea ce este de preț este pe cât de greu, pe atât de rar.
* O viață poate dispărea într-o secundă, cu un simplu gest.
*Binecuvântată inventarea prezervativelor și și-ar fi dorit să existe unele și pentru sărut, pentru strângerile de mână, ba chiar și pentru cuvinte, pentru a exista astfel un filtru și a se evita contaminarea timpanelor. Pentru cuvintele murdare, care rănesc și se încrustează în memorie, de unde nu mai pleacă.
* Adevăratele eroine ale zilelor noastre sunt eroine de suflet. Sexul e ceva obișnuit, arta prea aleatorie. Altruismul este o profesiune deschisă tuturor și lipsită de limite.
* Zdrențele cerșetorilor nu trebuie disprețuite, zicea Sfântul Ioan Gură de Aur. Și cei al căror aspect ne scârbește sunt tot copiii Domnului, făcuți din același pământ ca și noi.
* Tot ceea ce este de preț este pe cât de greu, pe atât de rar.
November 19, 2013
I'm a big fan of Bruckner's work and this book doesn't disappoint. There were times when I felt like I was reading a French copy of "American Psycho", but as it turns out, Antonin Dampierre and Patrick Bateman have little in common. Yet, that's the reason I only gave it 4 stars out of 5.
Other than that, do read this book. It will definitely make you look different at homeless people. It will reinforce how great it feels to own a place and it will scare you shitless by making you think of how fast you can end up living on the streets.
Other than that, do read this book. It will definitely make you look different at homeless people. It will reinforce how great it feels to own a place and it will scare you shitless by making you think of how fast you can end up living on the streets.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews