The Demon of the Absurd

by Rachilde, Shawn M. Garrett (Translator), Marcel Schwob (introduction)

There is no other reality than things invented by an inimitable imagination. Everything else is foolishness or error. . . . If Rachilde is the only one to be frightened by mirrors, to contemplate in the glory of the sunset or the hermetic castle where she will never enter, to experience the pangs of death for a pulled tooth, it is because she sees further than we. The master of the absurd has entered our bodies, according to Jesus’ permission, and our sight has become obscured. If Rachilde’ s tales seem absurd to the demon named “Legion,” we can be sure that they contain an invaluable part of the truth.

Thus wrote Marcel Schwob in his introduction to Rachilde’ s classic collection of Decadent stories, The Demon of the Absurd, first published in 1894 and here presented for the first time in English, in a translation by Shawn Garrett.

These tales and pièces de théâtre, uniting tragedy and comedy, horror and deep mystery, in their sum total, represent a major work by the Queen of Decadence.

142 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2024

About the author

Rachilde was the nom de plume of Marguerite Vallette-Eymery, a French author who was born February 11, 1860 in Périgueux, Périgord, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France during the Second French Empire and died in April 4, 1953.
She is considered to be a pioneer of anti-realistic drama and a participant in the Decadent movement.
Rachilde was married to Alfred Vallette.

Reviews

[Chuck LoPresti · Rating 4 out of 5]

My knowledge of Rachilde, prior to this release, was based on her prominent role in the life of Alfred Jarry. She married Alfred Vallette, the editor of the Mercure de France that published many great and similarly minded symbolists and decadents such as Cros, Jarry and Mallarme to name a few of the many. Each of these small decadent tales is dedicated to a related artist and Rachilde seems to take on some of their characteristics in response. Renard and Lemonnier being specific examples. Not merely an acolyte - she has a wide ranging style that has a unique voice. We know that she was familiar with Dr. Faustroll's library and it's clear in these writings. Both historical and contemporary influences that were shared by members of her salon such as Rabelais, Maeterlink, and Verhaeren are apparent by not merely aped. I imagine if you've made it here - you are also familiar with those sources. Go Snuggly go! Perhaps a bit slight but I still welcome each of their well selected releases. I don't know the French language well enough to comment on the merit of these translations but it was a clear and not artless read.

If you need further justification for investing your time or money - the opening essay from Marcel Schwob will provide that. He is easily one of my favorite writers and I place him along side the likes of Walter Benjamin and JL Borges in terms of breadth and depth of literary knowledge. His included preface is succinct and insightful. What an opening sentence that he attributes to Poe: 'It is a good bet that any public idea, any accepted convention, is a folly, because it is agreed upon by the largest number.' "I wouldn't want to define the absurd any other way."

[Damian Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first half of this book to be far stronger than the second. The following stories stuck out the most:

The Crystal Spider, with its Poe-like irrational regard of mirrors.

The Hermetic Chateau, about the distant sight of a ruined castle which may or may not be a deceptive illusion. At the heart of the story is the desire to occupy a place that either doesn't exist or can't be found.

The Unholy Parade, despite its possible antisemitism, in which three dissolute stragglers steal into a church at night. The play opens with the speaking parts of several inanimate objects in the church before it's stealthy violation.

The Harvest of Sodom, which I can't even describe. Mythological and fantastic. The best description of flourishing vines I've ever read.

The Prowler, another play, very atmospheric, about a woman and her servants in a large house, all of whom grow increasingly paranoid about the notion of a prowler.

The Tooth and the Panther were both good as well.

The only other book I've read by Rachilde is The Tower of Love on Wakefield Press, which is excellent. about half of the material here is on par with that one, which makes it well worth reading.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second selection of short stories by Rachilde that Snuggly has released this year — each by a different translator. This is by far the better set. Most memorable for me was "The Crystal Spider," an elaboration on the fear (or maybe just deep distrust) of mirrors that serves as a theme in several of Rachilde's work (see "The Dark Princess"). "The Harvest of Sodom" is an exercise in explosive, playful ecstasy of descriptive indulgence of the sort that would drive the hated naturalists to revulsion. "A Bother" takes what would become an existentialist trope, a soul and its guardian angel weighing the merits of human life, and drives it predictably, but comically, toward nihilism. All of Rachilde's unique voice and outlook — along with those of the Decadent movement she helped shape — are on vivid display. Thankful to Snuggly for making these gems accessible to an English-reading audience.

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shawn Garrett's 'translation' was very clearly made using Google Translate on the Project Gutenberg text of Rachilde's 'Le Démon de l'Absurd'. A side-by-side comparison of the printed text and the Google Translate result of Rachilde's work shows that Shawn Garrett has simply exchanged a few words for their synonyms, often poorly, or juggled a few phrases without any understanding of the author's voice. Otherwise the majority of the book is nigh-identical with the Google Translate results.

I was shocked reading this book, especially having paid nearly $20 for the pleasure.

Please do not waste your money. You can copy and paste just as well, and just as with Shawn Garrett, have no need of speaking French.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book, nothing amazing or offensive. The story, "The Panther," was the highlight for me.

This is okay, it's not great. I worry about the praise given to Rachilde, especially since this wasn't exactly profound.