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Les Ténèbres #1
L'imposture
Mon cher enfant, dit l’abbé Cénabre, de sa belle voix lente et grave, un certain attachement aux biens de ce monde est légitime, et leur défense contre les entreprises d’autrui, dans les limites de la justice, me semble un devoir autant qu’un droit. Néanmoins, il convient d’agir avec prudence, discrétion, discernement...
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1927
About the author
Georges Bernanos
183 books218 followersGeorges Bernanos était un écrivain français, gagneur du Grand Prix du Roman de l'Académie française en 1936 avec Journal d'un curé de campagne.
George Bernanos was a French writer. His 1936 book, Journal d'un curé de campagne (Diary of a Country Priest), won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française.
George Bernanos was a French writer. His 1936 book, Journal d'un curé de campagne (Diary of a Country Priest), won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 7, 2026
Bernanos is an amazing author, although not necessarily the easiest to read. Years ago, when I encountered his The Diary of a Country Priest the first time, I had to give it up. On the second try, his little curé became my Curé of Ars.
In this, Bernanos second novel, I lost track of the number of times I read the first chapter trying to absorb all the layers and intricacies of the three main personalities: Cénebre, a cynical historian who discovers he’s lost his faith, Father Pernichon, a young, foolishly ambitious journalist and Father Chevance, an elderly priest living in poverty-stricken semi-retirement, Cénebre being the dominant character, and most obvious choice as imposter.
How Father Cénebre proceeds to understand his loss of faith and then live with the knowledge that his whole life has been a sham, is both illuminating—in fullest Catholic sense of the word—and terrifying. Before, he walked a knife’s edge in his writing:
This book is a painful read. And slimy. You want to take a shower and go to confession before and after you pick it up each time. Not that it’s full of overt obscenities or blasphemies. It isn’t, but it’s what is revealed about humanity which is so frightening; the depth of human wickedness and deception of which we are all capable is unlimited.
We begin the book assured that a particular man is the Imposter. Slowly, we begin to realize that others also qualify... By the time we finish, we realize that he is all of us.
In this, Bernanos second novel, I lost track of the number of times I read the first chapter trying to absorb all the layers and intricacies of the three main personalities: Cénebre, a cynical historian who discovers he’s lost his faith, Father Pernichon, a young, foolishly ambitious journalist and Father Chevance, an elderly priest living in poverty-stricken semi-retirement, Cénebre being the dominant character, and most obvious choice as imposter.
How Father Cénebre proceeds to understand his loss of faith and then live with the knowledge that his whole life has been a sham, is both illuminating—in fullest Catholic sense of the word—and terrifying. Before, he walked a knife’s edge in his writing:
“The author, of the The Florentine Mystics had long been able to disconcert the critics. Skilled at capturing attention by stealth, his sole aim was to charm. He would withdraw before reaching a conclusion, leaving friend and foe alike baffled. One faction had got hold of him, just as it took up with any doubtful element, not from a taste for scandal but from a desperate need to deceive itself, to put on a mask, to hide its poverty. In powerful Roman spiritual milieux, the intellectual demimonde is very like its sexual counterpart, with the same vanity, envy, welcome for complex hatred and passion for denigrating the better elements that show it up for what it really is, the same naïve lies and pretenses and gullible belief that it has deceived the other side.”Reading this and other descriptions of Cénebre’s life and writings before his ‘discovery’ he had lost his faith and after, I question that he had ever really believed in God. His life sounded more like he was just as much an imposter before as after.
This book is a painful read. And slimy. You want to take a shower and go to confession before and after you pick it up each time. Not that it’s full of overt obscenities or blasphemies. It isn’t, but it’s what is revealed about humanity which is so frightening; the depth of human wickedness and deception of which we are all capable is unlimited.
We begin the book assured that a particular man is the Imposter. Slowly, we begin to realize that others also qualify... By the time we finish, we realize that he is all of us.
February 4, 2024
La première partie était vraiment bien, très forte (et très sombre), mais vers le dernier tiers du livre, c'est devenu impossible à suivre, on ne sait pas où l'auteur veut en venir et j'arrivais à peine à lire une ou deux pages par jour tellement l'écriture était confuse. J'ai préféré (de très loin) Journal d'un curé de campagne.
February 27, 2025
Que se passerait-il si un prêtre se rendait soudain compte qu'il avait perdu la foi et qu'il, par orgueil, gardait ses fonctions? Ne serait-il pas une imposture, auprès de ses proches, de lui même?
Ce livre est le premier tome d'un diptyque nommé "Les Ténèbres", ça annonce la couleur, celui-ci nous met en contact direct avec la misère et la cruauté que peut nous offrir le monde, en abordant constamment la notion de 'liberté' (thème que l'on retrouvera dans les essais de Bernanos), de bien et de mal, le tout écrit d'une main de maître, dans un style indescriptible, nous offrant des réflexions profondes à l'aide d'un vocabulaire riche et original.
Ce livre est le premier tome d'un diptyque nommé "Les Ténèbres", ça annonce la couleur, celui-ci nous met en contact direct avec la misère et la cruauté que peut nous offrir le monde, en abordant constamment la notion de 'liberté' (thème que l'on retrouvera dans les essais de Bernanos), de bien et de mal, le tout écrit d'une main de maître, dans un style indescriptible, nous offrant des réflexions profondes à l'aide d'un vocabulaire riche et original.
November 7, 2024
Le concept de "L'imposture" est très simple. Un prêtre qui est aussi un auteur très important perd sa foi. Au lieu d'abandonner le sacerdoce, il continue parce qu'il aime les conforts et les privilèges de sa position. Des conséquences graves arrivent. Il est méchant avec un écrivain qui lui demande de devenir son confesseur ce qui pousse l'écrivain vers le suicide. Cependant les gaffes du protagoniste sont finalement assez rares. Il ne se fait pas démasquer et il réussit à rester dans le métier qui lui plait tellement.
On trouve dans "L'imposture" le talent très spécial de Bernanos de rendre la lutte pour l'âme d'un pécheur très dramatique comme un fusillade dans un Western ou un combat à sabre dans un roman cape et épée. Les portraits psychologiques des personnages sont excellents. Bref, "L'imposture" est un bon roman débutant de Bernanos qui possède tous les grands éléments des chefs-d'œuvre de la fin de sa carrière.
Malheureusement "L'imposture" a des défauts importants. Le déroulement de l'intrigue est très laborieux. Il y a un personnage important qui se présente seulement dans les vingt dernières pages du roman. Il y a un autre personnage important qui disparait beaucoup trop tôt.
"L'imposture" intéressera un amateur de Bernanos mais c'est un œuvre de jeunesse où l'auteur n'est pas au sommet de son talent.
On trouve dans "L'imposture" le talent très spécial de Bernanos de rendre la lutte pour l'âme d'un pécheur très dramatique comme un fusillade dans un Western ou un combat à sabre dans un roman cape et épée. Les portraits psychologiques des personnages sont excellents. Bref, "L'imposture" est un bon roman débutant de Bernanos qui possède tous les grands éléments des chefs-d'œuvre de la fin de sa carrière.
Malheureusement "L'imposture" a des défauts importants. Le déroulement de l'intrigue est très laborieux. Il y a un personnage important qui se présente seulement dans les vingt dernières pages du roman. Il y a un autre personnage important qui disparait beaucoup trop tôt.
"L'imposture" intéressera un amateur de Bernanos mais c'est un œuvre de jeunesse où l'auteur n'est pas au sommet de son talent.
February 14, 2026
This book deals with a priest who lost his faith—why would I say, then, that it must be called a masterpiece?
Social life is a delicate thing. Bernanos is a master in disclosing what hides underneath the appearances: our lies, and sins, and vices, and the most shameful defects, which contrasts with the sometimes pompous persona we present to others. In a sense, we are all impostors; maybe some are more than others, but Bernanos seems to argue that the problem is not the external appearances in themselves (as they are necessary), but the way in which we lie to ourselves to cover our broken heart and appease our own vanity. That's why the best part of this book (as was the case with "Under the Sun of Satan") is the characterization, especially when the author introduces a new character just to tear them into pieces and show their own imposture. This is a book about impostors, therefore, those who are the pride of society; which is why Fr. Chevance, the only exception, is the most despised man in Paris, despite being a priest.
This work is hard to swallow; it shatters us into pieces. The catharsis lies in picking up the parts of us that really matter before God and hiding them behind an honest cover that lets us accomplish our duties toward society and our own family.
To show sincerity toward others is important; but being honest with ourselves is harder and should always come in first place.
Social life is a delicate thing. Bernanos is a master in disclosing what hides underneath the appearances: our lies, and sins, and vices, and the most shameful defects, which contrasts with the sometimes pompous persona we present to others. In a sense, we are all impostors; maybe some are more than others, but Bernanos seems to argue that the problem is not the external appearances in themselves (as they are necessary), but the way in which we lie to ourselves to cover our broken heart and appease our own vanity. That's why the best part of this book (as was the case with "Under the Sun of Satan") is the characterization, especially when the author introduces a new character just to tear them into pieces and show their own imposture. This is a book about impostors, therefore, those who are the pride of society; which is why Fr. Chevance, the only exception, is the most despised man in Paris, despite being a priest.
This work is hard to swallow; it shatters us into pieces. The catharsis lies in picking up the parts of us that really matter before God and hiding them behind an honest cover that lets us accomplish our duties toward society and our own family.
To show sincerity toward others is important; but being honest with ourselves is harder and should always come in first place.
January 11, 2026
2025 Dec. This is Bernanos's second novel. Decided to reread it after rereading UNDER SATAN'S SUN, his first. The extract about suffering that I made almost thirteen years ago is a natural development of a theme in the earlier book, in which the hero, Fr Donissan, has a dreadful on-again/off-again habit of self-mortification. The first novel ends with a triumphant, if complex, celebration of holy suffering and self-sacrifice. Let's see if, as my earlier notes indicate, the author does indeed lose his faith in 'holy pain.'
UPDATE: Finished, a very challenging novel. Think I misunderstood it a dozen years ago, but not because I understand it now. The best I can do to summarize the four tenuously connected chapters is to observe that they reveal (a) the author's bilious opinion of liberal Catholicism, and (b) the terrible success of the Devil. It does not at all do justice to the book to explain that the hero, Father Cénabre, is gradually possessed by an unclean spirit, and that another priest, Father Chevance, fails to recall him to grace.
2013 Jan. Bernanos is to the soul what Cormac McCarthy is to the hands. Both capture and reveal the workings and turnings and shapes of their object. The first fifteen pages of Chapter 1 are riveting, once you've got a handle on the two players. Much of what follows, especially the long Chapter 2, is obscure. But the psychological insights are worth the work, and the action is almost always compelling.
Perhaps the most striking thing in the novel is Fr. Chevance’s claim about the corruptibility of suffering: "What I see as the most precious thing the Lord gives us is our physical and spiritual sufferings. But over time, the use we put them to may have corrupted them. Yes indeed: man has soiled even the very substance of the divine heart, that is, suffering. The blood that flows from the Cross might kill us.” This is not a theme I associate with Catholic fiction, or any Christian fiction, really. It is unexpectedly echoed at the decidedly unedifying deathbed.
At times the characters are hardly credible, but then all of a sudden you forget your objections, because Bernanos is so good at pathos. The feverish narration of a death (most of the fourth and final chapter) is also impressive, and convincing in its weirdness.
UPDATE: Finished, a very challenging novel. Think I misunderstood it a dozen years ago, but not because I understand it now. The best I can do to summarize the four tenuously connected chapters is to observe that they reveal (a) the author's bilious opinion of liberal Catholicism, and (b) the terrible success of the Devil. It does not at all do justice to the book to explain that the hero, Father Cénabre, is gradually possessed by an unclean spirit, and that another priest, Father Chevance, fails to recall him to grace.
2013 Jan. Bernanos is to the soul what Cormac McCarthy is to the hands. Both capture and reveal the workings and turnings and shapes of their object. The first fifteen pages of Chapter 1 are riveting, once you've got a handle on the two players. Much of what follows, especially the long Chapter 2, is obscure. But the psychological insights are worth the work, and the action is almost always compelling.
Perhaps the most striking thing in the novel is Fr. Chevance’s claim about the corruptibility of suffering: "What I see as the most precious thing the Lord gives us is our physical and spiritual sufferings. But over time, the use we put them to may have corrupted them. Yes indeed: man has soiled even the very substance of the divine heart, that is, suffering. The blood that flows from the Cross might kill us.” This is not a theme I associate with Catholic fiction, or any Christian fiction, really. It is unexpectedly echoed at the decidedly unedifying deathbed.
At times the characters are hardly credible, but then all of a sudden you forget your objections, because Bernanos is so good at pathos. The feverish narration of a death (most of the fourth and final chapter) is also impressive, and convincing in its weirdness.
June 3, 2026
I finished this novel less concerned with the question of faith and more concerned with the question of authenticity.
When I began reading it, I expected a story about religious hypocrisy. What I found instead was a profound exploration of the false self and the subtle ways a person can become estranged from their own soul.
The character of Abbé Cénabre puzzled me. Throughout the novel, I kept wondering what had made him become who he was. Was he always this way? Did his childhood shape him? Did he choose it? Bernanos never provides a simple answer. Instead, he portrays a man who seems to have spent years choosing an image over reality until he became trapped inside the persona he had created.
What struck me most was how relevant his theme feels beyond religion. The novel made me think in a new way about the masks people wear, the identities they become attached to, and the danger of confusing a role with who they truly are. Cénabre is not a powerless victim possessed by demonic forces overriding his will. "The author of Florentine mystics" repeatedly chooses falseness to the point where he becomes uncapable of loving reality. He becomes so attached to the illusory version of himself that life no longer seems imaginable and bearable without it.
I was also fascinated by Chevance. He knows Cénabre's secret and sees through the façade, yet he does not respond with condemnation. He continues to hope for him even though he sees the extent of the damage better than anyone else. In a novel filled with so much darkness and despair, I found this inspiringly courageous rather than optimistically naive.
This is not an easy book, not a quick read. At times it is dense, demanding, and psychologically intense. But it rewards patience. Long after finishing it, I will continue thinking about the questions it raises: How much of our identity is real? What does it take to choose truth over illusion?
I came to this novel through an unexpected path. I was reminded of Georges Bernanos while watching the YouTube series "Movies That Feed the Soul" with Father Kerry Walters on the Holy Spirit Moments channel. In the first episode, he recommends the film 'Diary of a Country Priest' by Robert Bresson, which is based on Bernanos's novel of the same title. His enthusiasm for Bernanos's work made me curious enough to prioritize him on my reading list, and after reading 'The Impostor', I am eager to continue.
I now look forward to reading 'Diary of a Country Priest', 'Under the Sun of Satan', and 'Mouchette'. I believe that Bernanos will continue to challenge me with difficult questions about truth, freedom, grace, and the human soul.
When I began reading it, I expected a story about religious hypocrisy. What I found instead was a profound exploration of the false self and the subtle ways a person can become estranged from their own soul.
The character of Abbé Cénabre puzzled me. Throughout the novel, I kept wondering what had made him become who he was. Was he always this way? Did his childhood shape him? Did he choose it? Bernanos never provides a simple answer. Instead, he portrays a man who seems to have spent years choosing an image over reality until he became trapped inside the persona he had created.
What struck me most was how relevant his theme feels beyond religion. The novel made me think in a new way about the masks people wear, the identities they become attached to, and the danger of confusing a role with who they truly are. Cénabre is not a powerless victim possessed by demonic forces overriding his will. "The author of Florentine mystics" repeatedly chooses falseness to the point where he becomes uncapable of loving reality. He becomes so attached to the illusory version of himself that life no longer seems imaginable and bearable without it.
I was also fascinated by Chevance. He knows Cénabre's secret and sees through the façade, yet he does not respond with condemnation. He continues to hope for him even though he sees the extent of the damage better than anyone else. In a novel filled with so much darkness and despair, I found this inspiringly courageous rather than optimistically naive.
This is not an easy book, not a quick read. At times it is dense, demanding, and psychologically intense. But it rewards patience. Long after finishing it, I will continue thinking about the questions it raises: How much of our identity is real? What does it take to choose truth over illusion?
I came to this novel through an unexpected path. I was reminded of Georges Bernanos while watching the YouTube series "Movies That Feed the Soul" with Father Kerry Walters on the Holy Spirit Moments channel. In the first episode, he recommends the film 'Diary of a Country Priest' by Robert Bresson, which is based on Bernanos's novel of the same title. His enthusiasm for Bernanos's work made me curious enough to prioritize him on my reading list, and after reading 'The Impostor', I am eager to continue.
I now look forward to reading 'Diary of a Country Priest', 'Under the Sun of Satan', and 'Mouchette'. I believe that Bernanos will continue to challenge me with difficult questions about truth, freedom, grace, and the human soul.
August 4, 2022
Começando com o que é bom, o estilo do escritor é bem fluído, dá uma sensação de estar correndo pelas linhas. É também verdade que ele o faz com excessivas descrições, às vezes divertidas e até precisas, mas outras nem tanto, seja pela distância temporal ou pela tradução.
Sobre o livro em si, os capítulos 1 e 3 falam sobre o padre Cénabre e são os mais interessantes, 2 é razoável por si mas no contexto do livro é quase totalmente inútil. O 4 e último é razoável também e faz mais sentido estar onde está. Meu principal problema com essas divisões são que o autor não fez um bom trabalho em conectá-las. Parecem livros distintos colados um ao outro, porque é difícil peceber a linha mestra que conecta toda a história.
O veredito é que recomendo pelo escritor mas não pelo romance. Talvez seus livros mais conhecidos sejam melhores.
Sobre o livro em si, os capítulos 1 e 3 falam sobre o padre Cénabre e são os mais interessantes, 2 é razoável por si mas no contexto do livro é quase totalmente inútil. O 4 e último é razoável também e faz mais sentido estar onde está. Meu principal problema com essas divisões são que o autor não fez um bom trabalho em conectá-las. Parecem livros distintos colados um ao outro, porque é difícil peceber a linha mestra que conecta toda a história.
O veredito é que recomendo pelo escritor mas não pelo romance. Talvez seus livros mais conhecidos sejam melhores.
February 26, 2026
Qui la mia recensione: https://federicopani.com/2020/06/09/l...
January 23, 2010
A modernist story of Catholic image and loss of faith.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews