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La toison
Dans un jardin de la Cité universitaire à Paris, le narrateur s'adonne avec volupté à la contemplation des jeunes filles étrangères qui s'ébattent sous ses fenêtres. Il poursuit son étrange rêverie surréaliste au cours de longues promenades dans un Paris insolite, envahi par les troupeaux de biches, de cerfs, recouvert de neige, et où se déroule une révolution. Les longues chevelures féminines répandues sur les épaules, les manteaux de fourrure, les animaux forment autant de toisons qui se confondent dans son esprit et lui inspirent un récit à la fois poétique et romanesque.
232 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1972
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February 10, 2025
Patrick Grainville’s first novel, La Toison (1972), is imbued with the impetuosity of youth and sex. The narrator is a student from Normandy who lives at the Cité Universitaire in Paris. Mingling with international students from Africa, Japan, Sweden and Norway, he pursues his interest in ‘le donjuanisme’ by chasing several young females: Lise, Jana and Laura.
The novel displays Grainville’s flamboyant and baroque style, with echos of Ovid’s Metamorphosis and its blending of human, animal and vegetal.
During midwinter, there is a societal disruption akin to the milieu of the May 1969 riots, but with surreal events. Paris shuts down and a great wintering begins. Students clash with militia and police. Streets burn with bonfire pyres of department store clothes, furniture, synthetic nylons, shoes and silk scarves. The Seine freezes and the snowy Paris boulevards are invaded by herds of deer like blood flowing in arteries. Their blond fleece is seen pulsating and floating in the distance. The narrator is enamored by the fleece he sees everywhere and is touched by its divine grace; hence the title of the novel La Toison. The enlarged eyes of the animals are everywhere and they take over the city. Deer lay down and humans lay beside them. Society and the university cease to exist.
Deer sleep in front of Notre Dame, and they attack a man who attempts to hunt them with a rifle. The Eiffel Tower topples over.
The narrator and Jana explore the snow-choked streets of Paris and try to survive. They subsist on nutrient tablets and find warmth and shelter wherever they can.
In the last chapter, Jana’s body begins to be covered with fleece. She recovers and they escape to her country home, only to end their affair. The narrator’s other amorous pursuits also mostly burn out and fail. But the hunt goes on.
La Toison depicts the young author’s autobiographical interest in Don Juan and the hunt of females, only to be eclipsed by reality and maturity. It is a promising first novel for a grand writer such as Patrick Grainville.
The novel displays Grainville’s flamboyant and baroque style, with echos of Ovid’s Metamorphosis and its blending of human, animal and vegetal.
During midwinter, there is a societal disruption akin to the milieu of the May 1969 riots, but with surreal events. Paris shuts down and a great wintering begins. Students clash with militia and police. Streets burn with bonfire pyres of department store clothes, furniture, synthetic nylons, shoes and silk scarves. The Seine freezes and the snowy Paris boulevards are invaded by herds of deer like blood flowing in arteries. Their blond fleece is seen pulsating and floating in the distance. The narrator is enamored by the fleece he sees everywhere and is touched by its divine grace; hence the title of the novel La Toison. The enlarged eyes of the animals are everywhere and they take over the city. Deer lay down and humans lay beside them. Society and the university cease to exist.
Deer sleep in front of Notre Dame, and they attack a man who attempts to hunt them with a rifle. The Eiffel Tower topples over.
The narrator and Jana explore the snow-choked streets of Paris and try to survive. They subsist on nutrient tablets and find warmth and shelter wherever they can.
In the last chapter, Jana’s body begins to be covered with fleece. She recovers and they escape to her country home, only to end their affair. The narrator’s other amorous pursuits also mostly burn out and fail. But the hunt goes on.
La Toison depicts the young author’s autobiographical interest in Don Juan and the hunt of females, only to be eclipsed by reality and maturity. It is a promising first novel for a grand writer such as Patrick Grainville.
Displaying 1 of 1 review