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Farewell, My Only One
A novel that brings to life one of the great romances of all time. “Evokes in gritty and poetic detail the streets of twelfth-century Paris.” — The New York Times Book Review
In the early twelfth century, William reaches Paris full of hope and without a penny. There, on the same day, he meets the two people who will dominate his young Heloise, with whom he immediately falls in love, and Abelard, the world-renowned philosopher. Through the eyes of William, we follow every turn in the greatest love story of the Middle Ages. We witness, in harrowing and lush descriptions, the scandal of the famous theologian falling for his educated and charming student; their flight and secret marriage; the barbaric revenge of the girl’s uncle; their years of separation; the writing of the famous letters; and finally the demise of a broken Abelard, whose books have been burned, a man who finds his ultimate solace in the thought of the woman who has never ceased to love him.
Antoine Audouard brings literary grace to a story that is palpably infused with sensuality, conflict, and intellectual ferment. Farewell, My Only One is intelligent and bawdy, philosophical and romantic—a universal story of star-crossed lovers.
“This is an elegantly written novel, refreshing in its bawdy portrayal of religious figures and intellectually stimulating in its rigorous treatment of the theological discourse of the time.” — Publishers Weekly
In the early twelfth century, William reaches Paris full of hope and without a penny. There, on the same day, he meets the two people who will dominate his young Heloise, with whom he immediately falls in love, and Abelard, the world-renowned philosopher. Through the eyes of William, we follow every turn in the greatest love story of the Middle Ages. We witness, in harrowing and lush descriptions, the scandal of the famous theologian falling for his educated and charming student; their flight and secret marriage; the barbaric revenge of the girl’s uncle; their years of separation; the writing of the famous letters; and finally the demise of a broken Abelard, whose books have been burned, a man who finds his ultimate solace in the thought of the woman who has never ceased to love him.
Antoine Audouard brings literary grace to a story that is palpably infused with sensuality, conflict, and intellectual ferment. Farewell, My Only One is intelligent and bawdy, philosophical and romantic—a universal story of star-crossed lovers.
“This is an elegantly written novel, refreshing in its bawdy portrayal of religious figures and intellectually stimulating in its rigorous treatment of the theological discourse of the time.” — Publishers Weekly
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 5, 2020
Je suis peu familière des fictions historiques et ce roman fut une belle surprise. J'ai apprécié ce style très soigné, d'une grande qualité et qui a su rendre la "voix" du Moyen-Age. Le travail très référencé de l'auteur y a sûrement aidé.
La présence d'une tierce personne (autre que Abélard ou Héloïse) comme narrateur m'a semblé un choix très judicieux. La distance, le recul avec l'histoire d'amour et en même temps la fascination (allant jusqu'à la fusion) étaient des postures nécessaires pour saisir les couleurs de cette relation devenue légendaire.
La présence d'une tierce personne (autre que Abélard ou Héloïse) comme narrateur m'a semblé un choix très judicieux. La distance, le recul avec l'histoire d'amour et en même temps la fascination (allant jusqu'à la fusion) étaient des postures nécessaires pour saisir les couleurs de cette relation devenue légendaire.
January 28, 2018
"Faire de la terre entière un lieu pour son exil, être chez soi partout."
March 10, 2021
toch effe lezen voor het volgend bezoek aan pére lachaise.
March 25, 2021
après cette lecture on regarde les pierres d’un autre œil, on lit l’histoire qu’elles racontent
May 19, 2024
C’est du satin
February 14, 2016
Review for the English Translation: Farewell, My Only One
This book is actually a story within a story...as much William of Oxford's as it is the often strained friendship he has with Peter Abélard, and his (William's) own soul stirring love for Héloïse. The feel of time and place is fulfilled in this book, not with over-illustration, but with subtlety. The narrator does not attempt to analyze his era, but to breathe through the space it has afforded him...hence, the reader does as well. The characters and environment often become kaleidoscopic; fluid and at times bordering on the grotesque. Although there are some clear liberties taken with known historical documentation, all is forgiven because the book brings an intriguing dimension to the ill fated lovers who are each tended to in the story as once living beings in their own right. Perhaps it is through the intimacy and introspection of friendship that any story, even fictionalized, becomes more clear, at least in its parts.
To have some comprehension of Medieval cosmology (where heaven and its adversary are intimately and continuously entwined), a realistic familiarity with Abélard and Héloïse, and an appreciation for fine writing will all bring out the best of what this book has to offer.
This book is actually a story within a story...as much William of Oxford's as it is the often strained friendship he has with Peter Abélard, and his (William's) own soul stirring love for Héloïse. The feel of time and place is fulfilled in this book, not with over-illustration, but with subtlety. The narrator does not attempt to analyze his era, but to breathe through the space it has afforded him...hence, the reader does as well. The characters and environment often become kaleidoscopic; fluid and at times bordering on the grotesque. Although there are some clear liberties taken with known historical documentation, all is forgiven because the book brings an intriguing dimension to the ill fated lovers who are each tended to in the story as once living beings in their own right. Perhaps it is through the intimacy and introspection of friendship that any story, even fictionalized, becomes more clear, at least in its parts.
To have some comprehension of Medieval cosmology (where heaven and its adversary are intimately and continuously entwined), a realistic familiarity with Abélard and Héloïse, and an appreciation for fine writing will all bring out the best of what this book has to offer.
February 29, 2016
Through the voice of William of Oxford, Antoine Audouard tells about the life of the philosopher and theologian Pierre Abélard, and about the legendary love between Abélard and Héloïse. Abélard is a famous and admired man. His audacious talks attract a crowd of students and arouse passion and hate. Much more than being the conquest of Abélard, Héloïse is a talented and educated woman. Abélard seduces her, Heloise reveals love. William of Oxford, loyal disciple of Abélard and Héloïse's silent lover, describes their insatiable love whose ardor is cruelly shattered by Héloïse's uncle. This novel brings the reader into the twelfth-century atmosphere in France, in Paris's rumors and in the convents' silence. The novel is beautifully written.
Want to read
June 10, 2011Read a short piece by this author in an old Granta or maybe somewhere else-- the magazine I left in Trieste, the article I took with me, having, ah yes but I mean it, fallen in love.
February 11, 2008
I am not sure the translation is as good as it should be.It seems choppy in places.
September 11, 2010
Translated in Dutch as "Afscheid van Heloise".
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews