What do you think?
Rate this book
Le Tibet sans peine
À trois reprises, Pierre Jourde est allé parcourir les pistes du Zanskar, vallée désertique de l'Himalaya, à quatre mille mètres d'altitude. Le Tibet sans peine raconte ces longs périples sous forme d'une épopée cocasse, décrivant les tourments, les émerveillements et les ridicules de jeunes banlieusards occidentaux livrés à une nature démesurée. Traverser des glaciers avec un équipement de promeneur estival nécessite autant d'inconscience que de ténacité. À la description des paysages sublimes et de l'hospitalité des Tibétains répond celle du progressif délabrement du voyageur et de ses compagnons dans la dureté de l'épreuve.
Un régal de lecture, une introduction espiègle à ces pays qui comportent " plus de montées que de descentes, contrairement par exemple à l'île de Ré ".
Un régal de lecture, une introduction espiègle à ces pays qui comportent " plus de montées que de descentes, contrairement par exemple à l'île de Ré ".
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2008
About the author
Pierre Jourde
69 books6 followersPierre Jourde, born on December 9, 1955, in Créteil (France), is a prominent French writer, also an university professor, and literary critic renowned for his provocative and incisive works that challenge societal norms and literary conventions. Growing up in a family with roots in the rural Auvergne region, Jourde developed an early fascination with the tensions between urban modernity and isolated provincial life, themes that would permeate his writing.
Jourde has taught French literature at the University of Grenoble (formerly Université Stendhal), where he specialized in 19th-century authors like Joris-Karl Huysmans, even co-editing a comprehensive edition of Huysmans' novels and short stories for the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade collection in 2019. As a critic, he has contributed to major publications, including sharp polemics in "Le Monde" and collaborations such as the bestselling Le Jourde & Naulleau (2004), co-authored with Éric Naulleau, which lampooned the pretensions of the French literary establishment.
Jourde's literary output is diverse and often controversial, blending novels, essays, and pamphlets. His debut novel, Les Peupliers, appeared in 1989, but he gained wider recognition with Festins secrets (2001), a satirical exploration of hidden desires in a small-town setting. His most infamous work, Pays perdu (2003), a semi-autobiographical novel depicting the decay and violence of his ancestral village of Lussaud in the Cantal department, sparked a real-life scandal. Upon returning to the village in 2005 with his family, Jourde was confronted by enraged locals who recognized themselves or their deceased relatives in the book's unflattering portraits. The incident escalated into a physical altercation, with stones thrown at his car, forcing him to flee. This event inspired La Première pierre (2006), a reflective essay on the violence provoked by literature.
Other notable novels include Les Bars lunaires (1993), L'Heure des singes (1998), and more recent works like Le Dégoût (2017) and Winter is Coming (2020), which continue his themes of alienation, grotesque realism, and cultural critique. His essays, such as La Littérature sans estomac (2002), deliver biting attacks on what he sees as the bland, politically correct conformity of contemporary French letters, drawing comparisons to polemicists like Philippe Muray.
Jourde's style is marked by dark humor, visceral prose, and a refusal to shy away from the abject or politically incorrect, often placing rural France under a merciless microscope.
He has two children, including the writer Gabriel Jourde, and resides between Paris and his native region. Despite—or perhaps because of—his penchant for provocation, Jourde remains a vital voice in French literature, unafraid to interrogate the "empire of goodness" that he believes stifles authentic expression.
Jourde has taught French literature at the University of Grenoble (formerly Université Stendhal), where he specialized in 19th-century authors like Joris-Karl Huysmans, even co-editing a comprehensive edition of Huysmans' novels and short stories for the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade collection in 2019. As a critic, he has contributed to major publications, including sharp polemics in "Le Monde" and collaborations such as the bestselling Le Jourde & Naulleau (2004), co-authored with Éric Naulleau, which lampooned the pretensions of the French literary establishment.
Jourde's literary output is diverse and often controversial, blending novels, essays, and pamphlets. His debut novel, Les Peupliers, appeared in 1989, but he gained wider recognition with Festins secrets (2001), a satirical exploration of hidden desires in a small-town setting. His most infamous work, Pays perdu (2003), a semi-autobiographical novel depicting the decay and violence of his ancestral village of Lussaud in the Cantal department, sparked a real-life scandal. Upon returning to the village in 2005 with his family, Jourde was confronted by enraged locals who recognized themselves or their deceased relatives in the book's unflattering portraits. The incident escalated into a physical altercation, with stones thrown at his car, forcing him to flee. This event inspired La Première pierre (2006), a reflective essay on the violence provoked by literature.
Other notable novels include Les Bars lunaires (1993), L'Heure des singes (1998), and more recent works like Le Dégoût (2017) and Winter is Coming (2020), which continue his themes of alienation, grotesque realism, and cultural critique. His essays, such as La Littérature sans estomac (2002), deliver biting attacks on what he sees as the bland, politically correct conformity of contemporary French letters, drawing comparisons to polemicists like Philippe Muray.
Jourde's style is marked by dark humor, visceral prose, and a refusal to shy away from the abject or politically incorrect, often placing rural France under a merciless microscope.
He has two children, including the writer Gabriel Jourde, and resides between Paris and his native region. Despite—or perhaps because of—his penchant for provocation, Jourde remains a vital voice in French literature, unafraid to interrogate the "empire of goodness" that he believes stifles authentic expression.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 5, 2025
Come scrivere un’ascesa in montagna evitando sia il tono autocelebrativo del conquistatore di cime, sia la meditazione spicciola del viaggiatore esteta…A tratti difficile orientarsi nel percorso delle varie escursioni, ma come sempre in Jourde l’unità è garantita dalla questione metafisica che si pone anche in questo piccolo racconto di viaggio: il difficile rapporto con un reale che sempre si sottrae, oscurato dalle tante finzioni che ci costruiamo sopra. Come smontarle? Jourde lo fa assumendo pienamente la posa del narratore dei propri exploit personali, salvo poi corroderla dall’interno con autoironia e humour costante. Una possibile strada per un nuovo tipo di letteratura alpinistica.
December 7, 2014
l'Himalaya raconté par des pieds nickelés sous-équipés et à la découverte du monde. Un récit de voyage plutôt sympathique, avec beaucoup d'humour et surtout très bien écrit.
Want to Read
June 13, 2016"Pays perdu retrace la vie des habitants d'un village du Cantal décrite comme très rude et marquée par l'alcoolisme, la solitude, le suicide... Ce roman est inspiré du village de Lussaud dont est originaire la famille Jourde et a suscité une vive émotion parmi ses habitants, d'autant que plusieurs se sont reconnus ou ont reconnu des proches décédés dans les personnages du roman. Lorsqu'il y est revenu, Pierre Jourde et ses enfants ont alors été agressés physiquement et chassés du village à coups de pierres. Les agresseurs ont été condamnés le 5 juillet 2007 par le tribunal d'Aurillac à des amendes et de la prison avec sursis".
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews