In the Absence of Men

Rating:
Summary: A Daring, Brilliant, Utterly Absorbing Major Novel
Review: And if there were more than Five Stars to rate this book, then the maximun number would be assigned! Phillippe Besson's first novel, IN THE ABSENCE OF MEN written in 2001 and published in France before the English translation became available to us this year, is one of those wonders of a book that plead the question "Why hasn't this concept been thought of before?" For all its brevity(a mere 166 pages) and enlightened style of writing, the story is what comes first: a wholly credible blend of fact and fiction. Yes, E.L.Doctorow and others have placed historic characters in a fictitious novel, but none to the enlightened extent of Besson's use of Marcel Proust as a focal figure.

This novel is one of the more poignant coming of age stories to be written in the past few decades. The title IN THE ABSENCE OF MEN was carefully selected to address many the issues that are cloaked in the intimate story. Vincent is 16 years old, in 1916 he is as old as the century, and is a brilliant young aristocrat who has escaped involvement in the Great War. In 1916 all of the men in Paris are in the War leaving the city poplated by women and those men who either by reason of health, old age or the luxury of wealth remain behind; Paris is in the absence of men. In one week's time Vincent discovers platonic love in the person of Marcel Proust - here portrayed as the wise, articulate writer we know from his magnum opus "Remembrances of Things Past" or "In Search of Lost Time" depending on whose translation you read, and as the longing would-be lover of men. Knowing the boundaries and responsibilities of amorous affliations between 16 year olds and middle aged men, Marcel serves to introduce Vincent to the poetic, Apollonian aspects of love between men. At the same time Vincent becomes physically aware of the sensual Arthur, the 21 year old son of Vincent's governess and separated until now by class distinction that only the presence of War can temporarily mutate. Arthur, who represents the Dionysian aspect of love, spends a passionate, physical week in Vincent's arms and heart and is then off to war. The remainder of the book takes the form of leters written between the lovesick Vincent and his mentor Marcel (who is away on holiday) and his lover Arthur who is on the battleground. In this brief summer all of the smoldering private mental wars through which all youth must endure in the rites of passage become contrastingly opera and chamber music. The novel ends in a surpise confession that brings all of the events of Vincent's epiphany summer to a life changing conclusion.

Besson's writing style excludes quotation marks and frequent paragraphs and reads more like stream of consciousness and thus takes some visual adjustment before getting involved in the story. That process takes no more than a page and ultimately creates a feeling of glimpsing a private diary between Vincent and Proust and Vincent and Arthur. The other message beneath the story addresses the intimacy and bonding of soldiers isolated from the world, fighting a war while finding comfort and sensual release only among themselves, secretly: Arthur, physically separated from his new love Vincent, turns to a fellow soldier to nurture that gaping need for tenderness and his letters to Vincent confess this love in an incredibly poignant way.

This is a very fine novel and introduces an author of exceptional gifts of imagination and skill in writing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Rating:
Summary: A painful exercise in biographical fantasy
Review: Despite the praise heaped on this novel here by other reviewers, I found Besson's novel pretentious as well as painful to read. The narrator's narcissism was absolutely insufferable, and I found his relationships he shares both with Proust and with Arthur, the son of one of his servants, peculiarly unaffecting, despite the big surprise at the end of the work. I adore IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME and have long been interested in Proust's work and life, but I found this book practically unreadable...

Rating:
Summary: An interesting first novel about love, war and sexuality
Review: During the summer of 1916, the young Frenchman Vincent de l'?toile strikes up a friendship with an older man he meets at a salon, the author Marcel Proust. At the same time, he begins a physical relationship with a young soldier, Arthur Vales, who is on leave for one week from the front lines of WWI. Through a series of journal entries and letters, Vincent begins to understand what love is, especially what it means between two young men in a society which isn't open to such a relationship.

I found this novel difficult to get through at first. Section one is a collection of journal entries from Vincent chronicling his burgeoning love for Arthur, his dislike of his parents and the unusual friendship with Marcel. In fact, their friendship came across as very cruel to me, and I had much trouble beliving it. In this section, Vincent comes across as an egotistical, dislikable person and found myself wanting to discontinue the novel. If I can't connect in some way with the hero/heroine of a book, I'm less likely to enjoy it. And, I definitely could not relate with Vincent.

However, the second section, containing correspondence between Vincent and Arthur and between Vincent and Marcel, brings Vincent into a more humane light. He's trying to deal with his love for Arthur both because the war has separated them and because he knows their love goes against society. His letters to Marcel, asking for some kind of direction regarding Arthur, display his need to understand his feelings.

The third section throws Vincent back into his egotistical persona, even after he learns about Arthur's past from his mother.

This is a good book to read for its attempts at understanding love and sexuality. But, I can't say that I enjoyed reading it.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting first novel about love, war and sexuality
Review: During the summer of 1916, the young Frenchman Vincent de l'Étoile strikes up a friendship with an older man he meets at a salon, the author Marcel Proust. At the same time, he begins a physical relationship with a young soldier, Arthur Vales, who is on leave for one week from the front lines of WWI. Through a series of journal entries and letters, Vincent begins to understand what love is, especially what it means between two young men in a society which isn't open to such a relationship.

I found this novel difficult to get through at first. Section one is a collection of journal entries from Vincent chronicling his burgeoning love for Arthur, his dislike of his parents and the unusual friendship with Marcel. In fact, their friendship came across as very cruel to me, and I had much trouble beliving it. In this section, Vincent comes across as an egotistical, dislikable person and found myself wanting to discontinue the novel. If I can't connect in some way with the hero/heroine of a book, I'm less likely to enjoy it. And, I definitely could not relate with Vincent.

However, the second section, containing correspondence between Vincent and Arthur and between Vincent and Marcel, brings Vincent into a more humane light. He's trying to deal with his love for Arthur both because the war has separated them and because he knows their love goes against society. His letters to Marcel, asking for some kind of direction regarding Arthur, display his need to understand his feelings.

The third section throws Vincent back into his egotistical persona, even after he learns about Arthur's past from his mother.

This is a good book to read for its attempts at understanding love and sexuality. But, I can't say that I enjoyed reading it.

Rating:
Summary: In the arms of passion
Review: During the summer of 1916, Vincent awakens to the breadth of love through two relationships that will greatly affect his young life. He meets Marcel Proust, the celebrated author, and they are drawn into an intense exchange. Arthur is a soldier on leave and is the son of Vincent's family servant, and he becomes Vincent's first lover. Vincent drifts between these two passionate men, and is forced into maturity by two shocking incidents. Told through journal entries and letters, "In the Absence of Men" is a voluptuous love story whose aroma will linger in the reader's senses long after the final pages.

Rating:
Summary: Precocity, Friendship, Love
Review: During the summer of 1916, Vincent de l'Étoile, a precocious sixteen-year-old Parisian, experiences a week of upheavals during which he encounters a mind and a body. In the Absence of Men by Philippe Besson is the stunning, intense story of how Vincent learns that his precocity is no match for the horrors of war and other shattering realities of the adult world.

The mind Vincent encounters is that of Marcel [Proust], a forty-five-year-old writer, whom Vincent meets in a salon. The body Vincent encounters is that of Arthur Valès, a twenty-one-year-old soldier on leave from the trenches in northern France to visit his mother, a servant in the de l'Étoile household. Arthur is Vincent's first man. Vincent instinctively understands everything and follows where Arthur leads. During this week of upheavals, Vincent meets Marcel in the afternoons. Arthur--and the war--comes to Vincent's room at night. When the week is over, Vincent suffers both the absences of Marcel, who leaves Paris on family business, and Arthur, who returns to the front.

Soon, Arthur's mother Blanche speaks directly to Vincent. Has there ever been a scene between a mother and her son's male lover such as Besson gives us in this novel? Vincent's precocity is useless with Blanche, who knows what happened between her son and Vincent. Blanche then tells Vincent a story. Her story is an explosion that changes Vincent's life forever.

Beautifully translated from the French by Frank Wynne, In the Absence of Men is a haunting novel of friendship and love between men. Besson's use of Proust as a character gives the novel a richness and authenticity that it would lack if the character of the writer were fictitious. The love story of Vincent de l'Étoile and Arthur Valès is unforgettable.


Rating:
Summary: No Question About It..............
Review: There's no question about it, this is one of the best books I have ever read. Besson has done a brilliant job in this first novel that is a combination of fact and fiction. I haven't been this excited about a book in a long time. This is an emotional story that is charming, erotic, sensitive, inventive, and lined with exquisite details of this period in history.

It's 1916 in Paris, and the Great War has been ravaging Europe for two years now. Vincent, who is 16 years old, a privileged young man, feels far removed from the horrors of the war as he is left behind in the city with mostly women. Thus Paris is a city "In the Absence of Men". Vincent's life is about to change forever as he meets two of the most important men in his life. On this beautiful and sunny day he befriends Marcel Proust, the forty-five year-old elegant and gifted writer, and Arthur Vales, who is home on leave for a week from the war, and who is the son of a family servant. Vincent begins a platonic friendship with Marcel that turns into a sort of mentor relationship. They spend many hours together in cafes, literary salons, and at the Ritz. On the other hand, Arthur awakens in Vincent feelings of love, and they begin a week of discovery of deep, emotional, sensual and physical love that is a coming of age for both young men. As the week ends, Marcel has to go away on business, and Arthur returns to the front lines of war. Vincent is once again alone in Paris. At this point, the story takes the form of letters between Vincent and Arthur, and Vincent and Marcel. It's in these letters that we learn how Vincent's life is altered forever, by a tragic event, and an unexpected confession.

It's amazing that a writer can cause us to get so involved with a book, and leave such a lasting impression. I know I will never forget this story, and I know I'll read it again and again. This is a book of love, of hope, of sorrow, and of survival. This is a touching story from a new and great writer, no question about it!

Joe Hanssen