Journey to the end of the night

The novel "Journey to the Edge of the Night" immediately after its publication in 1932 made Louis-Ferdinan Selin, a doctor from the suburbs of Paris and a novice in literature, a famous writer. However, both readers and critics were rather shocked by how truthfully the debutant showed all the wretchedness of life when looking at it without illusions. With the frankness of a visitor, he depicted the eternal wanderings of a pauper in a world whose charms belong to the rich. What's more: he dared to call the notions of love, decency, and patriotism sacrosanct for many a lie. But no matter what pessimistic thoughts swirled in the author's head, he expressed them in an unsurpassed mastery.