Overview

The story of an intense encounter between two men who were once very close and now must grapple with the fractured ideals that separate them.

After several years abroad, a young man returns to his hometown to seek the man he calls master. This master, a brilliant philosopher, had made the young man into a disciple before sending him out into the world to put his teachings into practice. Returning three years later, the disciple finds his master has abandoned his wife and child and moved into a squalid one-room flat, cutting himself off completely from his former life. Disillusioned and reeling from the discovery, the young man spends an entire night listening to his master's bitter denunciation of the ideals they once shared. Written in 1960 during Jaccottet's period of poetic paralysis, the novel seeks to harmonize the best and worst of human nature--reconciling despair, falsehood, and lethargy of spirit with the need to remain open to beauty, truth, and the essential goodness of humankind. Translated by Tess Lewis, Obscurity is Jaccottet's only work of fiction, one that will introduce new readers to the multifaceted skills of this major poet.
 

ISBN-13

9780857423078

ISBN-10

085742307X

Weight

0.60 Pounds

Dimensions

5.00 x 0.70 x 8.50 In

List Price

$25.00

Edition

1st Edition

Format

Hardcover

Language

English

Pages

160 pages

Publisher

Seagull Books

Published On

2015-11-15



View All Offers

Sort by:

Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Midtown Scholar Bookstore
★★★★★

Harrisburg, PA, USA

Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may ha...
$10.27

 Free delivery by: 30 Mar 2026

Used, Like New
Seller details
GreatBookPrices-
★★★★☆

Columbia, MD, USA

100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition. We offer expedited shipping to all US locat...
$33.30

 Free delivery by: 30 Mar 2026


Bookstores.com relies on cookies to improve your experience.