En Route (European Classics)

Continues the story of Durtal, a modern anti-hero, from the cult author of French decadence Solitary, agonised and alienated, robbed of religion and plunged into decadence by the pressures of modern life, Durtal discovers a new road to Rome. Art, architecture and music light his way back to God. For Durtal, God's death is a temporary demise, and by the end of the novel, he is morally mended and spiritually healed. En Route forms part of a sequence of novels by Huysmans which are a veiled autobiography. First published in 1895, En Route earned the hostility of the Catholic Church and was condemned for obscenity.