
In the Absence of Men
Philippe Besson(Author)
Vintage (Publisher)
Published on 7. August 2003
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-09-943789-5 (ISBN)
Description
'An astonishing love story, beautifully told' Time Out
'I am sixteen. I am as old as the century'
It is 1916. Vincent is sixteen, on the brink of manhood.
Vincent is aristocratic and privileged, frequenting the salons of Paris while France is at war and the city almost deserted of men. In that brutal summer, Vincent's beauty and precocity captivate two men: Marcel, thirty years his senior, a writer and celebrated socialite; and Arthur, the twenty-one year old son of one of the servants, who is now a soldier at the front.
As both relationships develop Vincent intuitively tries to keep his passions separate, but over the weeks of indolent Parisian summer and far-off war, confidences are made, absences endured, secrets revealed. All of these men will suffer, and Vincent will lose the last vestiges of his childhood innocence.
In the Absence of Men is a stunning first novel to discover this pride season: in its daring in representation and celebration of gay sexuality, in the beauty of its prose and in its delicacy of feeling.
'I am sixteen. I am as old as the century'
It is 1916. Vincent is sixteen, on the brink of manhood.
Vincent is aristocratic and privileged, frequenting the salons of Paris while France is at war and the city almost deserted of men. In that brutal summer, Vincent's beauty and precocity captivate two men: Marcel, thirty years his senior, a writer and celebrated socialite; and Arthur, the twenty-one year old son of one of the servants, who is now a soldier at the front.
As both relationships develop Vincent intuitively tries to keep his passions separate, but over the weeks of indolent Parisian summer and far-off war, confidences are made, absences endured, secrets revealed. All of these men will suffer, and Vincent will lose the last vestiges of his childhood innocence.
In the Absence of Men is a stunning first novel to discover this pride season: in its daring in representation and celebration of gay sexuality, in the beauty of its prose and in its delicacy of feeling.
Reviews / Votes
'An astonishing love story, beautifully told' Time OutMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
129 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-943789-5 (9780099437895)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2011
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Philippe Besson is the author of two novels, En L'Absence des hommes and Mon Fr-re. He was born in 1967 in Charente and now lives in Paris.