Louis-Ferdinand Céline

Chris Shorley (Queen's University Belfast)
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A maverick, uncompromising and contradictory figure throughout his writing career, Céline found a wide readership with his first novel,

Voyage au bout de la nuit

[

Journey to the End of the Night

] (1932). Although his approach would steadily evolve over thirty years,

Voyage

contains many of Céline’s basic and recurring preoccupations, and remains the primary reference point in most discussions of his writing. This episodic narrative follows its protagonist, Ferdinand Bardamu, halfway around the world from his pre-war starting point in the place Clichy and then back, in the 1920s, to a France no longer engaged in military conflict but increasingly menaced by economic depression. It raises numerous questions central to modern experience, while constantly focusing on Céline’s key…

3501 words

Citation: Shorley, Chris. "Louis-Ferdinand Céline". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 March 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=803, accessed 19 March 2024.]

803 Louis-Ferdinand Céline 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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