The Immoralist/L'Immoraliste

One of Andre Gide's best-known works, "The Immoralist (written in 1901, published in 1902) concerns the unhappy consequences of amoral hedonism, telling the story of a man who travels through Europe and North Africa and attempts to transcend the limitations of conventional morality by surrendering to his appetites. Notable for its fusion of autobiographical elements with both biblical and classical symbolism, this work marks a decided shift in Gide's prose style from a somewhat decadent floweriness to his later classic clarity. The author's nobility and simplicity of style is skillfully retained in this translation, which also preserves the passion and intensity of the original. Translation by Stanley Applebaum. Introduction.