Synopses & Reviews
So begins the imaginary interview that comprises this novel. Professor Y, the interviewing academic, asks questions that allow Céline, a character in his own book, the chance to rail against convention and defend his idiosyncratic methods. In the course of their outrageous interplay, Céline comes closer to defining and justifying his poetics than in any of his other novels. But this is more than just an interview. As the book moves forward, Professor Y reveals his real identity and the characters travel through the streets of Paris toward a bizarre climax that parodies the author, the critic, and, most of all, the establishment.
Review
"His eloquent gueule, or bad mouth, recognizably shocked and energized the language to a new vitality. Luce's savvy translation brings this idiosyncratic, demonically streetwise culture guru to life for English-speaking readers." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Conversations with Professor Y is an eminently satisfying reading experience." Queens Quarterly
Synopsis
"Here's the truth, simply stated . . . bookstores are suffering from a serious crisis of falling sales."
About the Author
Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894-1961) was a French writer and doctor whose novels are antiheroic visions of human suffering. Accused of collaboration with the Nazis, Céline fled France in 1944 first to Germany and then to Denmark. Condemned by default (1950) in France to one year of imprisonment and declared a national disgrace, Céline returned to France after his pardon in 1951, where he continued to write until his death. His classic books include Journey to the End of the Night, Death on the Installment Plan, London Bridge, North, Rigadoon, Conversations with Professor Y, Castle to Castle, and Normance.Stanford Luce (1923-2007) was born in Boston, attended Dartmouth, and fought in Normandy during World War II. Using the G.I. Bill, he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in French studies from Yale University. He began his career at Miami University in 1952 and retired as professor emeritus in 1988. Luce specialized on the works of Louis Ferdinand Céline, publishing four books and several articles on the French novelist.