Journey to the End of the Night (1 Viewer)

If you're on this forum you've probably checked it out via Bukowski's repeated recommendation and citation but GOOD GOD is this a hell of a book. Reading it for the 3rd or 4th time now and there are more darkly hilarious laugh out loud lines than I could ever possibly quote here but just for the hell of it, the most recent being:

[talking about people clinging to their "rotten memories"]
"They avenge themselves for the injustice of the present by smearing the future inside them with shit."

Makes me want to learn French!

Bukowski said as much but I think this was a huge influence on him, in terms of the mix of humorous, autobiographical, and unrepentant.

Don't think I'll win any friends by admitting it here but I think I actually like it more than Bukowski...

Death on the Installment plan is fantastic too, Bukowski seems to write off all further work and I heard Celine got pretty weird and ultimately racist in his later work? I suppose I could just google it but if anyone was kind enough to enlighten me or especially let me know if there is any other Celine even half as good as Journey, it would be much appreciated!
 
I prefer Mort à crédit.
Can you type up the first line of this book in English?
Thanks.
Must be something like: We are old and alone again?
 
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Celine is still on my list of authors to read. Someday. When I have a minute. Journey to the End of the Night a good place to start?
 
Can you type up the first line of this book in English?
Must be something like: We are old and alone again?

Here we are, alone again. It's all so slow, so heavy, so sad . . .
I'll be old soon. Then at last it will be over. So many people have come into my room. They've talked. They haven't said much. They've gone away. They've grown old, wretched, sluggish, each in some corner of the world.

My favorite...
Although it is so well written, without any filler, that you can read Céline over and over again. Timeless...
 
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Thank you. I only read Moord op krediet in Dutch more then 2 decades ago.
Not sure I still have the book somewhere behind the dust, but I do remember that I found the opening lines very strong.
To read the book in French is too difficult for me...
 
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Celine is still on my list of authors to read. Someday. When I have a minute. Journey to the End of the Night a good place to start?

When one thinks of Celine, Journey to the End of the Night and Death on the Installment Plan are typically the only two books that ever get mentioned. Not too many people could name any of his other works; I know I couldn't. I would wager that of the people who have read both, Journey... is probably considered to be the better of the two by most, but certainly not all, as Ponder notes.
 
I just read Journey.... It was good in sections. I found some of it tiresome. Of Bukowski's favorite authors I much prefer Hamsun.
 
i've read maybe a third of "journey". it's on my looong list of books to read/finish, along with "death on the installment plan". i like celine so far, but like falcune, i think i prefer hamsun(hunger was outstanding). also one of buk's recommendations that was great is mcculler's "the heart is a lonely hunter".
 
Thanks. There is an amazing-looking interview on youtube with him, I think from 1957? Obviously in French so I just watched a bit.

Anyway I couldn't sleep last night and was up around 6:30 reading Journey, decided to try Guignol's Band next. It's on order, so I'll let you know...
 
Death on the Installment plan is the funniest and most touching book I ever read. Although I don't recall Buk mentioning it. Perhaps he never read it...
Yes, it is a little difficult to get into it at the beginning and i truly think that it is a cultural thing.
The French sense of humour is peculiar and special nuances are difficult to pass in a translation. I read Journey in French and English. Both readings were great but some of the humour suffered a little. Guignol's band could be casse-pipe, I now forget...
In any case stick with it...
life changing, as Buk. . .
 
Céline interview(s)

Thanks. There is an amazing-looking interview on youtube with him, I think from 1957? Obviously in French so I just watched a bit.

There is a thread on buknet where somone gives the link to this interview and includes or the English text, or the English subtitles.
I just don't remember anymore which thread it is. Klick on search, type Celine or Céline and you'll find it.

Good luck.
 
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