In the history of letters, Joris-Karl Huysmans is one of the names that keeps being returned to.
The record lists Joris-Karl Huysmans as French novelist and art critic (1848–1907).
Joris-Karl Huysmans was born at Paris in 1848. His recorded nationality is France. He was educated at Lycée Saint-Louis.
The nineteenth century was the age of the serialised novel and mass literacy; writers reached audiences of a size never seen before.
He worked as writer, art critic and novelist.
The writing is recorded in French.
Among his best-known works are Là-Bas and À rebours. A writer's real subject usually becomes visible only across the whole body of work.
Recognition followed: Officer of the Legion of Honour (1907) and Knight of the Legion of Honour (1893).
That the work was written from France matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Joris-Karl Huysmans died in 1907, aged 59. The books remain, which is the only durable form a writing life takes.
Achievements
- Officer of the Legion of Honour — 1907
- Knight of the Legion of Honour — 1893
- Notable work: Là-Bas
- Notable work: À rebours
