Malady of Death

Malady of Death Synopsis

"e;[An] erotic, existential mystery . . . part philosophical meditation, part fantasy"e; from the Prix Goncourt-winning author of The Lover (The Guardian).A man hires a woman to spend several weeks with him by the sea. The woman is no one in particular, a "e;she,"e; a warm, moist body with a beating heart-the enigma of Other. Skilled in the mechanics of sex, he desires through her to penetrate a different mystery: he wants to learn to love. It isn't a matter of will, she tells him. Still, he wants to try . . .This beautifully wrought erotic novel is an extended haiku on the meaning of love, "e;perhaps a sudden lapse in the logic of the universe,"e; and its absence, "e;the malady of death."e;"e;The whole tragedy of the inability to love is in this work, thanks to Duras' unparalleled art of reinventing the most familiar words, of weighing their meaning."e;-Le Monde"e;Deceptively simple and Racinian in its purity, condensed to the essential."e;-Translation ReviewPraise for Marguerite Duras's international bestseller, The Lover"e;Powerful, authentic, completely successful . . . perfect."e;-The New York Times Book Review"e;An exquisite jewel of a novel, as multifaceted as a diamond, as seamless and polished as a pearl."e;-Boston Herald "e;A vivid, lingering novel . . . a brilliant work of art."e;-Cleveland Plain Dealer

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