Jean Barois: roman jedne generacije
Jean Barois abandons his childhood faith for science and the pursuit of truth. The Dreyfus affair, family estrangement and approaching death test his convictions and the ideals of a generation.
Jean Barois follows a man’s intellectual and emotional development from Catholic upbringing to confidence in science and independent thought. His changing convictions estrange him from his devout wife, Cécile, making intellectual freedom inseparable from personal loss.
Among the contributors to Le Semeur, Barois finds a community for debate and public engagement. The Dreyfus affair turns the pursuit of truth into a test of conscience. Opposing injustice demands resistance to nationalist prejudice, institutional authority and public pressure, connecting an individual life with the moral conflicts of French society.
Age brings disillusionment and fresh challenges. His daughter Marie’s wish to enter a religious order reopens questions he believed settled. Illness and fear of death further undermine the certainty of his rational beliefs. Can a person remain faithful to convictions when physical strength begins to fail?
Roger Martin du Gard combines dramatic dialogue, letters and documentary techniques in a narrative that moves between biography and the novel of ideas. First published in 1913, it portrays a generation divided between religion and science, public responsibility and the desire for consolation.
One copy is available
