Michel Butor, Dies Age 89

Hello Gentle Reader

In the nineteen-fifties the “Nouveau Roman,” (or “New Novel,”) was all fashionable and experimental way in which writers rejected the traditional elements of a plot, character, and omniscient narrator, in favour of a novel which acted in a chaotic manner in order to better capture the realities of ‘experience.’ Famous writers of this period include: Alain Robbe-Grillet, Marguerite Duras, Nathalie Saurratte; as well as two Nobel Laureates: Claude Simon (1985) as well as an earlier J.M.G Le Clezio (2008). Claude Simon contested his association with the literary movement, considering himself more inclined towards his literary predecessors: the modernists; particularly Marcel Proust and William Faulkner. J.M.G Le Clezio would later reject the formal experimentation of the movement, in favour of greater lyrical and adventurous stories. The “Nouveau Roan,” did eventually fall out of the fashionable style, and the literary world moved on. On August 24^th, Michel Butor (one of the leading practitioners of the movement) died at the age of 89 years old.  Michel Butor was famous for his novel: “Second Thoughts,” often classified as a staple of the “Nouveau Roman,” where the novel chronicles a man’s thought as he travels to Rome to rendezvous with his mistress. The unique element of the novel is that it was written in the second person narrative style, utilizing the ‘you,’ component as the main character. Butor ceased to publish novels after the nineteen-sixty; instead focusing greater effort and time on other projects like essays and art books, while also teaching creative writing at numerous universities, and later retiring from the University of Geneva in nineteen-ninety one. Much like Claude Simon, Michel Butor was uncomfortable with the designation of being a part of the “Nouveau Roman,” in his earlier writings, but will be remembered for his experimental novels and writings, which helped shape the literary fashion of the time.

Rest in Peace, Michel Butor.

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Stay Well Read

M. Mary