An Iceland Fisherman
Encyclopedia
An Iceland Fisherman is a novel by French author Pierre Loti
. It depicts the romantic but inevitably sad life of Breton
fishermen who sail each summer season to the stormy Iceland
cod grounds. Literary critic Edmund Gosse
characterized it as "the most popular and finest of all his writings."
Loti's style is a combination of the French realist school, such as Emile Zola
, and a form of literary impressionism
. As Jules Cambon
says, Loti wrote at a "..time when M. Zola and his school stood at the head of the literary movement. There breathed forth from Loti's writings an all-penetrating fragrance of poesy [poetry], which liberated French literary ideals from the heavy and oppressive yoke of the Naturalistic
school." Loti uses a simple vocabulary, "but these words, as used by him, take on a value we did not know they possessed; they awaken sensations that linger deeply within us." The characters are humble and simple working class people, the incidents are normal every day affairs, dealing with the themes of love and separation.
Loti's greatest strength is in the depictions of nature, placing it center stage, as Cambon says:
It was adapted to a stage version by Louis Tiercelin
with music by Guy Ropartz. It has been filmed three times, most notably in 1959 by French director Pierre Schoendoerffer
.
Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...
. It depicts the romantic but inevitably sad life of Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
fishermen who sail each summer season to the stormy Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
cod grounds. Literary critic Edmund Gosse
Edmund Gosse
Sir Edmund William Gosse CB was an English poet, author and critic; the son of Philip Henry Gosse and Emily Bowes.-Early life:...
characterized it as "the most popular and finest of all his writings."
Loti's style is a combination of the French realist school, such as Emile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
, and a form of literary impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
. As Jules Cambon
Jules Cambon
Jules-Martin Cambon was a French diplomat.He began his career as a lawyer , served in the Franco-Prussian War and entered the civil service in 1871...
says, Loti wrote at a "..time when M. Zola and his school stood at the head of the literary movement. There breathed forth from Loti's writings an all-penetrating fragrance of poesy [poetry], which liberated French literary ideals from the heavy and oppressive yoke of the Naturalistic
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
school." Loti uses a simple vocabulary, "but these words, as used by him, take on a value we did not know they possessed; they awaken sensations that linger deeply within us." The characters are humble and simple working class people, the incidents are normal every day affairs, dealing with the themes of love and separation.
Loti's greatest strength is in the depictions of nature, placing it center stage, as Cambon says:
It was adapted to a stage version by Louis Tiercelin
Louis Tiercelin
Louis Tiercelin , was a French writer, poet and playwright associated with the Breton cultural renaissance of the early 20th century....
with music by Guy Ropartz. It has been filmed three times, most notably in 1959 by French director Pierre Schoendoerffer
Pierre Schoendoerffer
Pierre Schoendoerffer is a French film director, a screenwriter, a writer, a war reporter, a war cameraman, a renowned First Indochina War veteran, a cinema academician and since 2001 the President of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.-Family:...
.
External links
- Pierre Loti. An Iceland Fisherman. Translated from the French with a critical introd. by Jules CambonJules CambonJules-Martin Cambon was a French diplomat.He began his career as a lawyer , served in the Franco-Prussian War and entered the civil service in 1871...
. New York P.F. Collier. 1902. From Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. An Iceland Fisherman, audio version