Fermina Márquez
Encyclopedia
Fermina Márquez is a short novel in twenty chapters written by French
writer Valery Larbaud
. It was considered for the Prix Goncourt
in 1911 but did not win. Nonetheless, it is still considered to be a minor classic of French Literature
and one of Larbaud's best known works along with his Diary of A.O. Barnabooth.
The story concerns the arrival of a young girl from Colombia
at Saint Augustine's, a Roman Catholic school for boys located near Paris
, and her effect on the young men there; in particular on a bookish and solitary student named Joanny Léniot. The eponymous Fermina Márquez arrives at the school with her aunt, sister, and younger brother "little Márquez," who has just been enrolled there as a student. His family makes an arrangement with the school authorities whereby they are allowed to visit him at Saint Augustine's for a time until he becomes adjusted to life at his new school. The students are entranced by Fermina's beauty and proximity, and each of them begins to fantasize about her and to look for opportunities to seduce her.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer Valery Larbaud
Valery Larbaud
Valery Larbaud was a French writer.-Life:He was born in Vichy, Allier, the only child of a pharmacist. His father died when he was 8, and he was brought up by his mother and aunt. His father had been owner of the Vichy Saint-Yorre mineral water springs, and the family fortune assured him an easy...
. It was considered for the Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
in 1911 but did not win. Nonetheless, it is still considered to be a minor classic of French Literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
and one of Larbaud's best known works along with his Diary of A.O. Barnabooth.
The story concerns the arrival of a young girl from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
at Saint Augustine's, a Roman Catholic school for boys located near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and her effect on the young men there; in particular on a bookish and solitary student named Joanny Léniot. The eponymous Fermina Márquez arrives at the school with her aunt, sister, and younger brother "little Márquez," who has just been enrolled there as a student. His family makes an arrangement with the school authorities whereby they are allowed to visit him at Saint Augustine's for a time until he becomes adjusted to life at his new school. The students are entranced by Fermina's beauty and proximity, and each of them begins to fantasize about her and to look for opportunities to seduce her.