Fragments of a Paradise

Originally published in 1944, this alluring if uneven allegory from pacifist writer Giono (1895–1970), translated for the first time by Eprile, chronicles a French expedition to Antarctica. The venture’s two ships, La Demoiselle and L’Indien, whose purported mission is to study botany, zoology, and other scientific subjects, become separated off the coast of Brazil. From there, the novel transforms into a metaphysical and pared-down Moby-Dick as it focuses on L’Indien, whose unnamed captain is bent on a vaguely stated deeper purpose, which critic Michael Wood categorizes in his introduction as a search for a “secular theology.” As the captain writes in his log, “For my own part, I know this isn’t so much a voyage of exploration as it is a new way of life.... We’re leaving so we won’t be turned into beasts.” Their journey soon becomes alternately hellish and idyllic, haunted and mesmerized in turn by mysterious islands, giant squids, massive rays, and potentially more mythic leviathans. The captain’s log can feel tedious; better are the passages devoted to the other crew members, including Paumolle, a tattooed sailor who dreams of riding on the backs of whales; Quéréjéta, the cook, whose dishes take inspiration from the natural world; and the explorer Guinard, who explores a remote island with signs of habitation. This asks more questions than it answers. (Nov.)