The Necrophiliac - Tapa blanda

"This would be a poor and revolting little book (fewer than 100 pages, which is quite enough, really) if it did not have such a poised tone and sensibility, such intelligence, behind it. . . . This is a masterpiece." --"The Guardian" (July 21, 2011)

"A striking book, unique in its kind, in which one suddenly finds oneself thrown up against 'that flesh so cold, so soft, so deliciously tight, found only in the dead.'" --"Actuel"

"It's a fascinating dive into the abyss into which Gabrielle Wittkop has invited us. The loves of a necrophiliac--a real one--so abrupt, raw, direct, disturbing and yet capable of moving us to pity. . . . An ode without a touch of complaisance or amorality to the icy beauty of the cold sexes and putrescent charms of bodies the colors of wax with the strange odor of moths. An arresting style with macabre, hypnotic accents." --Philippe Lecardonnel, "L'idiot international"

"This text exists in a purity that is as refreshing as it is uncompromisingly elegant. A rare and valuable read for any mind not weakened with the drugs of dross." --www.cosmoetica.com

"Stylishly written, "The Necrophiliac" is a disturbing but impressive work." --"The Complete Review" (August 5, 2011)

"There lies within it a velvet smooth writing of baroque coldness, which goes marvelously well with its exceptional subject matter: a man who unearths cadavers, takes them into his apartment, loves them, and weeps to see the decomposition of flesh that takes them away from him. . . . "The Necrophiliac" is a queer book: a flawless delicacy of oblique irrationality." --Hubert Juin, "Combat"

Translated for the first time into English, this masterpiece of French literature is striking, not only for its astonishing subject matter but for the poetic beauty of the late authors subtle, intricate prose. As the haunting protagonist Lucien grapples with a taboo desire, the novel goes far beyond mere gothic horror to explore the melancholy in the loneliest depths of the human condition, forcing readers to confront their own mortality with an unprecedented intimacy. The Necrophiliac has become a cult classic in the 40 years since its original publication, one that is especially intriguing due to the insight it lends into the author's fascinatingly reclusive mind.