Joris-Karl Huysmans

Huysmans' writing is renowned for its unique use of the French language, extensive vocabulary, descriptions, caustic wit, and broad erudition. With the publishing of A rebours, he became identified with the decadent movement, having previously been deemed part of Naturalism. His writing reflected his profound pessimism, which led him to the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. Later works emphasized his interest in Catholicism, religious conversion, and becoming an oblate. He went into great detail about the symbolism of Christian architecture in La cathedrale (1898), which was set in Chartres and included the cathedral as its focal point. Huysmans was born in Paris, France, in the year 1848. His father, Godfried Huysmans, was Dutch and a lithographer by trade. His mother, Malvina Badin Huysmans, had worked as a schoolteacher. Huysman's father died when he was eight years old. Huysmans loathed his stepfather, Jules Og, a Protestant who owned a Parisian bookbindery. He published his writing under the name Joris-Karl Huysmans in honor of his father's genealogy. His first big publication was a collection of prose poems titled Le drageoir aux epices (1874), which was heavily influenced by Baudelaire. They drew little attention but offered hints of the author's unique style.