''The Opoponax'' (french: L'Opoponax, link=no) is a 1964 novel by French writer

Monique Wittig Monique Wittig (; July 13, 1935 – January 3, 2003) was a French author, philosopher and feminist theorist who wrote about abolition of the sex-class system and coined the phrase "heterosexual contract". Her seminal work is titled '' The Strai ...

. It was translated into English in 1966 by

Helen Weaver Helen Weaver (June 18, 1931 – April 13, 2021) was an American writer and translator. She translated over fifty books from French. ''Antonin Artaud: Selected Writings'' was a Finalist for the National Book Award in translation in 1977. Weaver wa ...

, and published in the US by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

."Monique Wittig, 67, Feminist Writer, Dies"
by Douglas Martin, January 12, 2003, ''New York Times'' The title comes from

opoponax Opopanax is the commercial name of ''bisabol'' or ''bissabol'', the fragrant oleo- gum-resin of '' Commiphora guidottii''. It has been a major export article from Somalia since ancient times, and is called ''hebbakhade'', ''habaghadi'' or ''habak ...

, also known as bisabol.

Plot introduction

''L'Opoponax'' is about "children undergoing typical childhood experiences like the first day of school and the first romance".

Structure

The book contains no common paragraphs, with each (regularly sized) chapter consisting of a single, extended paragraph. Chapters have no numbering or headings. It is written with the author addressing the protagonist as "you" and describing to her the events of the book.

Literary significance and criticism

The novel won the

Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and . It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match his talent." The award goes to a work of fiction in the French language. In 19 ...

in 1964.

Nathalie Sarraute Nathalie Sarraute (; born Natalia Ilinichna Tcherniak ( rus, Ната́лья Ильи́нична Черня́к); – 19 October 1999) was a French writer and lawyer. Personal life Sarraute was born in Ivanovo-Voznesensk (now Ivanovo), 300&n ...

said, at the awards, "I shall probably not be there to witness it, but in ten or twenty years you will see what a writer we have honored here." ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' called it 'a charming feat of virtuosity'. ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' said Wittig has 'made what can only be called a brilliant re-entry into childhood.'. Mary McCarthy, in '' The Writing on the Wall and Other Literary Essays'' (1970), devoted a chapter to the book, describing it as "...the book I've argued for -- and about -- most of this year."

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) e ...

wrote of it: "It is a remarkable and very important book because it is governed by a single iron rule: that is, to use nothing but pure description conveyed by purely objective language. A masterpiece."

References

1964 French novels Books by Monique Wittig French bildungsromans Les Éditions de Minuit books {{1960s-bildungsroman-stub