''The Malediction'' () is a 1952 novel by the French writer Jean Giono. It tells the story of a landowning family in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. The family suffers under a curse which takes different forms over the generations. An English translation by

Peter de Mendelssohn Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

was published in 1955.

Reception

Laurent LeSage of '' The Saturday Review'' called Giono "France's greatest living regionalist writer", and wrote about the book: "The Schicksalstragodie combines with a comedy of provincial manners acted out by the stock characters of tradesfolk, better families, marriageable daughters, etc. But there are no pretty bucolic characters of Giono's earlier style among these brutes who feed on scandal and torment the innocent." LeSage continued: "The new Giono is very much to our taste. His philosophy and his art indicate a rich maturity. It is pleasant to know that he has in mind writing many more chronicles like ''The Malediction''."

References

External links

Publicity page
at

éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (; formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961) is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Gasto ...

's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Malediction 1952 French novels French-language novels Novels set in Provence Novels by Jean Giono