Autoportrait

By Édouard Levé

In this brilliant and sobering self-portrait, douard Lev hides nothing from his readers, setting out his entire life, more or less at random, in a string of declarative sentences.

Autoportrait is a physical, psychological, sexual, political, and philosophical triumph. Beyond "sincerity," Lev works toward an objectivity so radical it could pass for crudeness, triviality, even banality: the author has stripped himself bare. With the force of a set of maxims or morals, Lev 's prose seems at first to be an autobiography without sentiment, as though written by a machine--until, through the accumulation of detail, and the author's dry, quizzical tone, we find ourselves disarmed, enthralled, and enraptured by nothing less than the perfect fiction... made entirely of facts. Shortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award in 2013.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564787079
• ISBN13: 9781564787071
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 6.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and Akward.

This isn’t a book. This is more like a life memo when you learn about the author afterward. It’s contradicting and beautiful, just like human life. It’s not written in eloquent prose; it’s more like thoughts being jotted on paper. I appreciate that kind of beauty.