Le bal du Comte d'Orgel

The ball of the Comte d'Orgel is a novel by the French writer Raymond Radiguet. It was published in 1924 after the death of the author, who died at the age of 20 years with Grasset.

Content

The novel, a love triangle of a woman and two men, playing in Paris around 1920 in the milieu of Parisian society, which is composed of members of the hereditary nobility and money from Russian emigre, diplomat and successful upstarts.

Glamorous Life of the party is originally from an old noble Comte Anne d'Orgel, who is famous for his balls. He is married to the much younger Grimoard Mahaut de la Verberie, a Creole from Martinique. Mahaut loves her husband beyond measure, " of spending a lot of gratitude and sincere friendship proved to her that he mistook for love " (p. 13 ) While visiting the circus Medrano learn both the young François de Seryeuse know, he likes Anne d'Orgel, you stay together after the visit to the circus, moves to the suburbs to dance. François observed, in which harmony dancing together, she envies " oblivious ", " with him was preceded by the jealousy of love" (p. 37). He is invited to breakfast the next morning, and by the time he is a frequent guest in the house of Comte, and with time, François and Mahaut love with each other, without being itself its quite aware. François ' mother, he has a subcooled ratio, invites the Orgel to his house. You will quickly contact with the young woman who sees a friend in her. To his delight discovered Anne d'Orgel that his wife's family and François ' family are related to Josephine Beauharnais, François him therefore equal. What Mahaut initially calmed down and the Comte thrilled to be the cause of a rumor that had to with the remark "on the life of one of the servants, who have their own opinion of the close approach of the three together formed is Monsieur find it so convenient " brought into the world, spread rapidly in Paris.

Back from the summer holidays, the Orgel and François almost every day to see, and Mahaut will her love for François aware. She is confused and overwhelmed by her feelings, she feels her husband owed ​​allegiance, and her despair she writes in a letter to François ' mother that she loves François. She asks them to ensure that he did not enter the house of Orgels. Your paleness and languor troubling the husband, the cause he has no idea. To distract, he gets down to the organization of a costume ball. In high-spirited costume samples suddenly degenerate with Anne and his guests, Mahaut faints, the final point of a botched night. Mahaut asks her husband for an interview in her bedroom, where it " quite incredible [ seems ] that a woman would have her husband something to say " (p. 169), calm and collected she tells him that she loves François, her clear and dry words succinct confession comes at him with disbelief and complete lack of understanding. When she then begins to accuse himself, he considers " the confession itself and everything else to be untrue. " Only when she tells him that Mme de Seyrieuse is informed about everything, he takes seriously her confession, but the prospect of a scandal brings him briefly off balance. He thinks only of how under granting of the shape of the damage could be limited " and did not bother to [ ... ], his heart fears for later on " (p. 174). An abyss opens between the couple, on the one hand, not more frantic but a fossilized Mahaut, on the other side of the Comte on his " planet that noticed nothing of the transformation that had taken place ."

Film

The novel was filmed in 1970 by Marc Allegret under the same title. The screenplay by Marc Allegret and Philippe Grumbach, in the dialogues Françoise Sagan was involved, Jean -Claude Brialy, Micheline Presle, Sylvie Fennec and Bruno Garcin played the lead roles. The film was shown at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival out of competition.

Editions and translations

Bernard Grasset published the novel in 1924 in his Paris publishing house, with a foreword by Jean Cocteau. The total circulation, which also includes the bibliophile editions count was 1535 copies. 10 numbered copies were printed on China paper, 25 also numbered on Japan paper. Printed on vellum edition had a print run of 250 numbered copies. Another bibliophile edition of the novel had been in bookbinding Semet & Plumelle, which specialized in bibliophile editions, bound. One in Mayenne got from the printing Floch for Grasset edition with a portrait of Picasso Radiguets had a circulation of 30 pieces, the text was printed on Japan paper, the binding in red morocco and every book was in its own jewelry box.

Malcolm Cowley wrote the book in 1929 under the title The Count 's Ball translated into English in a new translation by Violet ship with the title Count d'Orgel Opens the Ball appeared in 1952 and was reissued in 2001 in the Pushkin Collection under the title Count d'Orgel. The most recent translation into English of 1989 comes from Annapaola Cangogni.

Peter Suhrkamp published the book in 1953 in a translation by Gertrud von Holzhausen out in his Bibliothek Suhrkamp.

Expenditure

• Le bal du Comte d'Orgel. Paris, Grasset, 1924. [ Estausgabe ]
• Le bal du Comte d'Orgel. Préface de Bernard Pingaud. Paris, Ed. Flammarion, 2010. ISBN 2-07-037476-9
• The ball of the Comte d'Orgel. Novel. Transmit From Gertrud von Holzhausen. Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp, ​​1957. ( Bibliothek Suhrkamp 13. )