Huysmans's early works excel in their descriptive ability and he is one of the greatest authors in describing the life of Paris and its surroundings as witnessed by his Parisian Sketches (Dedalus translation by Brendan King in 2004). The publication of "A Rebours" in 1884, made Huysmans one of the most famous authors of his day. His novel about Satanism, "La-Bas" (1891) is surely the cult novel of the nineteenth century. (Brendan King's translation was selected by Beryl Bainbridge as one of the best books published in 2001 in "The Independent"). "La-Bas" is the first of four novels about Huysmans alter ego Durtal, which was followed by "En Route" (1895), "The Cathedral" (1898), and "The Oblate of St Benedict" (1903), all available from Dedalus. Robert Baldick's "The Life of J.-.K.Huysmans" was published by Dedalus in March 2006.
