Words and their power: here is the essence of Céline’s
Voyage au bout de la nuit. Between the first sentences of the novel: “Ça a débuté comme ça. Moi, j’avais jamais rien dit” [It started like that. I had never said anything before”] (Céline 1952, 15) and the last phrase “qu’on en parle plus” (632) [Let’s no longer talk about it], a tidal wave of words triggers the unfolding of the adventures of Ferdinand Bardamu through his voyage “on the other side of life”. These words are imprudently released by Arthur Ganate, Bardamu’s friend, who convinces him to voice his opinion and thus set in motion the seemingly unstoppable diabolical and destructive flow that traps him into doing things he regrets. At the end of the night, a new dawn appears while the narrator…
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Citation: Hafez-Ergaut, Agnes. "Voyage au bout de la nuit". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 October 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11555, accessed 21 November 2024.]
