DESERT by Le Clezio, J.M.G. (Translated by C. Dickson) - 2009

New York City, NY: David R. Godine/Verba Mundi Publishers, 2009. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: David R. Godine/Verba Mundi Publishers, 2009. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 355 pages. The author's masterpiece. One of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the British Edition, which appeared a full year later. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original and as part of the Verba Mundi International Literature Series. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents J. M. G. Le Clezio's "Desert" in a felicitous English translation. Published for the very first time in English translation, thirty years after its publication in the French original. Singled out by the Nobel Committee as his greatest work, it is "composed of two alternating narratives, set in counterpoint. The first takes place in the desert between 1909 and 1912 and evokes the migration of a young adolescent boy, Nour, and his people, the Blue Men, notorious warriors of the desert. Spurred on by thirst, hunger, and suffering, Nour's tribe and others flee northward in the hopes of finding a land that can harbor them at last. The second narrative relates the contemporary story of Lalla, a descendant of the Blue Men. Lalla must flee to escape a forced marriage with an older wealthy man. She travels to France, undergoing many trials there, from working in a brothel to success as a highly paid fashion model, but she never betrays the blood of her ancestors" (Publisher's blurb). "A conjurer who tried to lift words above the degenerate state of everyday speech and to restore them the power to invoke an essential reality" (Nobel Prize Citation). An absolute "must-have" title for J. M. G. Le Clezio collectors. <b><i> This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Although both editions were published thirty years after the French original, the fact remains that the American Edition precedes the British by a full year. A scarce copy thus. </b></i> Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2008. One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER J. M. G. LE CLEZIO TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 1567923860.