num_pages: 320
description: First published in 1891, this is the first new translation in 77 years. The enervated anti-hero, Durtal, is writing a book about Gilles de Rais, child-murderer and comrade in arms of Joan of Arc. When he's not studying alchemy, visiting Rais' ruined castle and fantasizing about a mystery woman, he is pondering Catholicism with his friends. His sexual adventures and historical studies mesh when he's invited to witness a black mass The follow-up to A Rebours, La Bas takes Huysmans' quest for the exotic and extreme sensations a stage further.
language: English
title: Là-Bas
titlecomplete: Là-Bas (Lower Depths)
characters: Durtal, Madame Chantelouve
genres: Fiction, France, Religion, Gothic, French Literature, Horror, Literature, Classics, 19th Century, Occult
ratings_count: 4037
places: Paris
series: Durtal
publisher: Hippocrene Books