Is there anything as sad as a novel from Céline ?
It is not like the sweet melancholy of Proust, or the gentle sunset of Giono. Céline is perhaps the darkest author of its category.
It is no surprise that he was considered a fascist and a supporter of the most evil causes.
I think his sadest work is Death on the installment plan, 1936. For sure the life of young Bardamu is no excuse for ideological extremism, but what was left to him after 18 years of brutality, treason, loss and violence ?
The novel is of course fictional, but gives us a deep insight on the mind of its writer, and possibly a much clearer sound of Céline “little music” (petite musique)
Céline himself described it in Interview with professor Y
I have never read this book, so what can I say of the concept ?
But it is true that reading Céline is similar to entering in a trance state, a continual spiral of violence, sadness and despair.
With all the respect I owe to Thelonious Monk, I think he is one of the closest to give us this “petite musique” sense of futility and vacuity of the human life…
But maybe we should talk about more rejoicing subjects.