Le calvaire

About “Le calvaire”

Jean Mintié, a writer with a troubled past and experiences in the Franco-Prussian War, finds success in Paris as he joins artistic circles and publishes his first writings. His life changes when he meets Julie Roux, a socialite who fascinates and unsettles him. Their affair begins as captivating but soon turns dark as more of Julie’s personality emerges. Calvary, also known as Le Calvaire, is a story of ruin, obsession, and redemption. It was Octave Mirbeau’s first novel published under his own name, after he had anonymously written ten works for others. The novel draws from Mirbeau’s own painful relationship with Judith Vinmer. He later explored similar themes in his third book, Sebastien Roch, which deals with sexual abuse at a boys’ school. The novel was published in 1886.