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The Old Man and the Wolves

A Novel
Brief Description
Part detective story, part fable, this novel-narrated by a French journalist-takes the reader to a mythical postindustrial city where the boundaries between East and West, civilization and barbarianism have been erased. Wolves invade the seaside resort town of Santa Varvara in Eastern Europe, killing thousands of... Read More
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Part detective story, part fable, this novel—narrated by a French journalist—takes the reader to a mythical postindustrial city where the boundaries between East and West, civilization and barbarianism have been erased.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Part detective story, part fable, this novel-narrated by a French journalist-takes the reader to a mythical postindustrial city where the boundaries between East and West, civilization and barbarianism have been erased. Wolves invade the seaside resort town of Santa Varvara in Eastern Europe, killing thousands of people, but no one will talk of it except a Latin professor known as the Old Man.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780231220873

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 December 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: Columbia University Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Barbara Bray

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 468g

Pages: 183

About the Author

Julia Kristeva is professor emerita of linguistics at the Université de Paris VII. A renowned psychoanalyst, philosopher, and linguist, she has written dozens of books spanning semiotics, political theory, literary criticism, gender and sex, and cultural critique, as well as several novels and autobiographical works, published in English translation by Columbia University Press. Kristeva was the inaugural recipient of the Holberg International Memorial Prize in 2004 “for innovative explorations of questions on the intersection of language, culture, and literature.”

Barbara Bray (1924–2010) was a leading translator of twentieth-century French literature into English, including works by Marguerite Duras, Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Anouilh, and Alain Robbe-Grillet.

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