Le Pitre François Weyergans: Obsessive & Erotics

[Le Pitre is the first novel of Weyergans, first published in 1973. The 540 pages roman is about a writer Eric Wein and his series of consultation to his psychanalyst, that he names Le Grand Vizir. Eric Wein never succeeds in his relation with women and he's always obsessed by Salomé, a biblical woman taken from Oscar Wilde tragedy]

I have finished the book, but I needed to reread it at least once more. I made myself under pressure during reading this book. First, it is because the book is library's book, so I cannot keep it. Second, because there are a ton of new books I have there waiting to be read. Then I decided to reread the book. However, the rereading may take so long, because of the nature of the book. I might need some knowledge on psychanalyse, on Freud and Lacan, on Salomé maybe on some poems of Baudelaire.

Baudelaire has invited himself to my dream during my read! (Freudian isn' it?).

***

The novel is about Eric Wein and his psychanalist, Le Grand Vizir. Eric Wein met him to cure his problems, with women in general. The story started when Wein visited Le Grand Vizir in a night, some times before midnight. In this very first meeting, Wein told his problem with women. Le Grand Vizir then asked Wein to write anything he has in his mind, especially about women. Starting from there, one consultation to another, one essay to another, one fiction to another, are experienced by Wein.

One day, in a what so called surprise-party, a party with 27 naked women hanging around, Eric meets Charlotte. A beautiful blondy hair American living in Paris. They then fall in love and have amorous relations. But, then again, it is not that simple with Eric. After a long full of love night in a dischoteque, for example, Eric left Charlotte just like that, since Charlotte mentioned a name that always in Eric's head: Salomé.



***

Eric Wein is a writer that has turbulence ideas. He does not like to be stable. Although having much money, he doesn't live in a house nor in an appartement. He prefers to live from one hotel room to another. He loves books but apparently does not like very much films. We found him very often in one book store to another, and always gives books as presents to girls he meets. Of course, he loves women, and making love maybe his second activities in the novel , coming right after the consultation and before book store.

Le Grand Vizir is a rich psychiatre. He loves collecting art oeuvre. His clinic is a luxury one, and he has a big house in Palermo filled wtih women. The readers recognized him mainly from his discussion with Eric and also from Eric's description of him. He is often described cynically, that he never forgets to ask Eric to pay him, stops the consultation to ask Eric to come back the next day. He loves women, also. Once, during consultation, he asks Eric how much he pays for a prostitution.

Charlotte is a poor young woman falling in love with Eric, but it is never easy with him. But she always loves him, -- Eric does too by the way -- although she knows that she is the second woman in Eric's head after an imaginary sexy Salomé.

***

What surprising a lot from the novel is the style. From the beginning, the reader is already surprised. The narrator is changed from first to third person. When it is third person, it is also Eric that speaks, Eric narrates the story about him. In a chapter, the readers are also surprised with the presence of François Weyergans, the author, in the novel speaking about Eric.

The readers are expected not to read the chapter naming or numbering. Sometimes it simply does not exist, sometimes it does not help. A chapter called chapter IV comes without being preceeded by chapter III,II, or I. The chapter called Fin (The End) comes in the middle of the book and then follows by other chapters. The chapter naming, however, seems to be used to indicate whether the chapter is part of Wein's writing to Le Grand Vizir or it is a usual chapter.

The order of events are not clear, and the readers are supposed to order them, if possible at all.

The book is full of erotic scenes, and the writer does not hesitate to use explicit words like clitoris or sperm.

***

Finally, this book is surprising. The style is too terrorizing and sometimes does not help the readers to enjoy or understand the story. But, still it is a nice book.