The Alder King

Name: The Alder King
ISBN: 9787549635337

米歇尔·图尼埃 / 许钧Shanghai Wenhui Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.6

Word count: 246K words
Chapters: 10
ISBN: 9787549635337

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Summary

A thousand-year-old corpse is dug from the marsh of the alder wood,

and people call it by the name of the demon king in Goethe's poem:

the Alder King.

A man-eating devil, haunting the night of time.

I am Difreux, the owner of a French auto repair shop. People call me the "man-eating devil," but I am only an innocent man hidden among the masses. I am full of tenderness, yet the world is evil and treacherous. Do you see the evil that is everywhere behind those meaningful signs? In this age ruled by the devil, everything is "inverted."

And people do not yet know that the root of human disaster lies in each one of them...

Editor's review

Tournier's novel fuses fairy tale, myth, and historical allegory into one. Through the demon-king figure of the "Alder King," drawn from Goethe's poem, it makes Difreux, the owner of a French auto repair shop, into a "man-eating devil" branded as such by the world under the shadow of World War II. The narrator defends himself with tenderness, while the world meets him with evil; this sense of inversion is the sharpest point of the whole book. Xu Jun's translation preserves the original's speculative density and layers of symbolism, so that reading it brings both an allegorical detachment and a real pressure. Its value lies not in retelling history but in letting readers identify for themselves, between signs and metaphors, where evil comes from: evil is not far away in the depths of the marsh but hidden in ordinary people's compliance and self-deception. It suits slow reading in quiet hours; with some basic knowledge of European WWII history and folk tales, the purpose of Tournier's "inversion" technique becomes clearer. If you are willing to accept a novel that offers no comfort, only examination, it will leave a long aftertaste.

Who it's for

A good fit for

literary readers who enjoy allegorical, highly symbolic fiction
readers interested in reflecting on WWII history and human nature
students taking courses in French literature or comparative literature
deep readers willing to read slowly and savor metaphors

Not a good fit for

readers looking for light entertainment or a clear ending
readers sensitive to war violence and cannibal imagery
readers who prefer linear plots and are unused to symbolic narrative

Reading tips

First learn about Goethe's poem "Erlkönig" and the Alder King legend before starting the text.
Read slowly chapter by chapter, noting recurring signs and images as you go.
After finishing, return to the opening passage about the ancient corpse in the marsh and reconsider the narrator's self-defense.
You may pair it with historical sources on France during the Occupation to understand the historical context of "inversion."

About the publisher

Shanghai Wenhui Publishing House China · Founded in 1985

Shanghai Wenhui Publishing House focuses on foreign literature, science fiction, and quality fiction. Its catalogue of 218 titles spans literature, mystery and detective fiction, and social novels. Representative books include Middlemarch, The Grapes of Wrath, Snow Country, and The Complete Short Stories of Arthur C. Clarke, as well as Gu Long's Happy Heroes and Remarks on Lyrics in the World. In translation, translators such as Chen Jinhui, Chen Zongchen, Huang Yuesheng, and Qin Peng work alongside authors including George Eliot, John Steinbeck, Yasunari Kawabata, and Arthur C. Clarke, giving the press a profile that balances literary classics and genre fiction. Public information on its other publishing areas is limited.

版权信息
纪念
一阿贝尔·迪弗热用左手写下的文字
二莱茵河的鸽子
三极北
四罗明滕的吃人魔鬼
五卡尔滕堡的吃人魔鬼
六承载天体
在善恶之间：人性与魔性的交织与倒错——再读《桤木王》
参考文献

FAQ

Can I understand this book without a background in European literature?

Yes, but some preparation helps. It is advisable first to grasp the basic content of Goethe's poem "Erlkönig" and to know that the "Alder King" is associated in folklore with death and temptation; the text will then read much more smoothly. Tournier's narration leaves deliberate gaps, so do not insist on understanding every symbol at once; first grasp Difreux's self-defense and the atmosphere of the era.

Is this a realistic novel or an allegorical one?

It is closer to an allegorical novel. The story is set against WWII, but its narrative focus is not on recreating historical events; rather, through Difreux's experiences and the branding of him as a "man-eating devil," it explores how evil lurks among the masses and becomes inverted. Readers should not judge the plot by realistic standards but attend to symbol, metaphor, and the unreliability of the narrator.

Is Xu Jun's translation very obscure to read?

The translation on the whole preserves the original's speculative quality and symbolic density. The sentences are not especially difficult, but readers need to slow down. Much of the metaphor and irony is easy to miss if skimmed; it is best to proceed chapter by chapter and pause briefly at recurring images, which makes for a more complete reading experience.

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About the author

米歇尔·图尼埃 Author

Michel Tournier is a French writer whose name is usually rendered in Chinese as Michel Tournier; other biographical details are relatively limited in publicly available sources. Three of his works are included here, with representative titles being The Erl-King, The Golden Droplet, and Friday, or, The Other Island, commonly classified under foreign literature. Judging from these works, Tournier's writing often draws on myth, classics, and fable, using old stories to pursue modern philosophical questions, and his narratives combine fantasy with reflection. Friday rewrites the Robinson Crusoe castaway theme, while The Erl-King explores human nature and history in an allegorical manner. His prose is often regarded as concise and rich in symbolism, giving him a distinctive place in contemporary French literature and continuing appeal for readers who enjoy intellectually ambitious retellings of tradition.

许钧 Author

Xu Jun is a translator long engaged in the translation and study of foreign literature. Public information about him is limited, and his dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Twelve of his works are held in the collection, covering French and European literary classics as well as writers' biographies. His representative translations include volumes such as Cousin Bette from the Balzac collection, along with The Alder King, A Man of Letters, Ignorance, The Interrogation, and Milan Kundera: A Writer's Life. There is also A Man of Letters: Selected Translations by Xu Jun, which presents his translation style. Judging from these titles, he focuses on French literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, covering both novels and biographies, and his translations attend closely to the tone and narrative rhythm of the originals, giving him a certain influence in the translation of foreign literature and world classics.