Marguerite Duras: Le Vice-Consul | The ViceConsul (1966)

This is the second of Marguerite Duras's cycle indien, which consists of four novels: Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein (1964), Le Vice‑Consul (1966), L’Amour (1971) and India Song (1973), plus three films: La Femme du Gange (1973), India Song (1975) and Son nom de Venise dans Calcutta désert (1976). Duras wrote this over many hours in eight months and at a very emotional time. It is shot through with despair and loss.

Essentially there are two themes here: that of the young woman thrown out by her mother for being pregnant, and ending up begging on the street, hopelessly mad. Duras obviously had in mind the beggar she met in Vietnam who had such an effect on her. Hopelessly mad too we might say is Jean-Marc de H, the French vice-consul formerly of Lahore, but after shooting at lepers and dogs he is nw awaiting decision to be made of his new posting.

Also of great note is Anne-Marie Stretter, a character who appears in Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein, who has a number of sexual relationships with some of the other ex-pats. But the gauche vice-consul is not for her, and he shrieks his bitter disappointment madly at a well-watered ball and has to be taken outside, although the film India Song differs strongly from this in that the ball continues with his constant haunting screaming of loss as a backcloth to the events of the ball.

This is a novel which contains many of the elements we recognise from Duras's other novels, such as dancing, poverty, lying, adultery, madness and desire.

My Marguerite Duras posts:
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Marguerite Duras: La Pute de la côte normande
Marguerite Duras: L'Homme assis dans le couloir
Marguerite Duras: Agatha
Marguerite Duras: Emily L.
Marguerite Duras: Les Yeux bleus cheveux noirs
Marguerite Duras: L'Amant | The Lover
Marguerite Duras: Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein
Marguerite Duras: L'Amante anglaise
Laure Adler: Marguerite Duras
Marguerite Duras: Cimetière du Montparnasse
Marguerite Duras: Un barrage contre le Pacifique
Marguerite Duras: L'Après-midi de Monsieur Andesmas
Marguerite Duras: Les Petits Chevaux de Tarquinia
Marguerite Duras: Le Marin de Gibraltar | The Sailor from Gibraltar
Marguerite Duras: La Douleur | The War: A Memoir
Yann Andréa: Cet amour-là
Marguerite Duras and Xavière Gauthier: Les Parleuses
Marguerite Duras: Savannah Bay
Marguerite Duras: Détruire, dit-elle | Destroy, She Said
Marguerite Duras: L'Amour
Marguerite Duras: Dix heures et demie du soir en été
Marguerite Duras: Le Square | The Square
Marguerite Duras: Les Impudents
Marguerite Duras: Le Shaga
Marguerite Duras: Oui, peut-être
Marguerite Duras: Des journées entières dans les arbres
Marguerite Duras: Suzanna Andler
Marguerite Duras: Le Vice-Consul | The Vice Consul
Marguerite Duras: Moderato cantabile
Marguerite Duras: La Vie matérielle
Marguerite Duras: La Vie tranquille
Marguerite Duras: La Pluie d'été