This friend was the handsome son of the head gardener for the wealthy Kinsky family in Prague, while he, the narrator, was, by comparison, poorer and “hideous,” but the two young men had been close since boyhood. Both exhibited a lively enthusiasm for exploration and debate when they we...
“journey of self-discovery” model of the memoir enforces the notion that life has a narrative arc that leads to growth and improvement, Leiris is not the model. In fact, much of the time he simply seems to be travelling in wide sweeping circles without getting anywhere at all. Nor is ...