Les Éditions du Pacifique
29, rue des trois bornes,
75011 Paris, France
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21.50€
Prepare for an exotic and satirical journey into colonial Malaysia with ‘Le sacrilège malais’ by Pierre Boulle. Although often overshadowed by the author’s global successes, this novel deserves to be discovered for its humor, irony, and incisive observations.
At the heart of this story is Maille, a young French engineer sent to Malaysia to work on a vast rubber plantation. Nothing had prepared him for this experience. Yet, he finds himself unwittingly engaged in a battle against the absurdity of bureaucracy and the colonial model of resource exploitation.
In this novel, Pierre Boulle draws inspiration from his own experience as a rubber planter in Malaysia. He provides a biting satire of industrial rationalization, blending humor and fantasy to unveil the ridiculous inconsistencies of that era. Through Maille’s misadventures, the author explores alienation and societal values.
More than just a story, ‘Le sacrilège malais’ is a testament to the human condition and the impact of industrialization. It tells the story of the struggle for freedom in a world where labor has become king.
Dive into this unforgettable novel, where the subtle irony and exceptional writing of Pierre Boulle will guide you through the intricacies of colonial Malaysia. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking read, order your copy quickly.
Pierre Boulle spent his childhood in a bourgeois environment in the Avignon area. Practicing hunting and fishing from a very young age, he had a strong connection with nature, which may have contributed to his taste for adventure. He once said, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a strong exhilaration as the day of my first rabbit!’
In 1936, at the age of twenty-four, after engineering studies, adventure finally came calling when he was bored with dull jobs. A British plantation offered him a position in Malaysia, a paradise for rubber.
There, in this secretive Asia, he forged the free and determined spirit that would lead him to a life of adventure and writing, blending personal memories, as seen in works like ‘Le Sacrilège malais’ or ‘Le Pont de la rivière Kwai,’ and pure fiction as in ‘La Planète des singes’ (‘Planet of the Apes’). Moving between genres, including novels, memoirs, fantasy, and science fiction, Pierre Boulle’s body of work, comprising over twenty novels, shares a common foundation: a critical description of the ways of life in our societies, with a certain humor and a firm humanism.
