Death on Credit

Cultural Writing. Fiction. New to SPD. Celine's first novel, Journey to the End of the Night and its sequel, Death on Credit, were a new kind of novel, frank about the author's thoughts and actions in a way that readers had never encountered, ultra-realistic, and full of incidents that could not possibly be true to life, characters that stretched the imagination in spite of their having obviously been drawn from life. In Death on Credit, Ferdinand Bardamu, Celine's alter ego, is a doctor in Paris treating the poor, who seldom pay him but who take every advantage of his availability. The action is not continuous but goes back in time to earlier memories and often moves into fantasy. This fascinating book by one of the greatest 20th-century novelists is an unforgettable experience for the reader. Translated and with an introduction by Ralph Manheim.