Written in Latin in the 12th century, discovered in the 19th century and translated here for the first time into French, the Ysengrimus is a text without equivalent: ancestor of the Roman de Renart, it tells the story of the eternal confrontation between the wolf and the fox. But in this monastic epic, written to delight the clergy, it is Ysengrin, monk and bishop, who still plays the leading role. His stupidity and voracity expose him to the worst misadventures, sow panic in a monastery in Ghent, before leading to his downfall, as cruel as it is deserved. As a backdrop to this animal fable, Europe during the Second Crusade, dominated by the figure of Saint Bernard and the rise of monastic life. An epic, a satire fable, Ysengrimus shatters the notion of genre and mixes erudite and cruel humor with the dark accents of radical pessimism. - [Publisher]

Language: French

ISBN: 978-2-251-33908-5