Revelation by Andre Birabeau

New York : Viking, 1930

Published in French as La Débauche in what was likely a limited edition in 1923 and followed by a 1924 edition from Flammarion, Revelation is a novel written in the modernist style. The familial and romantic relationships are presented through a Freudian lens, while the bulk of the novel is presented through the internal dialogue of its main character.

Madame Mathilde Casseneuil's husband Jean is a reporter who travels extensively and is rarely home in Paris. Mathilde's primary relationship then is with their son, Dominique. Dominique has recently taken a job with a motorcar company in Avignon and his mother has struggled with the distance now between them.

When Madame Casseneuil receives a telegram notifying her of Dominque's death in a car accident, she rushes to Avignon. She arrives at Dominique's apartment where the landlady and an unnamed gentleman recommend she not look at her son because of the damage from the car accident. The man takes her to a hotel where she can rest. The following day, while going through her son's rooms, she sees for the first time the things he surrounded himself with; a yellow silk kimono, a few pictures including a reproduction of a nude statue of Apollo, a cigarette holder. In his desk, she discovers a packet of love letters that she at first assumes are from a girl. Upon closer inspection, she realizes they are from a man and is horrified.

The remainder of the story largely takes place in Madame Casseneuil's mind as she remembers events in Dominique's life and tries to understand how her memories of him can be reconciled with what she now knows. She still thinks of her son as an innocent; not as a sexual being. Her sometimes lengthy internal dialogues are punctuated with intrusions of the present time emphasizing her sense of loss and her fumbling through the days trying to make sense of it all.

This English translation of La Debauche was performed by Lady Una Troubridge, a British sculptor and translator who is probably best known as the partner of Radclyffe Hall, author of the famous lesbian novel The Well of Loneliness (1928).

While the UK edition of Revelation (London : Victor Gollancz, 1930) was issued with a serviceable binding and the yellow paper dustjacket typical of Gollancz publications, one must draw attention to the luxe presentation by Viking Press. The deco inspired dustjacket art and corresponding binding is paired with thick cotton-heavy pages. While Revelation is a fascinating early story of a mother coming to terms with her son's homosexuality, the book itself is also a beautiful literary object.


Bibliographies & Ratings: Cory (IV); Garde (P 38**); Mattachine Review (IV); Young (284*)