Now in a new translation, an imaginative, darkly radiant fable about a
pair of brothers, formerly warriors, whose idyll is shattered by an
encroaching fascistic force.
Set in a world of its own, Ernst Jünger's On the Marble Cliffs is both
a mesmerizing work of fantasy and an allegory of the advent of fascism.
The narrator of the book and his brother, Otho, live in an ancient house
carved out of the great marble cliffs that overlook the Marina, a great
and beautiful lake that is surrounded by a peaceable land of ancient
cities and temples and flourishing vineyards. To the north of the cliffs
are the grasslands of the Campagna, occupied by herders. North of that,
the great forest begins. There the brutal Head Forester rules, abetted
by the warrior bands of the Mauretanians.
The brothers have seen all too much of war. Their youth was consumed in
fighting. Now they have resolved to live quietly, studying botany,
adding to their herbarium, consulting the books in their library,
involving themselves in the timeless pursuit of knowledge. However,
rumors of dark deeds begin to reach them in their sanctuary. Agents of
the Head Forester are infiltrating the peaceful provinces he views with
contempt, while peace itself, it seems, may only be a mask for
heedlessness.
Tess Lewis's new translation of Jünger's sinister fable of 1939 brings
out all of this legendary book's dark luster.
