From master storyteller J. M. G. Le Clézio: winner of the Nobel Prize
in Literature. "A novel of intense beauty."--Review of Contemporary
Fiction
The Prospector is the crowning achievement from one of France's
preeminent novelists and a work rich with sensuality and haunting
resonance. It is the turn of the century on the island of Mauritius, and
young Alexis L'Etang enjoys an idyllic existence with his parents and
beloved sister: sampling the pleasures of privilege, exploring the
constellations and tropical flora, and dreaming of treasure buried long
ago by the legendary Unknown Corsair.
But with his father's death, Alexis must leave his childhood paradise
and enter the harsh world of privation and shame. Years later, Alexis
has become obsessed with the idea of finding the Corsair's treasure and,
through it, the lost magic and opulence of his youth. He abandons job
and family, setting off on a quest that will take him from remote
tropical islands to the hell of World War I, and from a love affair with
the elusive Ouma to a momentous confrontation with the search that has
consumed his life.
By turns harsh and lyrical, pointed and nostalgic,
The Prospector is "a parable of the human condition" (Le Monde) by
one of the most significant literary figures in the world today.
