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Christophe
Bataille's slim debut novel opens in the great halls of the
Palace of Versailles in 1787, when the young Emperor of Vietnam
comes to Louis XVI's court. The young emperor has been sent
by his father, the Prince Regent Nguyen Anh, to seek France's
aid in a battle with the revolting provinces. The young emperor
soon befriends Bishop Pierre Pigneau de Bréhaine who attempts
to teach the young boy the word of God; however, the young
emperor soon dies from pneumonia.
Having
grown to love the boy deeply, Bishop Bréhaine seeks the help
of the rich to help bring God to the inhabitants of Vietnam.
Originally planning on going on the expedition himself, Bréhaine
soon becomes ill and is unable to go. However, six monks and
four nuns of the Dominican order are willing to go, so soon
they set sail for Vietnam.
After
an incredibly long journey—during which they lose two
of their order and also several sailors—the Dominicans,
led by brother Dominic, arrive in Vietnam and are greeted
by its people, the humidity, and its verdant greenery. Almost
immediately, an argument breaks out between Brother Dominic
and the Captain of the ships. The former wants to bring God
to the people of Vietnam peacefully, while the captain wants
to bring God through the barrel of a gun. Peaceful means prove
to be the victor, so Brother Dominic and his fellows soon
begin their lives anew amongst the Vietnamese.
Like
in his later novella Absinthe, Bataille's writing style—or
at least the translator's writing style—has a distinct
dreamlike quality to it. As one reads through the scant pages
of the novella, readers can feel themselves sink into the
sands of history to emerge into a time in which there still
was a "new world" to be discovered. The characters within
the novella also discover a new world, and this new world
is not to be found in Vietnam, but within their own beings.
Far from home and the confines of the church, the monks and
nuns become distant from the God established by their church
. They find peace and contentment within the simplicity of
their daily lives in Vietnam, and they find their true spirituality
through this contentment and daily hard work instead of at
the altar.
Little
background information is given about Brother Dominic or about
Sister Catherine, a young blonde nun who joined the journey
to escape the confines of her nunnery, but it is readily apparent
in the scant information available that, while they are devout,
they are discontent with their current situations and that
they want to go to Vietnam to find parts of themselves just
as much as they want to spread the word of God. This theme
is the true meat of this novella. Away from the strictures
of the church and away from the mores and norms of France,
these characters undergo a transformation and are molded by
Vietnam, or at least by the northern region of Annam, and
find a new happiness within themselves and within each other.
(June,
2007)
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