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9781478020981

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“In The Rock of Arles, Richard Klein revels in the role of an immensely imaginative ghost writer. His fearlessly spirited prose records the views of the rock—a grand personification that mixes semi-omniscience with interrogation and speculation—on an Arles that rivals Rome as the emblematic City of Humanity. The daringly revelatory result is a mock history—at times extravagantly and hilariously fictionalized, yet at moments urgently compelling—of the western world.” -- Philip Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Romance Studies, Cornell University “The Rock of Arles is an urban history we didn’t know that we needed and a history we wouldn’t have known at all except through its opinionated and often very funny orographic narrator. We take seriously what the Rock tells us about the past and our possible future not despite but because of its charmingly brazen fictiveness. This delightful book thwarts expectations and its queer history is of the moment, and its form entirely sui generis . . . at least until other rocks decide to follow the Rock’s example.” -- Andrew Parker, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Rutgers University

“In The Rock of Arles, Richard Klein revels in the role of an immensely imaginative ghost writer. His fearlessly spirited prose records the views of the rock—a grand personification that mixes semi-omniscience with interrogation and speculation—on an Arles that rivals Rome as the emblematic City of Humanity. The daringly revelatory result is a mock history—at times extravagantly and hilariously fictionalized, yet at moments urgently compelling—of the western world.” -- Philip Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Romance Studies, Cornell University

“In The Rock of Arles, Richard Klein revels in the role of an immensely imaginative ghostwriter. His fearlessly spirited prose records the views of the Rock—a grand personification that mixes semi-omniscience with interrogation and speculation—on an Arles that rivals Rome as the emblematic City of Humanity. The daringly revelatory result is a mock history—at times extravagantly and hilariously fictionalized yet at moments urgently compelling—of the Western world.” -- Philip Lewis, Professor Emeritus of French Literature, Cornell University “The Rock of Arles is an urban history we didn’t know we needed and a history we wouldn’t have known at all except through its opinionated and often very funny orographic narrator. We take seriously what the Rock tells us about the past and our possible future not despite but because of its charmingly brazen fictiveness. This delightful book thwarts expectations; its queer history is of the moment and its form entirely sui generis . . . at least until other rocks decide to follow the Rock’s example.” -- Andrew Parker, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Rutgers University ""An engaging, enjoyable read. A brief but pithy, informative piece of work, representing a unique approach to history writing."" * Kirkus Reviews *

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Richard Klein is Professor Emeritus of French Literature at Cornell University and author of Cigarettes Are Sublime, also published by Duke University Press, Jewelry Talks: A Novel Thesis, and Eat Fat.

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