Cover of The Joris-Karl Huysmans Library

The Joris-Karl Huysmans Library

The Joris-Karl Huysmans Library

By: Joris-Karl Huysmans
Listen for free

Season's Savings | 0.99 €/month for 3 months

5.99 €/month thereafter - terms apply. Cancel monthly.
Escape the grey tyranny of ordinary life.

The Joris-Karl Huysmans Library presents the strange, sumptuous and unsettling works of one of the fin de siècle’s most singular writers, read in full. Enter a world of jeweled tortoises and monstrous flowers, infernal rites and Gothic cathedrals; of exquisite sensations, spiritual nausea, black humour and the desperate search for something beyond the vulgarity of modern existence.

For aesthetes, mystics, decadents, and anyone who has ever suspected that reality might be improved upon.
Public domain
Episodes
  • Against The Grain, or Against Nature Chapter 12 Part 1

    Against The Grain, or Against Nature Chapter 12 Part 1
    17 Oct 2026
    In which Des Esseintes, returning to his cherished sanctuary, immerses himself in the tactile and aesthetic pleasures of his uniquely curated library, contemplating the artistry not only of the books’ content but of their bindings and papers, reflecting with particular reverence upon Baudelaire’s penetrating and morbid poetry as a window into the human soul’s darkest recesses. He then embarks on a discerning exploration of contemporary Catholic literature, lamenting its pedestrian and pedantic character except for rare sparks of eloquence, thereby revealing his solitary quest for authenticity and depth amid a tide of insipid piety.
    Show more Show less
    29 min
  • Against The Grain, or Against Nature Chapter 10

    Against The Grain, or Against Nature Chapter 10
    11 Oct 2026
    In which Des Esseintes experiences a fleeting reprieve from his affliction only to be beset by phantom scents that lead him into an intricate exploration of perfumery, treating the art of aromas with the same devotion and scrutiny as one might poetry or painting. Immersed in his fragrant compositions, he conjures vivid, sensory landscapes that intermingle nature and artifice, yet finds himself ensnared once more by the overpowering and elusive perfume that haunts his senses.
    Show more Show less
    34 min
  • Against The Grain, or Against Nature Chapter 9

    Against The Grain, or Against Nature Chapter 9
    8 Oct 2026
    In which a restless soul is tormented by feverish wakefulness and oppressive dreams, seeking solace among treasured artworks and memories of past pleasures, only to find himself haunted by a disquieting blend of spiritual and carnal longings. His solitude and nervous malady stoke reveries both sacred and profane, as he conjures spectral companions and wrestles with the bitter ironies of desire and decline.
    Show more Show less
    25 min
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet