A Dangerous Encounter (German: Eine gefährliche Begegnung) is a 1985 novel by the German writer Ernst Jünger. The story is set in Paris in the late 19th century and follows a murder investigation in a decadent aristocratic environment. The book was published in English in 1993, translated by Hilary Barr.[1]

A Dangerous Encounter
AuthorErnst Jünger
Original titleEine gefährliche Begegnung
TranslatorHilary Barr
CountryWest Germany
LanguageGerman
PublisherKlett-Cotta
Publication date
1985
Published in English
1993
Pages169
ISBN9783608953336

Reception edit

Publishers Weekly reviewed the book in 1993, calling Junger's writing "shimmering" and "imaginative", and praised his portrayal of the character Ducasse, saying that the character is "the last practitioner of a gentlemanly decadence which itself is the faded reflection of a bygone social structure." Describing the flow of the book, they continued, "If the second half of the novel devolves into a rather unsatisfying francophonic Holmes and Watson riff, its beginning is a clear indication of Junger's talent.[2]

Kirkus Reviews called it "a polished tale from the prolific Jünger, a 97-year-old author who's acclaimed in Europe but little known here", and wrote: "Delicately mannered and full of nuance, this is certainly subtle--but a side effect of its careful, quiet understatement is that it seems over before it's really begun".[3]

References edit

  1. ^ A dangerous encounter. OCLC 28563497. Retrieved 2016-04-01 – via WorldCat.
  2. ^ Staff writer (1993-06-28). "A Dangerous Encounter". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  3. ^ Staff writer (1993-08-01). "A Dangerous Encounter by Ernst Jünger". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2016-04-01.