Down There — Joris-Karl Huysmans / J.K. Huysmans

French novelist Charles Marie George Huysmans (1848-1907) adopted the pseudonym Joris-Karl, or J.-K. Huysmans, for his novels, short stories and art criticism. His thirty-year tenure at the French Ministry of the Interior allowed him the financial and personal freedom to write as he pleased. In the same vein as his mentor, Émile Zola, Huysmans' writings were largely naturalistic. Huysmans' novels were somewhat controversial at the time of publication, as they often dealt with themes of religion, social and political commentary, and in the case of his 1891 novel, "Là-Bas", Satanism. "Là-Bas, or Down There", is the first of a series of novels in which Huysmans' explores his only personal struggle with religious faith through his characters, in this case the main character, Durtal. The novel explores religious and philosophical extremes, and depicts Satanism in the late 1880s through the eyes of Durtal, who is seeking respite from what he sees as a disgusting and vulgar modern world.