Jacques the Fatalist

Nov 27, 2025 10:10 PM

Author:Denis Diderot,Michael Henry,Martin Hall

Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was among the greatest writers of the Enlightenment, and in Jacques the Fatalist he brilliantly challenged the artificialities of conventional French fiction of his age. Riding through France with his master, the servant Jacques appears to act as though he is truly free in a world of dizzying variety and unpredictability. Characters emerge and disappear as the pair travel across the country, and tales begin and are submerged by greater stories, to reveal a panoramic view of eighteenth-century society. But while Jacques seems to choose his own path, he remains convinced of one philosophical belief: that every decision he makes, however whimsical, is wholly predetermined. Playful, picaresque and comic, Diderot's novelis a compelling exploration of Enlightment philosophy. Brilliantly original in style, it is one of the greatest precursors to post-modern literature.

Reviews

His masterpiece

—— The Sunday Times

Naguib Mahfouz's CAIRO TRILOGY puts all contemporary writers in the shade. He is the Arab Tolstoy.

—— Simon Sebag Montefiore , Twitter

Proust, Tolstoy and Balzac are the names most frequently flung around in company with that of Mahfouz...I thought of Galsworthy, reading Sugar Street

—— Spectator

Mahfouz's scope is vast and his concerns are not only still evident today, but crucial

—— The Scotsman

Sugar Street is a marvellous novel, with many messages, open and concealed, for those who will be instructed

—— The Times Literary Supplement

The Cairo Trilogy has made its mark on Anglo-American literary tastes because of its unusual grandeur, a technically "Good Read" - recalling Dickens, Flaubert, Zola, even Galsworthy - which still engages the dynamic society of Egypt in the first half of the century

—— Glasgow Herald

Mahfouz's sequence telescopes a family chronicle into an unparalleled picture of Egypt under the British Protectorate

—— The Times

A penetrating and thoughtful study of Catherine de'Medici

—— Northern Daily Telegraph

'Irrestistably engaging'

—— Kirkus

'Witty and intelligent...just the thing for a lazy summer day'

—— Newsday

Genuine wit and charm

—— Image

Witty novel about life and love after divorce, Hollywood-style.

—— Daily Express

A bitchy and entertaining look at life in La-La Land

—— The Sun

A perfect poolside read

—— New Woman

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