https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-joris-karl-huysmans-library--7346033
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.
]]>enFictionPublic domainhttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/8a622f4ed9df26cbf830a8d89a0e2622.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-joris-karl-huysmans-library--7346033Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:30:18 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansGood Old Classicsfeeds@spreaker.comEscape 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...
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.
]]>falsefcd7f0c1-2912-5db3-87d7-c2823dfca92fserialhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-1--75124661https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124661Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:35:25 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which a solitary and fastidious young nobleman traces the decline of his ancient family and grows increasingly alienated from the vapid society around him, his restless spirit seeking refuge from disillusionment and ennui. Tiring of folly and...1377false11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-2--75124662https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124662Thu, 17 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes, after a lengthy sojourn in Paris, immerses himself in the meticulous transformation of his Fontenay home, carefully orchestrating the interplay of colours and textures to fashion a sanctuary tailored to his refined and...1222false12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-3--75124663https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124663Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes meticulously orchestrates a hermetically sealed domestic order, surrounding himself with silent servants and contrived environments that imitate travel and nature’s caprices to evade the vulgarity of physical movement and human...1359false13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-4--75124664https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124664Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes, immersed in the twilight of classical letters, surveys the vast landscape of Latin literature from the Decadent period to the dawn of medieval Christian writings, finding charm in the vivid realism of Petronius and the exotic...2257false14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-5--75124665https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124665Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes receives the long-anticipated delivery of a tortoise, transformed into a dazzling objet d’art encrusted with carefully chosen rare stones, evoking intricate pleasures of colour and light. As evening falls, surrounded by the snow...1698false15fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-6--75124666https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124666Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes, repelled by the vulgarities of modern existence, surrounds himself with the enigmatic and exotic art of Gustave Moreau and other visionary painters, creating a sanctuary of refined and somber imaginings that transport him...2517false16fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-7--75124667https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124667Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes finds himself besieged by a flood of melancholy memories and unsettling spiritual doubts, as his austere solitude and vivid recollections of Jesuit education awaken a latent turmoil between scepticism and a faint stir of faith....2046false17fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-8--75124668https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124668Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which the refined and fastidious Des Esseintes cultivates an extraordinary collection of exotic and grotesque plants, marvels at their strange forms and artificial qualities, and contemplates the haunting parallels between their exotic deformities...2022false18fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-9--75124670https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124670Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn 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...1516false19fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-10--75124672https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124672Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn 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...2044false110fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-11--75124673https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124673Wed, 14 Oct 2026 18:30:05 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes, overcome by malaise and a restless longing for the bustle of human life, abruptly abandons his provincial solitude and attempts to immerse himself in the atmospheric gloom and vigorous activity of London imagined through the...2450false111fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-12-part-1--75124674https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124674Sat, 17 Oct 2026 18:30:05 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn 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,...1759false112fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-12-part-2--75124675https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124675Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes contemplates the bitter disputes and diverse temperaments among Catholic writers, ranging from the combative and vulgar Veuillot to the tortuous mysticism of Ernest Hello, and the fiery, paradoxical art of Barbey d’Aurevilly,...2118false113fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-13--75124676https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124676Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which the oppressive heat suffocates Des Esseintes, tormenting his frail body and unsettling his senses as he wrestles with a profound malady and the vexations of physical decline. Amidst his fevered reveries beneath the shadow of a garden tree, he...1929false114fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/against-the-grain-or-against-nature-chapter-14-part-1--75124677https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75124677Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000Joris-Karl HuysmansIn which Des Esseintes grapples with his physical frailty and seeks solace in the measured order of his literary refuge, finding comfort in the precise and intimate nuances of select poets whose works reflect the complex reveries of his soul. With a...1918false115full