Le Calvaire

The narrative follows Jean Mintie’s harrowing journey through late nineteenth-century French society, highlighting the oppressive nature of bourgeois life and the devastation of the Franco-Prussian war. It explores themes of moral decay, societal hypocrisy, and personal torment, presenting Mintie's life as a descent into Hell amidst a godless world. This autobiographical work, published in 1886, established the author as a prominent voice of discontent, setting the stage for his later critiques of the Establishment in subsequent works.