The Death of Society: Conte de Fée Premier

Romer Wilson

Jan 1921 · Collins' Clear-Type Press

About this ebook

In Death of Society, Romer Wilson creates a chilling and thought-provoking vision of a dystopian future. The novel explores the consequences of unchecked technological advancement and societal decay, painting a bleak picture of a world on the brink of collapse. Wilson's attention to detail and vivid descriptions bring the world of the novel to life, making it feel eerily plausible and disturbingly familiar. A weary survivor of the Great War, Major Rane Smith wanders in a great ennui amidst the mystical beauties of the fjords of Norway after the War, seeking a spiritual renewal. Deep in the forest he stumbles fatefully upon the strange, almost elvish home of Karl Ingman, an iconoclastic old Ibsen scholar. There Major Smith meets Ingman's two beautiful young daughters and his eldritch wife Rosa, entering into long days of profound dialogue with each member of the family. A rare and exquisite gem of a novel, The Death of Society is one of the most remarkable books of the post-War era, showing Wilson's deep intellectual, artistic, and philosophical passions against the backdrop of a romantic passion just as profound. Fallen into a strange obscurity after her untimely death, Romer Wilson deserves a revival of reputation that was recognized in her lifetime when she was awarded the prestigious Hawthornden Prize for this novel.