Jurgen by James Branch Cabell
Always Loved This Book
From the introduction: In a letter dated December 12, 1920, Deems Taylor
wrote, I have finished Jurgen; a great and beautiful book, and the saddest
book I ever read. I dont know why, exactly. The book hurts me--tears me to
small pieces--but somehow it sets me free. It tells me everything I am, and
have been, and may be, unsparingly. Jurgen wrestles, in its odd way, with
the fundamental tragedy of human life in general and male life in particular:
We are doomed to age and die; meanwhile happiness will prove elusive.
Jurgen isnt for everyone. Some will get it and some wont. Its a story of
fantastic adventures, but it will be fully appreciated only by those who are
stirred by symbol and metaphor. We may not be prancing through a
magical world as Jurgen does, but some of us will see echoes of our own
dreams and nightmares in his story. If youre such a person, then Jurgen
may hit you like a ton of bricks. For those who are interested, some rabid
fans (of which there are many) put together a collection of explanatory
footnotes in 1928, and these have been included in this edition. Its worth
noting that Jurgen is obscurely suggestive without being explicit; it went

over the heads of some, but others saw what was going on, and they
either guffawed or objected vigorously. There were serious attempts to
suppress it, which of course only made the text notorious. It was (and still
is) politically incorrect, and it garnered something of a counter-cultural
following for all the wrong reasons. Well, so be it. The book is among the
greatest works of fantasy, and thats all there is to say. Along with the
notes, this edition of Jurgen includes the classic illustrations of Frank C.
Pape and a map of Jurgens land, making this the most complete version of
the book ever published. Newly designed and beautifully typeset in a 6-
by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.
Personal Review: Jurgen by James Branch Cabell
"I have finished Jurgen; a great and beautiful book, and the saddest book I
ever read. I don't know why, exactly. The book hurts me -- tears me to
small pieces -- but somehow it sets me free. It says the word that I've been
trying to pronounce for so long. It tells me everything I am, and have been,
and may be, unsparingly...I don't know why I cry over it so much. It's too --
something-or-other -- to stand. I've been sitting here tonight, reading it
aloud, with the tears streaming down my face..." -- Deems Taylor, in a
letter dated December 12, 1920.
What can I add to that? Jurgen is on my short list of very favorite books. It
wrestles, in its odd way, with the fundamental tragedy of human life in
general and male life in particular: We are doomed to age and die;
meanwhile happiness will prove elusive. Wow, I'm making this sound
awfully depressing, aren't I? But that's not right. Jurgen is humorous and
fun and weirdly uplifting. Jurgen's strange adventures manage to represent
all that a man may pursue and aspire to. The tale burns, but in a
wonderfully brilliant way. (I made that comment about the tragedy of "male
life" because Jurgen is, among other things, the quintessential rogue. His
notion of how happiness might be ideally pursued differs somewhat from
the ideas of the females he holds discourse with. Thus does Cabell
illustrate a reality that we can either acknowledge or deny; take your
choice. Enlightened people will prefer the latter.)
Jurgen isn't for everyone. Some will "get it" and some won't. I once handed
a copy to a person who returned it with the comment that he wasn't a fan
of the S&S ("swords & sorcery") genre. This surprised me; the book can
only be described as S&S by someone who does not look below the
surface. I mention this not to mock but to warn. Jurgen may be better
appreciated by those who are stirred by symbol and metaphor. We may
not be prancing through a magical world as Jurgen does, but some of us
will see echoes of our own dreams and nightmares in his story. If you're
such a person, then Jurgen may hit you like a ton of bricks. Otherwise
you'll chuck the manuscript against the wall.
It's worth noting that Jurgen, in its circumspect way, managed to offend the
contemporary powers-that-be. The book is obscurely suggestive without
being explicit; it went over the heads of some, but others saw what was

going on, and they either guffawed or objected vigorously. There were
serious attempts to suppress it, which of course only made the text
notorious. It was (and still is) politically incorrect, and it garnered
something of a counter-cultural following for all the wrong reasons. Well,
so be it. The book is great, and that's all there is to say.
The tale incorporates supporting characters and environments rummaged
from myth and history. You won't need to know all these background
details to understand or enjoy the plot; however if you should want to
follow up, some rabid fans (of which there were many) put together a
collection of footnotes way back in 1928. It's long out of print, but you'll find
an Amazon listing on it (Amazon lists everything!); search Amazon books
for ASIN=B00085DJ0A. A copy of the notes is also posted online; search
the web on the phrase "Notes on Jurgen".
If you buy the book, you'll want the Dover paperback edition
(ISBN=0486235076), which is a trade paperback and includes the
wonderful old illustrations. Holding this edition in my hands just feels right.
There's also a great unabridged audio cassette (ISBN=1574534505),
rendered by a troupe of actors. They do a very nice job, switching to the
most appropriate character to read the text as the book progresses.
Cabell was a prolific author, with "Jurgen" being his best-known (and
probably his greatest) work. If you're unfamiliar with Cabell, "Jurgen" is the
book to start with. If you want to follow up, look for "Figures of Earth".
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