French Literature Reviews - 2026
V. Delecroix, Tombeau d'Achille
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Vincent Delecroix, Tombeau d'Achille
Gallimard, L'un et l'autre
EAN: 9782070120772
Publication date: 30.10.2008
Page count: 176 pages
Price: 16.50 euros
Publisher's overview:
“Perhaps he was your hero because he was the greatest of heroes, the most handsome, the strongest, the bravest, or the most unwavering, at times when you were far from handsome, when a flirtatious glance would throw you into a shameful spin, when you should have stood firm yet found yourself weak. Or perhaps because his mother was a sea goddess, or because he too could suddenly stop playing to sulk at length whenever a blatant injustice occurred. [...] Because, too—we must admit—he had a fiery temper, and your childish whims were gilded with it, or his pride was a divine quality rather than an ugly flaw. Because he was not sneaky like Odysseus, pompous like Nestor, stupid like Agamemnon, cowardly like Paris—and above all, not cuckolded like Menelaus. Because he was pure, in his violence as in his magnanimity, in his sorrow as in his triumphant joy. And it seemed that by following him you were purified, plunged into fire, just as he himself was, as a child, by his mother. [...] And the sun would always be flawless, his words straight, the night deep and immensely rich in stars.”
In these solemn and moving pages, Vincent Delecroix engages in a form of self-analysis “under the shield of Achilles,” contrasting the cunning and wise Odysseus—whom he dislikes—with the passionate and admirable Achilles. Against the quiet, inglorious life of the former—and of so many men—he sings the praises of the brief and dazzling life of the latter, preferring, on this journey toward the inevitable death that is every human existence, the exaltation and risk of a headlong rush to the obscure and petty mediocrity of caution.
Table of Contents
- The Hero
- A Few Fragments of the Body
- Violence
- Journey Through the Underworld
The Author
Vincent Delecroix was born in 1969. He lives and teaches philosophy in Paris. He is the author of three novels published by Éditions Gallimard: À la porte (collection blanche, 2004), Ce qui est perdu (collection blanche, 2006), and La chaussure sur le toit (collection blanche, 2007).
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An article on this work can be read on the BibliObs.com website:
In the realm of French letters and philosophical essays, authors often contrast archetypal heroes such as the cunning Odysseus and the passionate Achilles to examine human conduct, temperament, and morality. Vincent Delecroix contributes to this intellectual current by juxtaposing the quiet, cautious life with the brief and dazzling trajectory of a legendary warrior, questioning the values of endurance, pride, and glory.
In Tombeau d'Achille, Vincent Delecroix engages in self-analysis under the shield of Achilles, contrasting Odysseus with the admirable Achilles to praise a life of exaltation over obscurity. Readers interested in contemporary French philosophical reflections on classical heroism may find this volume relevant.