Alain Robbe-Grillet, 1922 - 2008.

February 18, 2008 11:16 AM

Alain Robbe-Grillet, French author, member of the Académie française and subject of this recent Mefi post, has passed away at age 85.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (16 comments total)

Obituary in Le Monde (in French).
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:22 AM on February 18, 2008

Wow, I had no idea he was still alive. I'd like to come up with some clever way to write an observation of his death from a million different perspectives, but I've never understood how he did what he did. RIP.
posted by OmieWise at 11:37 AM on February 18, 2008

ARG
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:49 AM on February 18, 2008

The only work I know of his is Last Year at Marienbad which I saw first in high school and then again recently. It's a strange and beautiful film, not least of all because of his screenplay.
posted by Muttoneer at 12:07 PM on February 18, 2008

The BBC article politely glosses over the cause of death with the vague term "cardiac problems", but there is more information leaked to the internet on exactly how Robbe-Grillet died:

After having raped Alain Robbe-Grillet in every fashion, the MeFites had proceeded to spread him out on a special machine and stick needles all over his body, from which the four limbs were torn little by little. To finish, they completely detached one of his thighs by pulling the leg from the foot, and he was left to twist in a pool of blood and to die like that without assistance. Yes, it had really been great.

posted by hincandenza at 12:10 PM on February 18, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Oh how sad. He was one of my favorite authors.

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posted by cytherea at 12:20 PM on February 18, 2008

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posted by ethel at 1:06 PM on February 18, 2008

My dad says he was a really nice guy.
posted by Kattullus at 1:50 PM on February 18, 2008

.

Now we'll never know what Marienbad was about!
posted by Brainy at 2:11 PM on February 18, 2008

Am I a terrible person for not caring?

Maybe so! I'm cool with that. I will take up his mantle.
posted by sonic meat machine at 3:19 PM on February 18, 2008

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posted by juv3nal at 3:48 PM on February 18, 2008

I read 'In the Labyrinth' simply because I thought it was a cool title and pulled it off the shelf. Loved it. Introduced me to a whole new style of writing.
posted by cobaltnine at 4:12 PM on February 18, 2008

Tant pis.
posted by jfuller at 5:19 PM on February 18, 2008

"Empty salons. Corridors. Salons. Doors. Doors. Salons. Empty chairs, deep armchairs, thick carpets. Heavy hangings. Stairs, steps. Steps, one after the other. Glass objects, objects still intact, empty glasses. A glass that falls, three, two, one, zero. Glass partition, letters."

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posted by jonp72 at 6:25 PM on February 18, 2008

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(Now I'll never get to reread Le Voyeur).
posted by nobody at 8:13 PM on February 18, 2008

Sad to lose such an innovative writer. Need more minds like ARG's, not fewer. RIP.
posted by Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III at 5:02 PM on February 19, 2008