About this audiobook
Gustave Flaubert retells the life of Julian in the form of a medieval legend. Born into a noble household, the young man is haunted by a prophecy connecting his future with a terrible crime. His passion for hunting and his attraction to violence place the promise of greatness beside a darker possibility.
Julian leaves home in an attempt to escape the predicted fate, but distance and military achievement cannot free him from it. The story gradually turns from cruelty and fear towards remorse, renunciation and service to others. Flaubert gives these changes a vivid, almost pictorial form, drawing on the atmosphere and imagery of saints' legends.
This is a tale about responsibility and the possibility of transformation rather than an uncomplicated account of heroic virtue. It will interest readers who enjoy literary legends, moral dilemmas and stories in which the search for redemption demands more than a change of outward circumstances.
