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| La Belle Sauvage | |
|---|---|
| Name | La Belle Sauvage |
| Author | Philip Pullman |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Book of Dust |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | David Fickling Books |
| Pub date | 2 October 2017 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 448 |
| Isbn | 978-1-910012-89-7 |
La Belle Sauvage
La Belle Sauvage is a 2017 novel by Philip Pullman set in the same fictional universe as the His Dark Materials trilogy and serving as the first volume of The Book of Dust. The narrative follows a young protagonist during a flood that intersects with political, religious, and scientific currents involving organizations and figures from the wider fictional world. Pullman's work engages with themes drawn from real-world controversies and literary traditions, and it elicited broad attention across United Kingdom, United States, and international publishing and media industries.
The plot centers on a boy who becomes embroiled in events surrounding a newborn child during a great flood on the River Thames. The child is pursued by agents linked to powerful institutions including the Magisterium and various clergy aligned with corridors of power reminiscent of historical Council of Trent-era conflicts and modern Vatican controversies. The boy's journey takes him through locations such as rural watercourses, urban London, and academic settings associated with figures akin to scholars from Oxford and Cambridge. Intersections occur with themes of clandestine research, secretive societies, and scientific inquiry reminiscent of disputes between proponents of Isaac Newton-style natural philosophy and critics situated near Galileo Galilei-era conflicts. The narrative interleaves action sequences on riverboats with scenes inside institutions that echo the procedures of real-world bodies like the Inquisition and inquiries into intelligence agencies.
Key characters include the young protagonist, a midwife figure, clerical antagonists, and allies from academic and clerical backgrounds whose affiliations recall institutions such as Christ Church, Oxford, Trinity College, Cambridge, and various cathedral chapters. The protagonist's companions include adult protectors and mentors who bear affinities with archetypes from the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, while antagonists display bureaucratic zeal comparable to historical figures involved in state and religious policing like those implicated in Stasi-style surveillance or Gestapo-era denunciations. Other characters intersect with members of the publishing and printing trades evoking companies similar to Faber and Faber and Chatto & Windus, and with scientists whose temperaments recall Robert Boyle and Antoine Lavoisier.
The novel explores motifs of childhood and protection that converse with the bildungsroman tradition exemplified by works like Great Expectations and Tom Jones. Religious authority and dissent are foregrounded, alluding to historical episodes involving the Reformation, Counter-Reformation, and modern controversies tied to the Roman Curia and doctrinal enforcement by institutions similar to the Holy Office. Science and empiricism are juxtaposed with faith and dogma, invoking figures and disputes such as Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley. Water and flood imagery recall mythic and literary floods from Noah-related narratives to depictions in works by Homer and Dante Alighieri, while the river journey motif reflects traditions in novels like Moby-Dick and Heart of Darkness. Political intrigue and surveillance draw parallels to episodes in the histories of MI5, CIA, and KGB practices, inflecting the book's tension between private conscience and public authority.
Pullman announced the project as part of a planned expansion of his fictional universe, linking it to the earlier His Dark Materials trilogy and to forthcoming volumes aimed at different historical moments and tonal registers. The book was published by David Fickling Books and released in multiple territories including the United Kingdom, United States, and countries represented by publishers such as Penguin Books and Random House. The timing of publication in 2017 situated the book amid cultural debates involving institutions like the Vatican, public controversies over censorship and book banning in regions where His Dark Materials had previously provoked legal and political attention. Pullman's preparatory materials referenced archival and literary sources from collections at institutions like the Bodleian Library and the British Library.
Critical response combined praise for Pullman's prose and world-building with debate over the book's engagement with theological and political themes. Reviews in outlets aligned with media groups such as The Guardian, The New York Times, The Telegraph, The Washington Post, and broadcasting organizations like the BBC highlighted continuities with His Dark Materials and divergences in tone toward a more historical-roman sensibility. Academic commentators situated the work within conversations about children's literature, comparing Pullman's intertextual strategies to those of Lewis Carroll, Beatrix Potter, and Enid Blyton. Sales performance placed the novel on bestseller lists including those compiled by The Sunday Times and The New York Times Book Review.
Rights discussions involved film and television companies similar to New Line Cinema, BBC Studios, and streaming services such as HBO and Amazon Prime Video. The wider universe has previously been adapted in productions involving collaborators like BBC radio and stage interpretations at venues comparable to the National Theatre and productions with designers from companies such as Royal Shakespeare Company. Audio editions featured narrators with connections to performers who have worked in adaptations of His Dark Materials, and potential future screen adaptations were discussed in trade outlets like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
Category:2017 novels Category:British fantasy novels Category:Works by Philip Pullman