A journey around my room: and a nocturnal expedition around my room, paperback/xavier de maistre

Description Finding himself locked in his room for six weeks, a young officer journeys around his room in his imagination, using the various objects it contains as inspiration for a delightful parody of contemporary travel-writing and an exercise in Sternean picaresque, and humorously demonstrating what one can explore without having set off to exotic locations.

Accompanied in this volume by its equally superb sequel, Nocturnal Expedition around my Room, in which a similar voyage is made at night several years later, A Journey around My Room is a masterly and innovative piece of writing, which was immensely popular in its time and would later influence Victor Hugo and Marcel Proust, among others.

About the Author Xavier De Maistre (1763 1852) was an aristocrat and army officer and is best known for his mock-travelogue A Journey Around My Room, which he wrote while under arrest for having participated in a duel.

Andrew Brown is the author of Roland Barthes: The Figures of Writing and his translations include Zolas For a Night of Love, Gautiers The Jinx, Hoffmanns Mademoiselle de Scuderi, and Gides Theseus.

Alain de Botton is a writer and philosopher whose works include The Architecture of Happiness and How to Think More About Sex.