Translated from French by Dali Iashvili

When in 1951 Julien Gracq (1910-2007) won the Prix Goncourt for his novel The Syrtes Shore (The Opposing Shore in English translation), he refused the prize, becoming a lone exception by turning down the prestigious award.  

The author offered his first novel The Castle Argol to then unknown publisher José Corti when it was turned down by others, such as Gallimard. He stayed loyal to his publisher, though later, the same Gallimard cited Julien Gracq among those rare writers who were included in The Pléiade series in their lifetime.

Luciano Chailly wrote an opera based on the novel of mystery and eerie atmosphere. It was produced in 1959 in Monte Carlo, where it received high acclaim.