Journey to the End of the Night

Louis-Ferdinand Céline, born Louis-Ferdinand Auguste Destouches on May 27, 1894, in Courbevoie, France, was a French novelist, physician, and one of the most influential yet controversial literary figures of the 20th century. Renowned for his innovative use of language and narrative style, he also faced condemnation for his virulently antisemitic pamphlets and pro-Nazi sympathies during World War II. Céline was born into a lower-middle-class family. His father worked as an insurance clerk, while his mother ran a small shop selling lace and embroidery. At 18, Céline enlisted in the French army during World War I. In 1914, he suffered a severe arm wound that left him permanently disabled, earning him the Médaille Militaire. His wartime experiences would later shape his dark worldview, marked by a deep disillusionment with humanity. These experiences would greatly influence his writing of Journey to the End of the Night.

After the war, Céline traveled extensively, working in Africa and the Americas before studying medicine. He earned a medical degree in 1924 and began practicing as a doctor, focusing on serving the poor. Céline’s literary breakthrough came in 1932 with the semi-auto-biographical Voyage au bout de la nuit (Journey to the End of the Night).