The Quest for Fire
 First US edition | |
| Author | J.-H. Rosny |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Guerre du feu |
| Translator | H Talbott |
| Illustrator | J. O. Bercher |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Historical, Prehistoric fiction, Adventure novel, Fantasy |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books (US) |
Publication date | 1911 |
| Publication place | Belgium |
Published in English | 1967 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-14-006434-6 (UK Eng. trans.) & ISBN 0-345-30067-X (US Eng. trans.) |
| OCLC | 10813236 |
The Quest for Fire (French: La Guerre du feu, literally The War of Fire) is a 1911 Belgian fantasy novel by J.-H. Rosny, the pseudonym of two brothers; the author was actually the elder of the two, Joseph Henri Honoré Boex (1856–1940).[1] It was first published in English in an abridged edition in 1967.[2]
It was adapted into the critically acclaimed 1981 film Quest for Fire starring Ron Perlman. The film is not a faithful adaptation of the book.
Setting
[edit]The Quest for Fire takes place in 100,000 BC in Europe. The fauna of this period is omnipresent, including: mammoths, cave lions, aurochs, cave bears, saber-toothed cats, giant elks and saiga antelopes. Several humanoid species live alongside animals:
- the Ulams (Neandertal-like hunters-gatherers who worship the fire and are able to ally themselves with beasts);
- the Wahs (people without shoulders from marshes);
- the Blue-Haired Men (huge four-handed simians with a bluish fur);
- the Men-Eaters (bestial cannibals); and
- the Red Dwarfs (extremely warmongering and xenophobic pygmies).
Scientific response
[edit]Italian paleontologist Giorgio Manzi praised both the novel and its movie adaptation for their prescient vision: for him, they can alternatively be seen as a journey through human evolution, where the protagonists meet different species of Homo that succeeded one another through time; or, as a journey through space, with different human species that coexisted (and interbred) in different parts of the world. Finally, they could also be seen as a representation of diversity within Neanderthals, that are now known to have had "modern" traits, like the production of jewelry, but to also have engaged in cannibalism.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ According to the dust jacket of a 1967 edition [1] it was the older brother of the Rosny brothers who was author.
- ^ "The Quest for Fire: A Novel of Prehistoric Times (review)". Kirkus Reviews. April 1, 1967. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Manzi, Giorgio (31 August 2017). Ultime notizie sull'evoluzione umana (in Italian). il Mulino. pp. 165–167. ISBN 978-8815272775.
External links
[edit] | This article about a speculative fiction novel of the 1910s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |