In the form of a memoir by a latter-day Candide named Hippolyte, The Benefactor leads us on a kind of psychic Grand Tour, in which Hippolyte's violently imaginative dream life becomes indistinguishable from his surprising experiences in the "real world". Sontag's novel supplies a fascinating, knowing, acerbic portrait of a certain bohemian demi-monde that flourished in France until quite recently. More importantly, The Benefactor is a novel about ideas - especially religious ideas - unlike any other: funny, acrobatic, disturbing and profound.
- ISBN10 8420427683
- ISBN13 9788420427683
- Publish Date 1 November 1997 (first published 1 December 1963)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Out of Print 19 August 2009
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Aguilar
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Language English