Huysmans, J(oris) K(arl) (1848–1907)

French novelist. His novel A rebours/Against Nature (1884), with its self-absorbed aestheticism, symbolized the decadent movement (see decadence). The writing of Là-bas/Down There (1891), the life of a Satanist, prompted Huysmans to turn to Catholicism and En route (1895) describes his religious journey.

His novel Marthe (1876), the story of a courtesan, was followed by other novels, all of which feature solitary protagonists. Other works include the realistic En ménage (1881). La Cathédrale/The Cathedral (1898) is among the finest pieces of mystic literature, while L'Oblat/The Lay Brother (1903) and Les Foules de Lourdes/The Crowds of Lourdes (1906) are his chief later works.

Huysmans was born in Paris, and worked 30 years as a civil servant. He also wrote art criticism, notably L'Art moderne/Modern Art (1882), a study of Impressionist painting. He ended his life in a religious order.