The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
"The Werewolf of Paris," written by Guy Endore and published in 1933, is a notable work in the genre of horror literature that explores themes of lycanthropy and human nature. The narrative centers on the character Bertrand Calliet, a member of the tumultuous Pitamont family, who is charged with violent acts, including the attack on a fellow soldier. Through a fictional deposition by Aymar Galliez, Bertrand's uncle, the story unfolds to reveal the origins of Bertrand's werewolf condition, tied to a troubled lineage involving a corrupt priest and a servant named Josephine.
As the plot progresses, Bertrand grapples with his lycanthropic urges while navigating the complexities of love and violence in Parisian society. His transformation sparks a series of tragic events, including the murder of prostitutes and encounters with law enforcement. The novel raises questions about morality, societal judgment, and the nature of evil, culminating in a haunting conclusion where the line between man and beast blurs. With its intricate character dynamics and dark themes, "The Werewolf of Paris" remains a significant exploration of the werewolf mythos and human depravity.
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The Werewolf of Paris
First published: 1933
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—occult
Time of work: 1849-1871
Locale: Paris and rural France
The Plot
The Werewolf of Paris, Guy Endore’s best-known work, appeared in 1933 and created a sensation, going through numerous printings that unfortunately did not benefit the author, who reportedly sold the work for $750. The novel purports to be a scholarly expansion of a deposition by Aymar Galliez, a semi-invalid and former revolutionary Napoleonic supporter, composed for the trial of his nephew Bertrand Calliet. Bertrand is charged with attacking and biting a fellow soldier. The document recounts the life and violent exploits of Bertrand, who is a werewolf.
Bertrand, a member of the dissolute and violent Pitamont family, is the illegitimate son of a corrupt priest and Josephine, a young servant of the Didier household, where Aymar lives. After her seduction, Josephine develops an animalistic preoccupation with sex. Madame Didier discovers her activities and her resulting pregnancy. Josephine is virtually imprisoned during her lying in. Didier instructs Aymar to visit the young woman in her absence. Against his better judgment, he conducts a secret, compulsive affair with Josephine that lasts until his aunt returns.
Aymar scoffs at Didier’s fears that the child, after such a bad conception, will be born on Christmas and thereby be accursed, but the child’s birth does occur on the dreaded day. Later, Didier dies, and Aymar shoulders much of the responsibility for rearing Bertrand, who is an unusually sweet child. Aymar discovers his nephew’s lycanthropic nature when a silver bullet fired at a wolf turns up in Bertrand’s body. His werewolfism is treated successfully with confinement and a diet of raw meat.
Upon reaching manhood, Bertrand ventures to the city and is taken to a brothel, where his lower nature is awakened and he nearly kills a prostitute with his biting. When the story becomes known, Aymar whips Bertrand brutally and promises more punishment. This moves Josephine to help Bertrand escape rather than see him further subjected to Aymar’s wrath.
On his way to Paris, Bertrand makes his first human kill. He continues his crime wave—mostly murdering prostitutes and robbing graves—in Paris while hiding away in the National Guard. Aymar goes to Paris in search of Bertrand, hoping eventually to destroy him.
Bertrand is able to control his nature temporarily through his love of Sophie de Blumenberg, a wealthy canteen volunteer who satisfies him initially with love and later supplements that with quantities of her blood. When Bertrand finds that even this is not enough to satisfy his bloodlust, rather than kill Sophie, he seeks prey upon the streets, attacks a soldier, and is captured.
Aymar hears of the arrest and prepares his document, hoping to influence the judge to destroy Bertrand, but the judge is amused by Aymar’s “medieval” attitude. He adopts a more enlightened one, merely confining Bertrand to a mental institution. Aymar accepts the judgment and uses his influence to have Bertrand placed in a private asylum. The place is run by unscrupulous men who abuse Bertrand and drug him into passivity shortly before each of Aymar’s visits.
Bertrand is reduced to a semianimal state, like his Pitamont ancestor before him. Now he can think only of food, revenge, and Sophie (now a casualty of the revolution). Believing that the madwoman in a nearby cell is Sophie, Bertrand escapes and kills his guard. Carrying “Sophie” with him, he leaps to his death in an attempt to escape. When the bodies are exhumed, the decomposing body of a wolf is found in Bertrand’s grave.