John Fowles described Le Grand Meaulnes as a novel that ‘has haunted the European mind since it first appeared in 1913. It is a novel one never quite forgets, a book like a secret garden...’

Le Grand Meaulnes is a story of the end of youth, with its sense of wonder and idealism, and the transition to adulthood and experience. In a story which exquisitely blends realism with a hint of fantasy, Augustin Meaulnes is haunted by the memory of a beautiful girl briefly encountered in a fantastic ‘domain’. However, Meaulnes finds himself unable to return there both physically and emotionally.

An acknowledged modern classic, Le Grand Meaulnes is offered here in a new translation which is more sympathetic to the poetic original than previous editions.