The Opposing Shore (French: Le Rivage des Syrtes) is a 1951 novel by the French writer Julien Gracq. The story is set at the border between two fictional Mediterranean countries, Orsenna and Farghestan, which have been at war for 300 years. It is Gracq's third and most famous novel. It was awarded the Prix Goncourt, but Gracq refused to accept the prize as a protest against commercial compromising in world literature.The novel has been described as a "Wagnerian prelude for an unplayed opera" as it doesn't focus on telling a story but is first and foremost concerned with creating a mysterious, out-of-time atmosphere.
D'abord émerveillé par les métaphores vertigineuses, le récit lent a faillit me lasser ; je me suis accroché grâce au style, puis me suis finalement réconcilié avec ce livre à l'avant dernier chapitre "Dernière Inspection" où s'affrontent les conceptions de Marino et d'Aldo, ou se joue la possibilité d'un destin.
