Éric Vuillard's 'Conquistadors' Reviewed in art press

Céline Gailleurd reviews Éric Vuillard's novel 'Conquistadors' in art press n°361 (November 2009). Published by Éditions Léo Scheer, the book opens in 1532 with the conquest of Peru and the destruction of the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro and a handful of Spanish warriors. Vuillard's narrative continues the tense, visceral style of his earlier works 'Le Chasseur' (Michalon, 1999), 'Bois vert' (Léo Scheer, 2002), and 'Tohu' (Léo Scheer, 2005), as well as his first feature film 'Mateo Falcone' (2008, based on Prosper Mérimée's short story). The review describes Vuillard's writing as a knife-cut that lays bare the interior, blending history with the intimate. It portrays Pizarro as greedy, ferocious, yet vulnerable, and weaves his destiny with that of the indigenous people. The text captures the thirst for conquest, fear, waiting, and bodily solitude, giving the gestures of Spanish mercenaries an enchanting, religious beauty. It recounts what trembles or breaks within them, even as they ravage the land and bring fire, rendering their metaphysical wandering amidst destruction.