This is the first major study in English of the work of the French novelist, essayist, journalist, poet and 'chansonnier' Pierre Mac Orlan (1882-1970). It assesses Mac Orlan's contribution to the post-1918 phenomenon of intellectual disillusionment and disorientation which was termed the 'nouveau mal du siecle', or 'inquietude'. Although he has largely been ignored by critics thus far, Mac Orlan was part of mainstream French literary production and a major exponent of 'inquietude'. Where he differs from his contemporaries is in his subject matter, in his use of sociological, rather than...