[In Simon's] novels the rich sensuality and luxuriance of physical detail, the delicate arrangement of mass and shadow, the melancholy but often sumptuous appraisal of man's fleeting destiny turn the passageways of what might seem arid research into stretches of pure enjoyment. (pp. 35-6)

Claude Simon, with amazing persistence and logic, combines definition and production into a single act. Step by step, from his first novel, Le Tricheur, which retains many conventional aspects, to his latest, Triptyque, which has almost none, he explores the territory of the novelist and tests the tools he must use. (p. 39)

Each novel is … an experimental demonstration of the truth that the author is testing. And since each succeeding novel deals with fundamental aspects of novel writing, the series offers writer, reader, and critic a challenging summary of the problems and solutions that each has to evaluate. For this reason, if not for...