The Passer-Through-Walls by Marcel Ayme Summary

Ayme's reputation is actually much greater among American readers of his translated works than his original French audience, who would never place him at the same level as authors like Sartre or Blanchot. He wrote during the early and middle parts of the 20th century and produced an impressive body of work, spanning several art forms, including plays, children's stories, and even theoretical works. Of the writers considered so far, Ayme is perhaps the least philosophical and ideological. He is a skilled storyteller whose greatest gift, perhaps, is his creativity.

Ayme begins "The Passer-Through-Walls"—an awkward translation, perhaps, of the French "Le Passe-Muraille" or "The Wall Passer"—by introducing the protagonist, Dutilleul. Dutilleul is a simple government clerk who lives a boring and monotonous life, though he seems to take some pleasure, or...