Will O' the Wisp (novel)

Will O' the Wisp
First edition cover
AuthorPierre Drieu La Rochelle
Original titleLe Feu follet
LanguageFrench
PublisherÉditions Gallimard
Publication date
1 May 1931
Publication placeFrance
Published in English
1965
Pages215

Will O' the Wisp (French: Le feu follet) is a 1931 novel by the French writer Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. It has also been published in English as The Fire Within. It tells the story of a 30-year-old man who after military service, followed by a few years of cosmopolitan, decadent life, has become burned out, addicted to heroin and tired of living. The author's source of inspiration for the main character was the dadaist poet Jacques Rigaut (1898–1929).[1]

The novel has been the basis for two feature films, Louis Malle's The Fire Within from 1963 and Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31st from 2011.

  1. ^ Frey, Hugo (2004). Louis Malle. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 68. ISBN 0-7190-6456-2.