The first novel by Nobel laureate J. M. G. Leclezio, full of explosive power and subtle lyricism, brought the twenty-three-year-old author instant recognition, the prestigious Renaudo literary prize and the reputation of a great writer. This novel about the loneliness of man in the modern world is key to Leclezio's entire subsequent work, for which four decades later he was awarded the highest literary award.* * *I cared little about the realism of the narrative (I am increasingly convinced that reality is not exists); I wanted my book to be perceived as absolute fiction, with the sole purpose of causing a response (even if insignificant) in the minds of readers.G. M. G. Leclezio* * *The first novel by Nobel laureate J. M. G. Leclezio, full of explosive power and subtle realism, brought the twenty-three-year-old author instant recognition, the prestigious Renaudo literary prize and the reputation of a great writer. It was no coincidence that the author gave the hero of the book a strange name: Adam Pollo. Adam is the first and at the same time the last man. A lone hero. Whether he is a deserter or an escapee from a mental hospital is not so important. He is mad, lives in complete oblivion, he is irresistibly drawn to extremes, he is on his own, he is inflated, and the world around him cannot resist him, turning either into an extravaganza or into a nightmare.