Rameau’s Nephew

Rameau’s Nephew, novel by Denis Diderot, written between 1761 and 1774 but not published during the author’s lifetime. J.W. von Goethe translated the text into German in 1805, and Goethe’s translation was published in French as Le Neveu de Rameau in 1821. The first printing from the original manuscript was not made until 1891.

The work, set in a café in Paris, takes the form of a conversation between “Moi,” a representative of the author, and “Lui,” a young, cynical bohemian nephew of the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. As they display their wit and show off their knowledge, the conversation begins to resemble a chess game with its gambits and sly stratagems. The two men satirize society, in which mediocrity is allowed to flourish, and discuss the nature of genius, music, and art.