Portrait of a Man Unknown

Portrait of a Man Unknown is a 1947 novel by Nathalie Sarraute, a key figure in the French literary movement known as the nouveau roman, or "new novel". This movement, which emerged after World War II, challenged traditional novelistic conventions. Sarraute, a leading theorist of the nouveau roman, rejected elements like biographical description to create fully formed characters, linear plot, and omniscient narration. Instead, her work, including Portrait of a Man Unknown, explores "tropisms"—imperceptible impulses and elemental movements that drive human attitudes and actions. The novel is noted for its exploration of a tyrannical father and his aging daughter. Jean-Paul Sartre coined the term "antinovel" in his introduction to Sarraute's work.12