C'est une chose étrange à la fin que le monde

What is heaven and where is it? How does the universe function? Why is there something rather than nothing? From mathematicians to Greek philosophers, to Einstein and quantum theories, via Newton and Darwin, it has now been almost three thousand years that man has endeavoured to answer these questions. Over the last three or four centuries history has accelerated. We now find ourselves between the modern and postmodern ages. Science, technology and figures have conquered the planet. It seems that reason has prevailed. It has enabled man to replace gods as the rulers of global affairs. Where are we today? Has God been relegated to the museum of faded glories and spent forces? Does life have any meaning, or is it an interlude between two voids? Can we hope for anything whatsoever after death? In the simplest and clearest of terms, with a both rigour and good humour, Jean d'Ormesson offers a new take on these age-old problems and presents the reader with a wonderful novel on the universe and man.