Francine Prose Reviews a 19th Century Novella That Merges Creationism and Evolution for the New York Review of Books

“Eça de Queirós is hardly the first writer to ask whether we would be better off without the blessing and curse of our complex consciousness,” writes Distinguished Writer in Residence Francine Prose of Adam and Eve in Paradise, a 19th-century novella in which, among other things, Adam fights a dinosaur and Eve is praised for eating the forbidden fruit. Prose, reading the novella over the course of one afternoon (and then again the next day), found herself moved by it. “Despite the book’s short length, there’s room for startling plot turns, inspired details, violent drama, and a thoughtful consideration of what it means to be human,” she writes in the New York Review of Books. As Prose found herself delighted, in 2025, by the novella’s humor and humanity, she felt a sense of gratitude to Eça de Queirós. “What pure pleasure it is, in these dark times,” she writes, “to read a bright fantasy about Adam and Eve and evolution, about the necessity of loving the poisonous roots, the scattered nebulae, and even one another without any expectation of being loved in return.”

Prose has taught in the Literature Program since 2005, which challenges cultural and disciplinary boundaries that have often dictated the terms by which we understand the meaning of the written word. She is also affiliated faculty in the Written Arts Program at Bard, which encourages students to experiment with their own writing in a context sensitive to intellectual, historical, and social realities.

Post Date: 11-05-2025