La Porte étroite was published by Mercure de France in 1909, after appearing in serialised form in the first three numbers of La Nouvelle Revue Française. 1924 saw its publication in English as Strait is the Gate in an elegant translation by Dorothy Bussy. It belongs to the French récit tradition of first-person confessional narratives, exemplified by Prévost’s Manon Lescaut (1731). Gide had already published L’Immoraliste [The Immoralist] (1902) in this genre, and would pen five more récits. The work is dedicated to Madeleine Gide, Gide’s first cousin, who became his wife in 1895.
Jérôme, who is in his late thirties, relates the tale of his relationship with his beloved cousin, Alissa. Their engagement, for which he longs almost throughout the text, never happens. The account, which begins at the time of Jérôme’s father’s death...
2485 words
Citation: Reid, Victoria. "La Porte étroite". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 September 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11390, accessed 09 June 2026.]
