Joris-Karl Huysmans is the pen name of Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans, a 19th-century French novelist and art critic. His works transitioned from the Naturalist school to Symbolist and Catholic literature, mirroring his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Huysmans is best remembered for his 1884 Décadent novel À rebours.

Early Life and Career
Joris-Karl Huysmans was born on 5 February 1848 in Paris to a Dutch lithographer and a former school teacher. His father passed away when Huysmans was eight, and his mother remarried shortly thereafter. After earning his baccalauréat, Huysmans served in the French Ministry of the Interior for 32 years. Though drafted during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he was discharged due to dysentery.

Literary Works
Huysmans' first book, the Décadent prose poem collection Le drageoir à épices (1874), was followed by his first novel, Marthe, histoire d'un fille (1876). Initially aligned with the Naturalist school, his early works were praised by Emile Zola. However, À rebours, with its eccentric and reclusive antihero, marked a stylistic shift, earning both condemnation and acclaim from critics and fellow writers such as Oscar Wilde, Paul Valéry, and Stéphane Mallarmé.

Later Works and Religious Influence
Following À rebours, Huysmans penned several Décadent works, including En rade (1887) and Là-Bas (1891), which delved into Parisian Satanism and introduced Durtal, a semi-autobiographical character. Durtal's spiritual journey continues in En route (1895) and La cathédrale (1898), paralleling Huysmans' own conversion to Catholicism. These works culminate in L'Oblat, where Durtal becomes an oblate.

Legacy and Death
Recognized for his contributions to French literature, Huysmans was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1892 and promoted to Officier in 1905. Despite being diagnosed with oral cancer the same year, his legacy endures through his unique literary style and exploration of themes of identity, spirituality, and modernity. Joris-Karl Huysmans passed away on 12 May 1907 and is interred in Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris.