"Nausea" (1938), the first novel by J.-P. Sartre, is a complex work, a metaphysical novel, the chronicle of a repulsive world through the eyes of a subjective narrator. The revelation of the absurd is achieved through a narrative with a philosophical basis that resorts to parody, ridicule, and even imitation. In this "novel of rupture" with which he distances himself from literary conventions, Sartre radically questions the legacy of bourgeois education using an ironic and detached writing style. A book that at first glance appears melancholic, which despite its apparent pessimism overflows with energy. An absolute masterpiece about youth and life, "Nausea" paved the way for the literature of the absurd.
Antoine Roquentin, after traveling to various countries, decides to write a biography of the Marquis de Rollebon and settles in Bouville to study the materials available on his life in the municipal library. However, in this small seaside town in Normandy, his relationship with things becomes problematic, and for a month he keeps a diary to be able to see "clearly." He experiences the absurdity of the world and people, the striking revelation of an existential crisis he calls "nausea." The habits of the inhabitants of Bouville, as well as the example of the Autodidact, reinforce the feeling of absurdity, of contingency in which Roquentin is trapped. He abandons his biographical research and accepts the end of his relationship with Anny. Shortly before leaving Bouville, he hears a jazz melody and thinks that only the creation of a work of art would allow him to transcend reality. He then decides to write a novel.