After 1980, J.-B. Pontalis published literary works, and often with autobiographical resonances. Brother of the Above is no exception for a clear subtext from the author is "self-analysis." Biographical dictionaries often described the most important as "brother of the above." In this exploration of brothers in life and literature, renowned or anonymous, Pontalis embarks his elder brother. Ever since Cain and Abel, jealousy and murderous rivalry between brothers have wreaked havoc. Pontalis' book asks if the destructive force of this relationship inevitably overwhelms the hope for human survival, embodied in the usual meaning of "fraternity". From Van Gogh to Flaubert, from Goncourt to Champollion, from Robert Louis Stevenson to Marcel Proust, Pontalis passes a host of brothers in review in search of an answer, and in search, too, of deliverance from his own brother's shadow.

J.-F. and J.-B......................................................................3

The List ............................................................................11

Blocked ............................................................................17

In the Beginning, What Kind of Murder? ..........................23

Traces ..............................................................................29

"Myself Alone" ..................................................................35

These Two (1) ..................................................................37

These Two (2) ..................................................................41

Quest for the True Brother ...............................................45

These Two (3) ..................................................................51

Two Intruders ...................................................................55

Two Writers, One Pen.......................................................61

These Two (4) ..................................................................67

These Two (5) ..................................................................69

These Two (6) ..................................................................75

Marcel and Robert............................................................79

Fair Share.........................................................................87

"Time to Divide Things Up" ..............................................91

Indivisibility ......................................................................95

Birthright.........................................................................103

These Two (7) ...............................................................105

"I Owe Him Everything"..................................................109

The Little Brother............................................................117

The Metaphysical Age....................................................123

Preserving Mother..........................................................133

These Two (8) ...............................................................137

Heads and Tails ............................................................141

What is a Pervert? ........................................................147

Zig and Puce.................................................................157

The Invention of Fraternity ...........................................165

How can I Get Rid of Him? ..........................................169

Fixed Point ...................................................................179

Recess .........................................................................183

A Dream Couple............................................................187

A Farewell to Arms .......................................................189

Acknowledgments ........................................................191

Picture Credits..............................................................192