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English Latest
February 2007 |
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Dear all,
As 2007 gets underway, let us begin by harking back to the literary success of 2006: Suite Francaise, by Irène Némirovsky. In its wake comes the re-publication of Irene Nemirovsky's second book, David Golder (translated by Sandra Smith), which is just as finely observed and unputdownable.
The first among our offerings of contemporary fiction is Philippe Grimbert's Secret (translated by Polly McLean). The narrator, a sickly only child growing up in post-war Paris, invents an imaginary brother only to discover that he actually had a half-brother whose death in the concentration camps is part of a buried family secret.
Unsurprisingly, unexplained deaths also abound in Wash this blood clean from my hand, by Fred Vargas (translated by Sian Reynolds). Here, France's bestselling crime writer serves up her usual deft array of unexpected plot twists, fast-paced, witty narrative and eccentric characters.
In another brilliant thriller, School's out, by Christophe Dufossé (translated by Shaun Whiteside), a teacher commits suicide and his replacement finds himself in charge of a strangely unsettling bunch of pupils. This novel combines surreal fantasy with sharp observation on today's society and the kind of children it is producing.
Andrée Chedid also touches on many aspects of the human condition and takes us on a journey across Europe and the Middle East in her collection of short stories, Between the worlds (translated by Suzanne Hinton). We are transported to an isolated community in northern Russia for Andrei Makine's The woman who waited (translated by Geoffrey Strachan), which provides the backdrop for a lyrical, sensual story.
In the world of non-fiction, Alain Touraine gives theoretical form to our present social practices in A new paradigm for understanding today's world (translated by Gregory Elliot), while Jacques Rancière proposes a thoughtful and provocative essay on his Hatred of Democracy (translated by Steve Corcoran).
Lucy Moore moves away from these contemporary concerns and looks back to the times of Revolutionary France in Liberty. Here she explores the lives, loves and fleeting liberties of six very different but equally influential women in this period.
Finally, Robert Baldick's landmark biography, The life of J. K. Huysmans, has now been re-issued in paperback to coincide with the centenary of Huysmans' death.
We hope that this selection has whet your appetite and, if so, that you will go to our website www.frenchbooknews.com to discover even more exciting literary morsels!
Best wishes,
Carla Calimani, Hervé Ferrage and Sophie Moreau.