Paris Tales

by Helen Constantine (Translator)

Overview

Paris Tales is a highly evocative collection of stories by French and Francophone writers who have been inspired by specific locations in this most visited of capital cities. The twenty-two stories - by well-known writers including Nerval, Maupassant, Colette, and Echenoz - provide a captivating glimpse into Parisian life from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The stories take us on an atmospheric tour of the arrondissements and quartiers of Paris, charting the changing nature of the city and its inhabitants, and viewing it through the eyes of characters such as the provincial lawyer's wife seeking excitement, a runaway schoolboy sleeping rough, and a lottery-winning policeman. From the artists' haunts of Montmartre to the glamorous cafés of Saint-Germain, from the shouts of demonstrators on Boul Mich' to the tranquillity of Parc Monceau, Paris Tales offers a fascinating literary panorama of Paris. Illustrated with maps and striking photographs, the book will appeal to all those who wish to uncover the true heart of this seductive city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191647208
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	09/09/2004
Series:	City Tales
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Helen Constantine was Head of Languages for many years at a comprehensive school in Oxfordshire and now works as a full-time translator. She is married to the poet, David Constantine. In January 2004 they took over the editorship of Modern Poetry in Translation.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Nightmare, Guy de Maupassant
2. The Green Monster, G rard de Nerval
3. The Last Napoleon, Honor de Balzac
4. Squares, Emile Zola
5. A Parisian Adventure, Guy de Maupassant
6. Montmartre Cemetery, Colette
7. The Gare Saint-Lazare, Michael Butor
8. A House in the Place des F tes, Roger Grenier
9. The Twentieth Arrondissement, L on-Paul Fargue
10. In Notre-Dame, Julien Green
11. The Runaway, Georges Perec
12. Rue du Commerce, Jacques R da
13. Plan of Occupancy, Jean Echenoz
14. The Adventure, Cyrille Fleischman
15. What Goes on in Saint-Germain, Anna Gavalda
16. Manuscript Found at Saint-Germain-des-Pr s, Fr d dric Beigbeder
17. The Man with the Collecting Box, Didier Daeninckx
18. The Joyful Death of Fassola, Andr e Chedid
19. Blind Experiment, Hugo Marsan
20. Feeding the Hungry, Vincent Ravalec
21. Family Portrait, Maryse Cond
Biographical information

Editorial Reviews

Paris, the City of Light, has inspired many artists and writers. In this work, Constantine (ed., Modern Poetry in Translation) selected and translated 22 short stories set in Paris that reflect the character of particular areas, including only the works of native French and Francophone writers like Guy de Maupassant, Honor de Balzac, Emile Zola, Colette, Michel Butor, Maryse Conde, Georges Perec, and Andree Chedid. All the stories are engaging, and they all have a Parisian setting, but they take place in different eras (from the mid-19th century to the present) and are as diverse as the authors who penned them. Roger Grenier's account of a man simultaneously dating two women who live at opposite ends of Paris and Frederic Beigbeder's futuristic tale are particularly noteworthy. Notes on the authors, a further reading list, and maps of the city to locate the stories' settings have been included. Highly recommended for all academic and larger public libraries.-Erica Swenson Danowitz, American Univ. Lib., Washington, DC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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