In each of their complex and occasionally macabre worlds, these four novels present new scenarios for French writing.
In all four, death and cruelty interweave with memory and beauty. Outsider figures provide fresh, sharp visions of shock tactics, absolute freedom and family disintegration, often by means of brilliant, disturbing wordplay.
If you take the plunge and join us, you may well be enchanted by the books’ promise of new and dazzling liberties – or you may beg to differ. But we want to know what you think: this is your chance to read cutting-edge new French fiction and be part of the process by which it may one day be published in English.
The authors are: Linda Lê, a critically acclaimed Parisian of Vietnamese origin; Gabrielle Wittkop, whose writing has been compared to that of de Sade, Poe and Schwob; Nicolas Bouyssi, a young and prolific rising star of dystopic imagination; and Marius Daniel Popescu, a Romanian who has made his life as poet, writer and bus-driver in Switzerland. You’ll find more on them, and extracts in English, if you click on the Author links below.
How it works
- Extracts in English are being added to this website where possible – see the relevant author’s page. Copies of the books in the original French are available to borrow from And Other Stories by emailing info@andotherstories.org
- Read the excerpts, then comment online via the author pages.
- Come to a meet-up (usually in London) to discuss what has been read. You can be sure of a lively, well-informed discussion.
Reading period:
16th May – 27th June
Meet-up:
Date:
Monday 27th June, 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
Location:
Institut Français, 17 Queensbury Place, London SW7 2DT (We’ll be meeting in the library)