Every month, our literary critic puts a work through a kaleidoscope, collecting the images it projects and reconstructing their diffractions. Even if the flashes of genius turn out to be shards of glass.
The links between the Franco-Swiss writer and his adopted city have always been complex. A new book, however, recalls the important role played by the city of Calvin in the life of the author of «Belle du Seigneur».
With «Ce qu'il reste de tout ça», Fanny Desarzens paints a gentle, sensitive portrait of an ordinary family in the French-speaking part of Switzerland during the "Trente Glorieuses".
The couple, both anchor and vertigo, mirror of a changing society. In his new novel, Nathan Hill reveals the raw beauty and searing flaws of this timeless institution.
Popularized under the pseudonym L'Odieux Connard, Julien Hervieux claims the slogan «Qu'il est bon d'être mauvais!» ("It's good to be bad!"). In his new book, he dismantles with relish the greatest villains of all time.
Pauline Toulet delivers an eccentric first novel, critical of the literary world and centered on an eccentric character, more interested in marabouts than his time. But it failed to captivate me.
After reading Philippe Collin's «Le Barman du Ritz», walking past this Parisian hotel is no longer trivial. During the Occupation, Frank Meier, «the best bartender in the world», served under the laughter of the Nazis, in a contrasting theater of champagne and war.
This deeply moving portrait of a young girl abducted by her father is a must-have for the new French-language literary season. It already looks set for success in the French-language awards.
Year after year, Peter continues to delve into the mysteries and connivances between individuals. With «L'heure bleue», the Thurgau novelist takes us behind the scenes of a documentary about a writer.
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