Paris Voice June 2001 Book reviews

The “Paris” by Julian Green (Marion Boyars Publishers, London, New York)
In the literary world of Julian Green, time and space has a remarkable way of stretching and folding fluidly upon itself. The present can shift to the past or the future with the lightest flick and the presence of objects, physical or not, a wall, a doorway, a shadow, become intertwined with existence. Here, in this selective collection of essays on Paris, gleaned from nearly 60 years of Green’s published works, the past and the present mingle unceasingly, memories of his youth here permeating his steps as he wanders through his beloved city. Born in turn of the century Paris of American parents, Green never really left his birthplace except for the war years, and his nearly visceral connection with not only the great avenues and monuments, but the anonymous streets and alleyways, shops, courtyards and hidden nooks and crannies of a very personal capital, is subtly, poetically, but unmistakably evoked here. In this bilingual (facing pages) edition, Green takes his readers quietly in hand to wander down memory lane, commenting on the changes he’s witnessed and felt in this town which more than anything else symbolized for him, and in the deepest meaning of the word, home.

“The Paul Bowles Reader” edited by Peter Owen (Peter Owen Publishers, London)
If Malcom Lowry had written like Edgar Allen Poe, the result would have been Paul Bowles. Mysterious, troubling, hallucinatory, and suffocating, the Latin America and North Africa of Paul Bowles’s brilliantly told stories become the brooding and occasionally deadly backdrop for his characters. Bowles was a master writer who resorted to mood and situation to create his fantastic effects, more than the creation of outlandish personalities. In fact, his characters are deliberately “normal” and it is the inescapable logic behind the places where they find themselves, and the people they become involved with, which draws his stories and novels toward their inescapable conclusions. Intended to reintroduce this remarkable writer to the general reading public, this book is a collection of novel excerpts and short stories, selected and introduced by Peter Owen, and covering the entire scope of Bowles’s career. Owen, once again, should be thanked for his dedication to fine literature and his mission to ensure that writers such as Bowles are never forgotten.

“Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard” by Arthur Conan Doyle (New York Review of Books, New York).

Yet another of Conan Doyle’s literary character tours de force, Brigadier Etienne Gerard is one of the most amazing, and amazingly funny, protagonists ever created for light fiction. This collection of stories, set in Napoleonic France, offers as much entertainment value as any of the Sherlock Holmes series. Not unlike the crimesolver’s stories, where it was not just the mystery which mattered, but the manner in which the personality of Holmes dominated the situation, here, it’s not so much the predicaments Brigadier Gerard encounters, but how his very special, very French (for him), manner gets him out of it. Our Brigadier is handsome (alas! as he knows only too well), an excellent swordsman (just ask him), superior cavalryman (he wouldn’t argue with that), irresistible to the ladies (so, how could he discourage them?), and the bravest soldier with the stoutest heart in all of France (acknowledged by Napoleon himself, although... as a bit of a spoiler, the Emperor added he also had the thickest head). Incredibly gifted — in equal parts — both as to self-assurance and self-appreciation, this absurdly swashbuckling hero manages nonetheless (after all, he’s French, n'est-ce pas?), by his undaunted courage, open heartedness and gallantry, to win readers unvariably to his side.

“The Unknown Masterpiece” by Honoré de Balzac (New York Review Books). Translation: Richard Howard.
This new translation of one of Balzac’s most celebrated tales is the story of a painter who, depending on one’s perspective, is either an abject failure or transcendental genius — maybe both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to such artists as Cézanne, Henry James, Picasso and New-Wave director Jacques Rivette, analyzes the “condition” of being an artist. Written in 1845, the book was a harbinger for the issues that would soon shake the art world.

“Europe’s A-List, The Movers and Shakers of the European Cyber-Scene” by Liza Roberts Random House Business Books

Wireless Wonders, Name-Brand Leaders, First Movers, even E-Commerce Consultants — they’re all in there. This is an exhaustive catalog of the a-ha moments of Europe’s Internet busybodies, compiled by CBS journalist Liza Roberts. Adhering to the user-friendly style of a website, the book frames its subjects with fluffy subtitles, inviting you to pick and choose from an array of personalities. -Kristen Hinman

The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon by Brian Catlos
One of France’s most fascinating regions has just got a little easier to visit with this new guide which covers everything from the Pyrenean backroads to Mediterranean beaches. With a mix of practical info, history and cultural insights the guide provides a good introduction to the region and its people. Tips on the best places to hike or how to take a boat down the Canal du Midi give it an insiders touch. Other French regions scouted by Rough Guides include: The Dordogne, Provence and The Pyrenees.

“Points Unknown, A Century of Great Exploration” edited by David Roberts (W.W. Norton & Co., New York, London)
This is a selection of excerpts from some of the finest travel and adventure writing produced in the 20th Century. Whether direct accounts by explorers such as Robert Scott, Ernest Shackleton, or Eric Shipton, or stories of great exploits such as the breaking of the sound barrier as recorded by Tom Wolfe, each selection brings alive the indelible feeling of being “out there,” beyond the limits of where anyone has yet gone (or perhaps even should be, in the first place). These are tales of the mountains, the poles, jungles, oceans, deserts, of triumph and tragedy. But these are also travelers recollections, such as H.M. Tomlinson's languid, ironic and brilliantly descriptive narrative of his landfall in South America, preparing to head up the nearly unknown Amazon in 1909. Divided into sections, “Obsessions,” “Idylls” and “Ordeals,” “Points Unknown...” goes far beyond armchair adventuring, providing deep insights into the ever-curious and occasionally heroic nature of mankind.



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					Books news & reviews by Marc Heberden The “Paris” by Julian Green (Marion Boyars Publishers, London, New York) In the literary world of Julian Green, time and space has a remarkable way of stretching and folding fluidly upon itself. The present can shift to the past or the future with the lightest flick and the presence of objects, physical or not, a wall, a doorway, a shadow, become intertwined with existence. Here, in this selective collection of essays on Paris, gleaned from nearly 60 years of Green’s published works, the past and the present mingle unceasingly, memories of his youth here permeating his steps as he wanders through his beloved city. Born in turn of the century Paris of American parents, Green never really left his birthplace except for the war years, and his nearly visceral connection with not only the great avenues and monuments, but the anonymous streets and alleyways, shops, courtyards and hidden nooks and crannies of a very personal capital, is subtly, poetically, but unmistakably evoked here. In this bilingual (facing pages) edition, Green takes his readers quietly in hand to wander down memory lane, commenting on the changes he’s witnessed and felt in this town which more than anything else symbolized for him, and in the deepest meaning of the word, home. “The Paul Bowles Reader” edited by Peter Owen (Peter Owen Publishers, London) If Malcom Lowry had written like Edgar Allen Poe, the result would have been Paul Bowles. Mysterious, troubling, hallucinatory, and suffocating, the Latin America and North Africa of Paul Bowles’s brilliantly told stories become the brooding and occasionally deadly backdrop for his characters. Bowles was a master writer who resorted to mood and situation to create his fantastic effects, more than the creation of outlandish personalities. In fact, his characters are deliberately “normal” and it is the inescapable logic behind the places where they find themselves, and the people they become involved with, which draws his stories and novels toward their inescapable conclusions. Intended to reintroduce this remarkable writer to the general reading public, this book is a collection of novel excerpts and short stories, selected and introduced by Peter Owen, and covering the entire scope of Bowles’s career. Owen, once again, should be thanked for his dedication to fine literature and his mission to ensure that writers such as Bowles are never forgotten. “Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard” by Arthur Conan Doyle (New York Review of Books, New York). Yet another of Conan Doyle’s literary character tours de force, Brigadier Etienne Gerard is one of the most amazing, and amazingly funny, protagonists ever created for light fiction. This collection of stories, set in Napoleonic France, offers as much entertainment value as any of the Sherlock Holmes series. Not unlike the crimesolver’s stories, where it was not just the mystery which mattered, but the manner in which the personality of Holmes dominated the situation, here, it’s not so much the predicaments Brigadier Gerard encounters, but how his very special, very French (for him), manner gets him out of it. Our Brigadier is handsome (alas! as he knows only too well), an excellent swordsman (just ask him), superior cavalryman (he wouldn’t argue with that), irresistible to the ladies (so, how could he discourage them?), and the bravest soldier with the stoutest heart in all of France (acknowledged by Napoleon himself, although... as a bit of a spoiler, the Emperor added he also had the thickest head). Incredibly gifted — in equal parts — both as to self-assurance and self-appreciation, this absurdly swashbuckling hero manages nonetheless (after all, he’s French, n'est-ce pas?), by his undaunted courage, open heartedness and gallantry, to win readers unvariably to his side. “The Unknown Masterpiece” by Honoré de Balzac (New York Review Books). Translation: Richard Howard. This new translation of one of Balzac’s most celebrated tales is the story of a painter who, depending on one’s perspective, is either an abject failure or transcendental genius — maybe both. The story, which has served as an inspiration to such artists as Cézanne, Henry James, Picasso and New-Wave director Jacques Rivette, analyzes the “condition” of being an artist. Written in 1845, the book was a harbinger for the issues that would soon shake the art world. “Europe’s A-List, The Movers and Shakers of the European Cyber-Scene” by Liza Roberts Random House Business Books Wireless Wonders, Name-Brand Leaders, First Movers, even E-Commerce Consultants — they’re all in there. This is an exhaustive catalog of the a-ha moments of Europe’s Internet busybodies, compiled by CBS journalist Liza Roberts. Adhering to the user-friendly style of a website, the book frames its subjects with fluffy subtitles, inviting you to pick and choose from an array of personalities. -Kristen Hinman Travel & Adventure The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon by Brian Catlos One of France’s most fascinating regions has just got a little easier to visit with this new guide which covers everything from the Pyrenean backroads to Mediterranean beaches. With a mix of practical info, history and cultural insights the guide provides a good introduction to the region and its people. Tips on the best places to hike or how to take a boat down the Canal du Midi give it an insiders touch. Other French regions scouted by Rough Guides include: The Dordogne, Provence and The Pyrenees. “Points Unknown, A Century of Great Exploration” edited by David Roberts (W.W. Norton & Co., New York, London) This is a selection of excerpts from some of the finest travel and adventure writing produced in the 20th Century. Whether direct accounts by explorers such as Robert Scott, Ernest Shackleton, or Eric Shipton, or stories of great exploits such as the breaking of the sound barrier as recorded by Tom Wolfe, each selection brings alive the indelible feeling of being “out there,” beyond the limits of where anyone has yet gone (or perhaps even should be, in the first place). These are tales of the mountains, the poles, jungles, oceans, deserts, of triumph and tragedy. But these are also travelers recollections, such as H.M. Tomlinson's languid, ironic and brilliantly descriptive narrative of his landfall in South America, preparing to head up the nearly unknown Amazon in 1909. Divided into sections, “Obsessions,” “Idylls” and “Ordeals,” “Points Unknown...” goes far beyond armchair adventuring, providing deep insights into the ever-curious and occasionally heroic nature of mankind.