''Clochemerle'', published in the United States as ''The Scandals of Clochemerle'', is a French
satirical novel by
Gabriel Chevallier (1895–1969) first published in 1934. It centres on personal rivalries and local politics in the fictional village of Clochemerle, inspired by
Vaux-en-Beaujolais, in
Beaujolais
Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine in the Burgundy wine, Burgundy region. Beaujolais wines are generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in grape tannins, tannin, but like most ...
in 1923 and satirises the conflict between Catholics and republicans in the
Third Republic. The story concerns a dispute over the construction of a ''
vespasienne
A pissoir (also known in French as a ) is a French invention, common in Europe, that provides a urinal in public space with a lightweight structure. The availability of pissoirs aims to reduce urination onto buildings, sidewalks, or streets. ...
'' (
public urinals) near the village church. In its satirical portraits of individual inhabitants, it is an example of
observational humour.
The book received considerable public acclaim and was awarded the
Prix Courteline in 1934. The cartoonist
Albert Dubout
Albert Dubout (15 May 1905 – 27 June 1976) was a French cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor.
Biography
Albert Dubout was born in Marseille. After attending school at Nîmes (where he met Jean Paulhan) he studied at the fine a ...
was subsequently commissioned to create an illustrated version. Chevallier subsequently wrote two sequels to the work after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
entitled ''Clochemerle Babylone'' (1951) and ''Clochemerle-les-Bains'' (1963). The term ''Clochemerle'' and adjective ''clochemerlesque'' have entered French as a term to describe "petty, parochial squabbling".
''Clochemerle'' has been widely translated into other languages and has inspired numerous dramatisations.
Raymond Souplex composed an
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
based on the work in 1944 and a film was produced in 1948. There have been several television series based on the work, notably a
1972 BBC dramatisation.
See also
*''
The Little World of Don Camillo and Peppone'' (1948)
References
Further reading
*
External links
"Books: Clochemerle 1923" ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''. 26 April 1937.
1934 French novels
French satirical novels
Novels set in France
French novels adapted into television shows
Interwar France
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