A French Novel
   HOME





A French Novel
''A French Novel'' () is a 2009 novel by the French writer Frédéric Beigbeder. It was awarded the Prix Renaudot. Plot An autobiographical novel, the starting point of ''A French Novel'' is an incident on 28 January 2008, when Frédéric Beigbeder was arrested for snorting cocaine outside a nightclub in Paris. As he is incarcerated by the police for two days, he reflects on his childhood, his grandfather, the divorce of his parents, the characters of his father and brother, his early infatuations, and the France of the 1960s and 1970s he grew up in. Reception ''A French Novel'' received the Prix Renaudot in 2009. Sylvia Brownrigg of ''The Guardian'' said the book is amusing and Beigbeder entertains the reader with a mix of highbrow and lowbrow cultural references, including Gustave Flaubert, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, foie gras, Jack Bauer, ''Absolutely Fabulous'' and Carambar, and walks "a fine line between self-pity and self-awareness". Ivan Juritz of ''The Independent ' ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Frédéric Beigbeder
Frédéric Beigbeder (; born 21 September 1965) is a French writer, literary critic and television presenter. He won the Prix Interallié in 2003 for his novel '' Windows on the World'' and the Prix Renaudot in 2009 for his book '' A French Novel''. He is also the creator of the Flore and Sade Awards. In addition, he is the executive director of Lui, a French adult entertainment magazine. Life and career Beigbeder was born into a privileged family in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. His mother, Christine de Chasteigner, is a translator of novels (Barbara Cartland et al.); his brother is Charles Beigbeder, a businessman. He studied at the '' Lycée Montaigne'' and '' Louis-le-Grand'', and later at the '' Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris'' and the CELSA Paris-Sorbonne. Upon graduation at the age of 24, he began work as a copywriter in Young & Rubicam, then as an author, broadcaster, publisher, and dilettante. In 1994, Beigbeder founded the " Prix de Flore", which take ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Foie Gras
; (, ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck, duck or Domestic goose, goose. According to French law, ''foie gras'' is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by ''gavage'' (force feeding). ''Foie gras'' is a delicacy in French cuisine. Its flavour is rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike an ordinary duck or goose liver. It is sold whole or is prepared as mousse, parfait, or pâté, and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states, "''Foie gras'' belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France." The technique of ''gavage'' dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began confining Anatidae, anatid birds to be forcedly fed to be fattened as a food source. Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of ''foie gras'', though there are producers and markets worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China. Foie gras ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Novels Set In The 1960s
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ''novellus'', diminutive of ''novus'', meaning 'new'. According to Margaret Doody, the novel has "a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years", with its origins in the Ancient Greek and Roman novel, Medieval Chivalric romance, and the tradition of the Italian Renaissance novella.Margaret Anne Doody''The True Story of the Novel'' New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996, rept. 1997, p. 1. Retrieved 25 April 2014. The ancient romance form was revived by Romanticism, in the historical romances of Walter Scott and the Gothic novel. Some novelists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ann Radcliffe, and John Cowper Powys, preferred the term ''romance''. Such romances should not be confused with th ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


French Autobiographical Novels
French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), a British rock band * "French" (episode), a live-action episode of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' * ''Française'' (film), a 2008 film * French Stewart (born 1964), American actor Other uses * French (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * French (tunic), a type of military jacket or tunic * French's, an American brand of mustard condiment * French (catheter scale), a unit of measurement * French Defence, a chess opening * French kiss, a type of kiss See also * France (other) * Franch, a surname * French Revolution (other) * French River (other), several rivers and other places * Frenching (other) Frenching may refer to: * Frenching (automobile), recessing or moul ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

2009 French Novels
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and Gupta started curving the bottom vertical line coming up with a -look-alike. How the numbers got to their Gupta form is open to considerable debate. The Nagari continued the bottom stroke to make a circle and enclose the 3-look-alike, in much the same way that the sign @ encircles a lowercase ''a''. As time went on, the enclosing circle became bigger and its line continued beyond the circle downwards, as the 3-look-alike became smaller. Soon, all that was left of the 3-look-alike was a squiggle. The Arabs simply connected that squiggle to the downward stroke at the middle and subsequent European change was purely cosmetic. While the shape of the glyph for the digit 9 has an ascender in most modern typefa ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was published on Saturday 26 March 2016, leaving only the online edition. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. ''The Independent'' won the Brand of the Year Award in The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023. History 1980s Launched in 1986, the first issue of ''The Independent'' was published on 7 October in broadsheet format.Dennis Griffiths (ed.) ''The Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1422–1992'', London & Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992, p. 330. It was produced by Newspaper Publishing plc and created by Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds. All three partners were former journalists at ''The Daily Telegraph'' who had left the paper towards the end of Lord Hartwell' ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Carambar
Carambar is a brand of chewy caramel candy from France, owned by Eurazeo. History In 1954, Mr. Fauchille, director of the Delespaul-Hazard company, and Mr. Gallois, an employee, had a surplus of Cocoa solids, cocoa and decided to create a new, original recipe to use it up. The legend says that one of the machines in the factory was malfunctioning, making the long bars that still exists today. This sweet, in the form of a bar was named Caram'bar. Each of the original Caram'bars were a regulated size and weight. The statistics are as follows: * Length: 7 cm * Weight: 10 g * Recommended retail price: 5 centimes * Wrapper: Yellow, with red striped twisted ends Inside of the wrappers, there were "Carambar points" which could be redeemed for various Carambar-related products until 1961, when points were replaced by jokes. Carambar is famous for the poor quality of these jokes, and the expression ''blague Carambar'' () refers to a bad or childish joke. In 1972, the name chan ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Absolutely Fabulous
''Absolutely Fabulous'' (often shortened to ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom created and written by Jennifer Saunders, which premiered in 1992. It is based on the 1990 '' French and Saunders'' sketch " Modern Mother and Daughter", created by Dawn French and Saunders. Saunders stars as Edina Monsoon, a heavy-drinking, drug-abusing PR mogul who spends her time failing to lose weight and chasing bizarre fads in a desperate attempt to stay young and "hip." Edina's best friend is ex-model and magazine fashion director Patsy Stone ( Joanna Lumley), whose drug abuse, alcohol consumption and desperate promiscuity far eclipse Edina's. Edina relies upon the support of her daughter Saffron ( Julia Sawalha), a student and aspiring writer whose constant care of her immature mother has left her a bitter cynic. ''Ab Fab'' also stars June Whitfield in a supporting role as Edina's dotty, sarcastic and often thieving mother, who appears in nearly every episode. Jane Horrocks as E ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fox television series '' 24''. Throughout the majority of the series' running, Bauer serves as a key member of the fictional CTU and other institutions. Bauer's job usually involves helping prevent major terrorist attacks on the United States, saving both civilian lives and government administrations. On many occasions, Jack does so at great personal expense, as those he thwarts subsequently target him and his loved ones. Bauer is not a crooked agent; though his frequent use of torture to gather information has generated much controversy and discussion. Actor Kiefer Sutherland portrays Jack Bauer in the television show and video game. The television series was originally set to end on May 24, 2010, after eight successful seasons but was revived for a limited ninth season, which premiered on May 5, 2014. A feature film was set to be released; however, discussions ended over a contract dispute with Fox. Bauer has ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Louis Ferdinand Auguste Destouches (27 May 1894 – 1 July 1961), better known by the pen name Louis-Ferdinand Céline ( ; ), was a French novelist, polemicist, and physician. His first novel '' Journey to the End of the Night'' (1932) won the ''Prix Renaudot'' but divided critics due to the author's pessimistic depiction of the human condition and his writing style based on working-class speech. In subsequent novels such as '' Death on the Installment Plan'' (1936), '' Guignol's Band'' (1944) and '' Castle to Castle'' (1957), Céline further developed an innovative and distinctive literary style. Maurice Nadeau wrote: "What Joyce did for the English language...what the surrealists attempted to do for the French language, Céline achieved effortlessly and on a vast scale." From 1937 Céline wrote a series of antisemitic polemical works in which he advocated a military alliance with Nazi Germany. He continued to publicly espouse antisemitic views during the German occupation of ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Frank Wynne
Frank Wynne (born 1962) is an Irish literary translator and writer. Biography Born in County Sligo in the west of Ireland, Frank Wynne worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at comic magazine '' Deadline''. He worked for a time at AOL, before becoming a literary translator. He has translated many authors, including Michel Houellebecq, Boualem Sansal, Frédéric Beigbeder and the late Ivoirian novelist Ahmadou Kourouma. He has twice jointly won the International Dublin Literary Award: with Houellebecq for '' Atomised'' (his translation of ''Les Particules élémentaires''); and with Alice Zeniter for ''The Art of Losing'' (his translation of ''L'Art de Perdre''). His translation of Frédéric Beigbeder's '' Windows on the World'', a novel set in the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York during the September 11, 2001 attacks, won the 2005 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. Notably, he is a two-time winner of both the Scott Moncrieff Translation ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]