The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas

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The Most Beautiful Book in the World: Eight Novellas

by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Alison Anderson (Translator)

3.68 · rating details · 538 ratings · 100 reviews

One of Europe's most popular and best-loved authors, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt captivates the reader with his spirited, buoyant style and enchanting stories that move effortlessly from the everyday to the fantastical. The eight stories in this collection, his first to be published in English, represent some of his best writing and most imaginative storylines: from the love sto...more

Paperback, 181 pages

Published June 30th 2009 by Europa Editions (first published January 1st 2007)

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Community Reviews

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Nov 16, 2010

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: 2010, books-about-books, french-francophone, reviewed, short-stories, europa-europa

I was crying when I finished this book. There, I said it. I wasn't sure I was going to admit that here but it's the only thing I can think about when I try to describe this book. I finished this one the plane last night and there I was, crying, and trying not to be noticed by the chatty woman sitting next to me who didn't know that a Kindle is considered an electronic device. I did not need to be crying in front of this woman.

Writing about the books I read is a way of getting distanc...moreI was crying when I finished this book. There, I said it. I wasn't sure I was going to admit that here but it's the only thing I can think about when I try to describe this book. I finished this one the plane last night and there I was, crying, and trying not to be noticed by the chatty woman sitting next to me who didn't know that a Kindle is considered an electronic device. I did not need to be crying in front of this woman.

Writing about the books I read is a way of getting distance from them, creating the perspective that doesn't come easily. It's not that I can't think about it or talk about it. I just need the perspective of distance or I will stay lost in it. It won't make sense. I won't appreciate or understand the feelings of others if I can't look at them from another vantage point. And I need to be able to do that. If not, it will only be the hurt, the feelings of abandonment, the selfish questioning of why it couldn't be different.

Books don't usually send me in to the middle of childhood memories. They don't remind me of the panic attacks I used to have in restaurants mostly, when my father would go to use the bathroom. I was convinced that he wasn't coming back. That he'd leave as he did before, to my child's mind, without warning or explanation. I was twelve when those stopped. It was the year before we went to live with him full time because my mother couldn't care for us anymore. It wasn't because she wasn't capable, she'd just come out badly in the divorce. Her choice was to give us to him or nothing, really. Since he didn't have to pay child support, and wouldn't, unless he had us, she didn't have another option.

As an adult, I see all that. I can see the choices that are not choices at all. I know all about mothers who have made bad choices, even the right choices at the time, that lead to separation from their children. I avoid, actively, the books in which some author decides to work out her mommy issues -- although it really limits my choices in women's fiction -- because I just can't take on what she's feeling, especially when most of those authors do it so badly; a Yah Fucking Yah Sisterhood of resentment and confusion towards their mothers for situations real or imagined. I feel like they are burying me under their anger, coating me in mud. And it never seems right. Somehow, even though so many try it, it always seems wrong. It never speaks to me.

So to find myself crying at the end of this book about women, their lives, their children, their lovers, and their mothers, was shocking. It would have to overcome a lot of defenses and a lot of jaded cynicism built up with each failure of its predecessors. It would have to overpower my own experiences even. The title story, The Most Beautiful Book in the World did that for me. Even if I could see the endings of many of the other stories coming for pages; even if I think Mr. Schmitt might not know women as well as he thinks he does; even though there were flaws in these stories, the title story, the last story, is worth reading. I worry that it's cliched and heavy-handed and someone without my sentimental past would find it contrived and manipulative. I hope not, because I thought it was wonderful, but I don't trust my own judgment this time.

And now for the giant SPOILER, which you'll realize is a spoiler once you read the book. (It's the rest of the review from here).

Every Thanksgiving of my childhood that I spent with my mother and all the others that I've spent with her as an adult, she has made her grandmother's cornbread stuffing (although since I don't eat turkey, it's dressing, but we still call it stuffing). When I was in college she taught me how to make it and I still do, adapting it by stuffing yellow peppers with it and serving them with the traditional rosemary mushroom gravy.

My mother starts by baking the corn bread. She does it in her big, cast iron skillet, blackened with age, oil, and decades of Southern cooking. When it's done, she breaks it up into large chucks and puts it back in the oven on a low temperature to dry out. Then into the skillet goes a stick of butter (because all southern recipes start that way) and brown garlic and shallots, mushrooms, and celery in it, with rosemary, thyme, and sage, lots of sage. Add chopped pecans. (I also add dried cranberries although it's not traditional). Boil some stock in another pot. Take the cornbread out of the oven and mix it carefully into the skillet without breaking it up too much. Then pour the stock over it so that everything is soggy but not too wet. Put the skillet into the over and bake until the stuffing is moist, not dry, and browned on top.

It doesn't matter how far away from her I am on Thanksgiving. I made this dish for my flatmates in Scotland and my friends when I lived in LA. I've made it just for me some years when I've been home, avoiding or declining all invitations because I just need a few days to myself. I've even made it for my mother.

A jewish grandmother friend of mine often tells me, food is love, when we talk about the value of meals to team morale or why she won't let me pay for dinner. She's right. It is.(less)

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Oct 11, 2011

Elizabeth rated it

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Elizabeth

Shelves: short-stories, stories-about-women, france, life-journey-stories, not-your-typical-love-story

There are writers and there are storytellers. Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is now on my list of storytellers.

I loved this book so much that I didn't know how to put it into words. Easily one of my favorite books this year...

...So I read some reviews -positive and negative- just to get some outside perspective. Here's what I came up with when I was done:

First of all, this is a collection of stories about women, most of which are narrated by women. Unlike another book ...more

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Jul 18, 2010

Erma Odrach rated it

The 8 stories, written in simple prose, are all stories about women - women dealing with heartbreak, love affairs, death, dementia.

In 'The Intruder', an elderly journalist, Odile, living alone in an apartment, keeps seeing an old lady. She calls out to her, "What are you doing in my house? How did you get in?" When she phones the police and they arrive, there is no one there. Was Odile's mind playing tricks on her? It's a very sad story.

'The Forgery' is about a...more

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Mar 11, 2010

Jeff rated it

In this collection of short stories, by the French author and filmmaker, character is held to the highest esteem. More importantly, though, these are stories about love. People in love. Marriages working and not working. Affairs are known and unknown, truths are revealed and in the process lives are altered. Wanda Winnipeg struggled out of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and most desirable women in the world, but she never forgot where she came from. The main character of "Eve...moreIn this collection of short stories, by the French author and filmmaker, character is held to the highest esteem. More importantly, though, these are stories about love. People in love. Marriages working and not working. Affairs are known and unknown, truths are revealed and in the process lives are altered. Wanda Winnipeg struggled out of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and most desirable women in the world, but she never forgot where she came from. The main character of "Every Reason to be Happy" cannot believe the truth she has discovered about her marriage, in part because her husband is such a true, faithful man. But the reason for his unfaithfulness, and the reason for his faithfulness, become clear to both the reader and the narrator as the story unfolds. In the end there are two families whose lives have changed as a result. The title of this collection in the original French comes from the penultimate story, "Odette Toulemonde." She has a ridiculous name, even in France, apparently, and despite her simple life and uneducated background, she manages, through the simple act of writing a piece of fan mail to her favorite author. Unbeknownst to her, the author, Balthasar Balsan, is having a life crisis of his own. The story shows how a single act of kindness and open-hearted honesty can change the course of people's lives.

While I admired the context of most of Schmitt's stories, the prose left something to be desired. He does not write poetry; the stories are told as though hammered from silk with a blunt instrument. Gorgeous characters emerge but it feels as though they are struggling to be understood past the blunt phrasing. I think Schmitt was trying to write in the style of classic parables here, and that comes out in "The Barefoot Princess." But overall the effect was jarring. In addition, not all of the stories are as strong as the title piece. The shocking ending to "The Intruder" is obvious from the early pages and feels uninspired. The epilogue to "The Forgery" is the lesson I should have learned from the story and rather than enjoy it for the tale I felt I was being lectured to.

Overall, though, the stories in this collection are worth reading. Schmitt ability to capture the essence of his characters, to reveal them quickly and then turn the very thing that makes them tick against them, to surprise us with the way these characters change, makes this book worth reading.(less)

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Oct 22, 2011

Toni rated it

Shelves: french

Не знаех, че английското заглавие на книгата е Най-хубавата кинга на света. Колкото и да съм скептична към обобщенията и посочването на едно-единствено велико нещо, сред множеството от красоти на света, спокойно мога да заявя, че тази книжка се доближава до идеала за най-хубава книга чрез своята поетичност, простота и красота. Предполагам, че ако и българските издатели бяха променили заглавието от Одет Тулмонд и други истории на Най-хубавата книга на света – 8 новели, щеше да удари класацията на...moreНе знаех, че английското заглавие на книгата е Най-хубавата кинга на света. Колкото и да съм скептична към обобщенията и посочването на едно-единствено велико нещо, сред множеството от красоти на света, спокойно мога да заявя, че тази книжка се доближава до идеала за най-хубава книга чрез своята поетичност, простота и красота. Предполагам, че ако и българските издатели бяха променили заглавието от Одет Тулмонд и други истории на Най-хубавата книга на света – 8 новели, щеше да удари класацията на бестселъри много, много бързо.
Ако трябва да посоча любимата си история, вероятно ще е някоя от следните – „Един прекрасен дъжодвен ден”, „Най-хубавата книга на света” или „Натрапницата”. Тези истории са толкова красиви, но и тъжни и ме разплакаха. Гадното беше, че четях „Натрапницата” в автобуса и се наложи да вадя носните кърпи. По време на същата тази история трябваше да слушам и една жена, до мен как говори с приятеля си: „Защо хората си дават парите за булевардни романи? Аз си изчетох целия Стайнбек на Kindle-a. Човек си заслужава да има в библиотеката си само класиките на хартиен носител.” Въздаржах се само да я изгледам, без да отправям коментари, но много бих искала да прочете следният откъс от Одет Тулмонд: „Може би в навалицата има и дребни секретарки и незначителни служителки като мен, но точно там е въпросът! Успял е да ни развълнува и разтърси, нас, които четем малко и не сме образовани като вас, и това доказва, че има повече талант от другите! Много повече! Защото, знаете ли, госпожо, може би и Олаф Пимс пише чудесни книги, но само докато разбра за какво ми говори, ми трябва речник и няколко шишенца аспирин. Той е сноб, който се обръща само към хората, които са чели колкото него.”
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„Най-хубавата книга на света” просто ме разплака с последното си изречение. Не очаквах такъв край, ама изобщо.
За мен си беше една от най-хубавите книги, които съм чела. Всяка история имаше своята красота, но не приказна красота, а красотата на реалността – сладко-горчива. Всъщност се замислих, че всяка една от тези кратки истории може да се превърне в един красив филм, а се оказа, че Одет Тулмонд е написана по филм. Препоръчвам на всички, дори и на тези, които изначално не харесват разкази. Чете се на един дъх и всъщност отделните истории не ме караха да искам още от тях, а по-скоро исках още такива истории. Ерик-Еманюел Шмит се превърна в мой много любим автор и със сигурност ще я прочета пак един ден.
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Sep 03, 2011

Venus rated it

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Shelves: short-story

زن ها به این خاطر مورد پسند ما واقع می شوند که مانند نگین یک معما باشند و به محض اینکه گره این معما اندکی شل شود ، جایگاه خود را در نظر ما از دست می دهند

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May 14, 2011

Johnrh rated it

A superbly written and entertaining book. I highly recommend it. The book title is the title of one of the 8 novellas in the book. Each novella is about women, mostly from a woman’s point of view. Though the author is male the stories are very believable and not condescending. The plot of each story is engrossing and often contains a clever, surprise ending.

The author is not only male but also FRENCH. (Rather obvious, with a name like Schmitt, eh mein herr?) The book has been very capa...more

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Jan 17, 2012

Teresa rated it

Recommended to Teresa by: gift from a friend

The lack of subtlety in these stories is just not to my taste. The penultimate story seems very self-serving, as if the author is both answering his own literary critics and perhaps also trying to feed the romantic fantasies of his female readership, which come to think of it might be what most of these stories try to do. There were several stories I didn't intend to finish, but I went back and did so, because this was the last unread book I had in my backpack while on sleepless flights -- the e...more

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Feb 21, 2011

Willow rated it

I don't see how this book could have been an international bestseller and the librarians thought it a good idea to display it at their main table so that peer pressured pees like me would glance at it, walk past it, and then pick it up again! Annoying run on sentences aside, I didn't like this book. period. The stories were nothing new and the themes were unrelated; it was anything but organized. I know some authors don't intend to link one story to another but this is a wish wash work of a scat...more

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Jan 04, 2011

Oliver rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 14, 2011

Alcina rated it

Shelves: fiction

The was a book club book of short stories, some of which I enjoyed and some that did not touch me. First, I am challenged by men writing from a woman's perspective, which almost all of the stories did, and second, I found most of them uninspiring or weak. That said, I really was moved by two of the short stories: A Fine Rainy Day, where a woman changes her bitter outlook on life through her long relationship with an optimist, and Odette Toulemond, a touching story of love and happiness that danc...more

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Apr 13, 2010

Emily rated it

Very dreamy, pretty, and melancholy stories. I think he succeeds to varying degrees with finding the right balance in each of the stories; they remind me a little bit of O. Henry, plot-wise. It's very re-readable, and I have a feeling this is a book that gets better with multiple readings. I've already gone back to re-read some stories and liked them better the second time - little subtleties pop out. I wonder if maybe it loses something in the translation - perhaps it's a little less uneven...more

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Apr 23, 2011

Alice rated it

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Shelves: 2011-tbr-challenge

This is the first contemporary French lit I've ever read. Prior to this, the most recent I got was La Cantatrice chauve by Ionesco, and that's 1950. This is because I studied 19th century lit in college, so I mainly read Hugo and Balzac.

Anyway. Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is awesome. I wanted to read this because the woman on the cover is Catherine Frot, and she was in the movie version of Odette Toulemonde. Some of my professors picked this up for me when they were on a sabbatical in Paris,...more

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Sep 01, 2010

Nezzo rated it

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За прозата на Шмит мога да използвам една единствена дума и тя ще бъде достатъчна - приятна. От която и страна да го погледна тя е по-скоро по средата на всичко. За това и я поставям под етикета приятна.

"Одет Тулмонд и други истории" не е много различна от "Кръговрата на незримото" като се замисля. Усеща се една и съща трагичност в прозата и един и същи край, което най-силно ме дразни в Шмит. За него краят е край, тотално действие, безвъзвратно. Той поставя точно ед...moreЗа прозата на Шмит мога да използвам една единствена дума и тя ще бъде достатъчна - приятна. От която и страна да го погледна тя е по-скоро по средата на всичко. За това и я поставям под етикета приятна.

"Одет Тулмонд и други истории" не е много различна от "Кръговрата на незримото" като се замисля. Усеща се една и съща трагичност в прозата и един и същи край, което най-силно ме дразни в Шмит. За него краят е край, тотално действие, безвъзвратно. Той поставя точно една пределна точка и толкова, сякаш реже историята си като парче салам. От друга страна пък и краят е неточен или неприятен, историята те увлича и изведнъж прас, край. Преди изобщо да си се усетил.

В книжката има няколко разказа, всички са за силни и преуспели хора, които са някак нестабилни. Мисля, че имаше само един разказ от лицето на мъж, всички останали бяха за жени, произлезли от нищото и станали надути чанти, пред които обществото се кланя. Истерични съпруги, които откриват, че живота им е сладка измама, но преди да успеят да го осъзнаят губят и малкото, което имат. Искащи да живеят вечно жени, но погубени от болест, която им причинява страх от самите себе си, и разбира се, Одет.

Историята за Одет Тулмонд е избрана за главна в книгата може би защото е най-съдържателна. Одет е самотна вдовица с две сбъркани деца, която преоткрива живота си в книгите на нашумял писател. Но когато го среща губи ума и дума, по-късно намира шанс да поправи грешката си и една вечер той чука на вратата й с един единствен въпрос. "Обичаш ли ме?" я пита той, а тя без изобщо да се замисли му отговаря "Да". Мечтата на всяко момиче - да достигне звездите.

Мисля, че бях дотук с прозата на Шмит. Да, увлича те, но по едно време започваш да се чувстваш преял от нея, достатъчна ти е.(less)

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Mar 22, 2010

Shannon rated it

Shelves: short-stories, fiction, 2010

Wanda Winnipeg is a beautiful, rich, demanding woman who's made a successful career out of marrying rich men and then divorcing them. But what happens when she sees her first lover on the beach, now an old man and a failure of a painter?

Hélène likes everything just so, including her men, but has never been satisfied with what she's got - including her man. It is only after she loses something she didn't realise was so important to her, that she learns about the beauty of imperfection...moreWanda Winnipeg is a beautiful, rich, demanding woman who's made a successful career out of marrying rich men and then divorcing them. But what happens when she sees her first lover on the beach, now an old man and a failure of a painter?

Hélène likes everything just so, including her men, but has never been satisfied with what she's got - including her man. It is only after she loses something she didn't realise was so important to her, that she learns about the beauty of imperfection. But is it too late for Hélène?

Odette is a single mother and widow, working in a shop by day and sewing feathers on costumes at night. Her one passion is the books of Balthazar Basan: they make her float. For Basan, his new book is being panned and his wife is more distant than ever; a letter from a fan called Odette might possibly be the only thing to bring him back to life.

A group of women prisoners in the Gulag - all mothers to daughters - work together to secretly create paper and acquire a pencil to write on it with, only to be stumped: what message should they leave their girls, whom they'll probably never see again? The result of their efforts is quite possibly the most beautiful book in the world.

These eight stories about wildly different women and the important things in their lives were touching, whimsical and sometimes bitter-sweet, but they all end on a note of hope. Except for Odette, the women tend to all be somewhat cold figures, and seem lost in their own womanhood, as if they woke up one day and couldn't figure out how they had become the women they became. Yet Schmitt has simply and touchingly captured some of the myriad of conflicting emotions and influences of love in the lives of women.

Naturally, Odette and her passion for stories spoke to me on a personal level, and it's one of the happiest stories, but I felt moved by all the stories. Some were very sad, like "Every Reason to be Happy" and "The Barefoot Princess" - but they all spoke of how easily love and life can slip through your fingers, either because you're not looking or because you've set up entirely the wrong expectations. They could be tragic stories precisely because they yearned for something lost and gone, something they couldn't have or didn't realise they had but wanted.

The prose was deceptively simple, the stories usually told from an omnipresent, future voice - a voice that already knows what happened. One of the standouts was "The Intruder", about an intelligent woman and journalist, Odile, who keeps seeing an old lady in her apartment and calls the police. When her husband Charlie, a journalist, comes back from the Middle East, she breaks down when he calmly tells her he doesn't live there, and hasn't in a long time. What you come to realise is that Odile is the old lady, the man isn't Charlie but their son who lives with his wife and children elsewhere, and that Odile - this woman who has a PhD and a revered career behind her - is losing her marbles.

On a first reading, I didn't get as much out of it as I wanted to, possibly because I don't read many short stories and it's not a medium I'm terribly comfortable with. I would need to re-read, knowing what to expect, and really absorb these stories. Because I think they're deceptively simple, and my response is too simplistic for my own satisfaction. It's also been a week since I read it, and it's lost its spark and sharpness and is starting to fade from memory.

The story "Odette Toulemonde" is based on the film of the same name, written and directed by Schmitt, which helped inspire this collection of stories.(less)

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May 16, 2009

Ola rated it

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Shelves: read-in-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Nie lubię krókich form literackich. Opowiadania, nowele, etc. były zawsze moim koszmarem. Miałam wrażenie, że jeśli pisarz popełnił zbiór opowiadań, to brakowało mu weny na całą książkę i musiał się rozdrobnić na opowiadania. "Odette i inne historie miłosne" to zbór opowiadań właśnie. Oczywiście, sama nie kupiłam tej książki - udało mi się ją upolować kilka miesięcy temu na Podaju. Zapewne leżałaby na półce jeszcze długo, ale okazało się, że BiblioNETkowa znajoma szuka tej książki, a j...more

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Nov 14, 2010

Lisette rated it

Shelves: book-club

Although I liked this book there were certain themes the author repeats in many of the stories and after a while I was expecting the same resolution to the next story. I understand that when writing a short story there is very little time to make an impact, and on their own one wouldn't notice the repetition, but as this is a collection is very noticeable.

That said I thought the author does a good job with the character development, you get to know them by the end of their story.

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Nov 24, 2011

Stacy rated it

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Shelves: 2011, ru

It is exactly what it is supposed to be from the title - love stories. Not only that passionate first love. Love is different and so are the stories telling us unusual experiences, emotions, feelings. Stories allows reader to see situations from different POV and go beyond that moment where "they married and lived happily ever after".

I am not going to say much about this book. There isn't much to say. More to feel.

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Jun 14, 2010

Kaloyana rated it

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Въпреки че на моменти обратите в сюжета, а и самите случки ми се струват малко не обосновани и неподплътени, ми беше много приятно да ги прочета и нито за миг не исках да се откажа. Всъщност си дадох сметка, че има нещо "вълшебно" и "като по чудо", което става там, но пък понеже вярвам в чудеса, знам, че е възможно. Може и да не е най-слината книга на света и най-изключителния стил, но със сигурност ще прочета още от този автор. Искам да разбера как ще се промени или затвърди...more

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Aug 19, 2009

Lianne rated it

Patricia lent me this book and I enjoyed it very much. There seem to be
emerging European authors we rarely hear about that are published by this
publisher. This title includes a series of eight short stories. The characters are
modern and urban, often with secret lives and conflicts. There is a melancholy
to the stories but they are polished and well written.

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Oct 29, 2011

Maria Carmo rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: enchanting-wondrous-and-magical-lo

A surprinsingly witty and yet profoundly touching book.
Women incredibly strong as characters, but none without depth and a complex psychology.
It is also interesting to see that the author - a very interesting person himself, philosopher, writer, dramaturg, and to read thatthis was actually written after the movie, gives a different expression to the power of writers and plotters.
It is a book with eight stories, all powerfully touching.

Definitely a GOOD READ!

...more

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Jan 15, 2012

HanaPouletta rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories

La nouvelle "Odette Toulemonde" méritait 3 étoiles mais les autres histoires (exceptée la dernière) m'ont plutôt ennuyée, se ressemblant toutes dans la conclusion. Je crois que je dois me tenir éloignée des recueils de nouvelles ! :) C'est dommage, "Oscar et la dame rose" étant parmi mes favoris, j'espérais apprécier d'autres livres d'Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. Je retenterai sûrement l'expérience !

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Dec 16, 2009

Emily Anne rated it

I started out really liking this book. I loved the twists and turns of "The Intruder." Midway through the book, the stories started to become incredibly predictable (love affair, heartbreak, death, repeat). I think I would have loved this book more if I did not read one story after another. Each story is well crafted, but the stories seem less original when read in succession.

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Aug 16, 2009

MaryAlice rated it

This book lives up to its wonderful cover! I started reading it because I am leaving soon on a trip and didn't want to be "in the middle of something" when I left (too much extra weight, it's a long trip) Anyway, my strategy was to read some short stories, that would satisfy my fiction craving but also give me a convenient stopping point every 25 pages or so. Sadly, I read this all the way through in 2 sittings! These are not your abiguous-moody-character-driven-carver-esque short sto...more

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Dec 16, 2010

Jessica rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 11, 2009

Deborah rated it

A collection of short stories which is probably better appreciated in its original French, however, I appreciated the stories which brought light to the common sorrows of every day (i.e., love lost, progressive dementia, etc.) and the ability to see beauty beyond the pain.

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Sep 19, 2011

Rose rated it

I'm enjoying this, but have not got the time to really analyze it. It's perfectly light and witty and totally concerned with the feminine bourgeosie, which I like right now. Not really a good representative book for my first one one here, though! not finished yet.

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Feb 24, 2010

Susan rated it

Recommends it for: short story writers, fans of French lit

Recommended to Susan by: FC Library

Shelves: 2010read, books_about_books

Noteworthy observation: 7 out of the 8 stories in this collection feature a female protag or narrator. The only story that doesn't still has a female as the title character. Never have I seen cross-gender writing being done with complete commitment like that. This is my first time reading Schmitt, so I'm not sure if he always prefers to write female perspectives, or if it was a deliberate decision for this work. As a whole liked it. I especially appreciated the last two stories as well as t...more

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Sep 15, 2009

ddamoulakis added it

While the title of this book seems a bit shallow, this is the best collection of short stories that I've read since "The Nimrod Flipout". Schmitt makes the characters of his novellas the main point, and develops them with an eloquent narrative style.

· see review

Oct 17, 2011

Carly rated it

Shelves: contemporary

Some of the stories were absolutely fantastic, but one or two of them were a little too vulgar for my tastes. Overall the message of the book was a good one, but I don't know if I'd ever read it again or even recommend it to anyone.

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About Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

A popular contemporary French author and dramatist, his plays are translated and staged in more than 30 countries all over the world.

He studied at the Lycée du Parc in Lyon and was accepted at the famous École normale supérieure in Paris (1980–1985), where he received a doctorate in philosophy. As the theme for his dissertation, he chose "Diderot and metaphysics". He spent th...moreA popular contemporary French author and dramatist, his plays are translated and staged in more than 30 countries all over the world.

He studied at the Lycée du Parc in Lyon and was accepted at the famous École normale supérieure in Paris (1980–1985), where he received a doctorate in philosophy. As the theme for his dissertation, he chose "Diderot and metaphysics". He spent three years teaching in Cherbourg and at the university of Chambéry.

He is of Alsation extraction. Both of his parents were physical education teachers. Growing up under the influence of his parents' atheist outlook, Schmitt eventually professed himself a Christian, after years of being an agnostic.

Initially he became known as a scriptwriter for the stage. His debut work, "La nuit de Valognes", was produced a number of times in 1991/1992, both in France and abroad. His breakthrough theatre work came with his second script, "Le Visiteur", which won Molière prizes for best author and best show in 1993.

The following years were littered with theatrical successes such as "Golden Joe" (1995), "Variations Énigmatiques" (1996), "Le Libertin" (1997), "Milarepa" (1997), "Frédérick ou Le Boulevard du Crime" (1998), "Hôtel des deux mondes" (1999) and "Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran" (1999).

Schmitt covers a variety of themes in his work. "Golden Joe" takes a look of the cynical attitudes to life of those involved in high finance. In "Variations énigmatiques", the author gives voice to two very different men, who discuss their own philosophies of life and love - as it turns out, both were in love with the same woman. "Le Libertin" is a historical drama about the life of philosopher Denis Diderot and a film version was released in 2000.

In 2001, Schmitt was awarded the "Grand Prix du théâtre de l'Académie Française". His plays have been performed in 35 countries and translated into many languages. They show influences from Samuel Beckett, Jean Anouilh and Paul Claudel, among others.

In addition to his plays, Schmitt has written a number of successful novels, including "La Secte des Égoïstes" (1994), "Oscar et la dame rose" (1999), "L'Évangile selon Pilate" (2000), "La Part de l'Autre" (2001), "Lorsque j'étais une œuvre d'art" (2002), "L'enfant de Noé" (2004), "Ma vie avec Mozart" (2005).

World religions play an important role in Schmitt's writing. In "Le Cycle de l'Invisible", Schmitt attempts a harmonization of religions and cultures. "Milarepa" is the first issue in this series and depicts Tibetan Buddhism. The second volume, "Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran" is dedicated to Sufism, a subset of Islam, also referencing Judaism. "Oscar et la dame rose" (the third volume) concerns Christianity. "L'enfant de Noé" (a comparison of Judaism and Christianity) rounds off the series.

"Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran" (English: M. Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran) received the German prize for fiction in 2004 and a film version was produced in 2003, directed by François Dupeyron with Omar Sharif in the title role.

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“Maussade, elle regardait la pluie s'abatter sur la forêt landaise.
- Quel sale temps!
- Tu te trompes, ma chérie.
- Quoi? Viens mettre le nez dehors. Tu verras à quel point le ciel dégouline!
- Justement.
Il s'avança sur la terrasse, approcha du jardin à la limite des gouttes et, narines gonflées, oreilles dressées, nuque renversée pour mieux sentir le souffle humide sur sa figure, il murmura les yeux mi-clos en reniflant le ciel mercure:
- C'est un beau jour de pluie.
Il semblait sincère.
Ce jour-là, elle acquit deux certitudes définitives: il l'agaçait profondément et, si elle le pouvait, elle ne le quitterait jamais.” — 1 person liked it

“Elle lui demanda en quoi un jour de pluie pouvait être beau : il lui énuméra les nuances de couleurs que prendraient le ciel, les arbres et les toits lorsqu'ils se promèneraient tantôt, de la puissance sauvage avec laquelle leur apparaîtrait l'océan, du parapluie qui les rapprocherait pendant la marche, de la joie qu'ils auraient à se réfugier ici pour un thé chaud, des vêtements qui sécheraient auprès du feu, de la langueur qui en découlerait, de l'opportunité qu'ils auraient de faire plusieurs fois l'amour, du temps qu'ils prendraient à se raconter leur vie sous les draps du lit, enfants protégés par une tente de la nature déchaînée...” — 1 person liked it

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