La Carotte et le bâton

by Michel Déon

Pierre Gauthier, après une jeunesse où il a eu froid, peur et honte, alors que rôdaient autour de lui l'injustice et la mort à bon marché, a gardé le goût des aventures politiques dangereuses. Sur la terre brûlante de Chirfa, au cœur d'un monde arabe empoigné par l'hystérie, cette aventure n'engage que lui, bien sûr, mais elle l'engage trop vite et trop violemment pour qu'il puisse se poser le problème de la fin et des moyens. Certains hommes ne craignent pas d'être jugés : ce ne sont pas les pires.

384 pages, Pocket Book

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Michel Déon was a French novelist and playwright. He adopted the nom de plume Michel Déon, and made it his official name in octobre 1965. He has published over 50 works and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié for his 1970 novel, Les Poneys sauvages (The Wild Ponies). Déon's 1973 novel Un taxi mauve received the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française. His novels have been translated into numerous languages.

In 1978, Déon was elected to the Académie française. Déon is an affiliate member of the Portuguese Academy of Science and Letters. He is a doctor honoris causa at the universities of Athens and Ireland. He is also an honorary citizen of Nice, Aix-en-Provence, and Antibes. His works have been translated into many languages.

Déon and his wife Chantal raised their two children, Alice and Alexandre, on the small Greek island of Spetsai. When the children reached school age in 1968, France was in a state of upheaval. The Déon family settled in Ireland. For over forty years, Déon and his family have made Ireland their home, raising Chantal's fifty horses.