The French have always loved to protest, to strike, to take to the streets in rebellion against the state or the status quo. But in the last few years, the level of anger and violence has taken many by surprise and the atmosphere has changed. The voices of hostility are not only from the extreme far-right, but from the ordinary French who feel excluded from the closed circle of wealth and privilege within the prospering cities.
In this fascinating new book, Andrew Hussey travels the length of his adopted homeland to uncover the past and present of the culture of the working class in France, a culture invisible to most tourists and ignored by the metropolitan classes. From the industrial north to the southern borders with Italy, Hussey maps the mood of a nation, and reveals the social, political and economic fault lines that may only deepen and spread. Combining vivid travel narrative and sharp cultural analysis, this will be a compulsively readable and important book.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Hussey's new book could not be better timed, and few people are better qualified to take us on this journey. Hussey has long been a sharp-eyed observer of France... The breadth of his knowledge of French culture, both popular and literary, is impressive * New Statesman * Fractured France could not be more timely... A mixture of memoir, travelogue and personal confession, punctuated with gossip, history lessons, interviews with writers and intellectuals, and chats with 'ordinary' French citizens * Observer * The images of modern France that Andrew Hussey draws are varied, but most point to trouble ahead in what is still one of Europe's more equitable large countries. This book is a set of recent stories which only a fool would ignore -- Danny Dorling * author of Seven Children and Shattered Nation * Hussey's work gives an intelligent overview and a personal account of the social and political quandaries of France today... Lively, balanced, and compassionate, with an eye for telling detail -- Ruth Harris * Professor of Modern History at All Souls College, Oxford and author of The Man on Devil's Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the Affair That Divided France * [A] convivial and courageous observer... [A] poignant, shocking, informative and funny book * Spectator * Andrew Hussey is a well-informed teacher in a tricky, demanding field, a kindly guide through a complex landscape -- Michele Roberts Half-analysis, half-memoir... Highly enjoyable * Irish Times * A seriously amusing tour * Spectator *
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Maße
Höhe: 233 mm
Breite: 154 mm
Dicke: 35 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-78378-660-2 (9781783786602)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
ANDREW HUSSEY is a native of Liverpool who now lives in Paris. He is a historian of French culture and the author of Paris: The Secret History and The French Intifada.
