The Foundling Boy
Published on 17. February 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-913547-38-7 (ISBN)
Description
A story of parentage and provincial life, The Foundling Boy is a coming of age tale set in France at a time where Europe teeters on the precipice of war.
'Quiet, wryly funny prose ... a delight' Independent on Sunday
It is 1919. On a summer's night in Normandy, a new-born baby is left in a basket outside the home of Albert and Jeanne Arnaud. The childless couple take the foundling in, name him Jean, and decide to raise him as their own, though his parentage remains a mystery. Though Jean's life is never dull, he grows up knowing little of what lies beyond his local area. Until the day he sets off on his bicycle to discover the world, and encounters a Europe on the threshold of interesting times...
'Quiet, wryly funny prose ... a delight' Independent on Sunday
It is 1919. On a summer's night in Normandy, a new-born baby is left in a basket outside the home of Albert and Jeanne Arnaud. The childless couple take the foundling in, name him Jean, and decide to raise him as their own, though his parentage remains a mystery. Though Jean's life is never dull, he grows up knowing little of what lies beyond his local area. Until the day he sets off on his bicycle to discover the world, and encounters a Europe on the threshold of interesting times...
Reviews / Votes
'Inspired by Henry Fielding's 18th-century novel Tom Jones... As witty as its English forebear but with French savoir-faire, The Foundling Boy may win new readers for books translated from French' New York Times'[The Foundling Boy] is a satisfying piece of writing, and it makes a welcome addition to an all-too-neglected body of French fiction in English' Times Literary Supplement
'Quiet, wryly funny prose ... a delight' Independent on Sunday
'It is shamefully parochial of us that this eminent writer has been so ignored by the anglophone world' Sunday Times
'A big-hearted coming-of-age shaggy-dog story ... [Deon's] novel leaves you feeling better about life' The Spectator
'Remarkable ... Rooted in 19th-century realism but profoundly subversive of its conventions ... Deserves a place alongside Flaubert's Sentimental Education and Le Grand Meaulnes' New Statesman
'Mature, relaxed storytelling, balancing human nature with historical inevitability; a pleasure for traditionalists generally and Francophiles in particular' Kirkus reviews
'Our lives would be all the richer if we read a Michel Deon novel - a modern classic' William Boyd
'I loved this book for the way, in its particularities and its casual narration, it admitted me to a world I knew nothing about... It is not just a glimpse into the past, but the study of the heart of a man and his times' Paul Theroux
'An underreported entrance into the forum of American letters' Andrew Mitchell Davenport, Full Stop
'An enjoyable read that doesn't try too hard to be anything more than a very entertaining story and yet still hits home sufficiently hard as to the state of the nation and society in those strange decades' The Complete Review
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-913547-38-7 (9781913547387)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Persons
Michel Deon published over fifty works. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallie for his 1970 novel, Les Poneys Sauvages (The Wild Ponies). His 1973 novel, Un Taxi Mauve, garnered him international renown when it received the esteemed title of the Grand Prix du roman de l'Academie francaise. His novels have been translated into numerous languages. He was considered one of the most innovative French writers of the 21st century. A member of the Academie francaise, Deon was one of just forty members who are elected by their peers to serve for life. Deon died in 2016.
Julian Evans grew up in Australia and London in the 1960s. He is a writer and translator. He has written and presented radio and television documentaries and writes for English and French newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, Prospect, Times Literary Supplement and L'Atelier du Roman. He is a recipient of the Prix du Rayonnement de la Langue Francaise from the Academie Francaise. He currently lives in London with his wife and their two children.
Julian Evans grew up in Australia and London in the 1960s. He is a writer and translator. He has written and presented radio and television documentaries and writes for English and French newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, Prospect, Times Literary Supplement and L'Atelier du Roman. He is a recipient of the Prix du Rayonnement de la Langue Francaise from the Academie Francaise. He currently lives in London with his wife and their two children.