The Foundling's War
Published on 13. October 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-908313-71-3 (ISBN)
Description
The sequel to The Foundling Boy sees Jean learning to make his way in a world of murky allegiances after the French defeat of 1940.
'A delight' Independent on Sunday
In the aftermath of French defeat in July 1940, twenty-year-old Jean Arnaud and his ally, the charming conman Palfy, are hiding out at a brothel in Clermont-Ferrand, having narrowly escaped a firing squad. At a military parade, Jean falls for a beautiful stranger, Claude, who will help him forget his adolescent heartbreak but bring far more serious troubles of her own.
Having safely reached occupied Paris, the friends mingle with art smugglers and forgers, social climbers, showbiz starlets, bluffers, swindlers and profiteers, French and German, as Jean learns to make his way in a world of murky allegiances. But beyond the social whirl, the war cannot stay away forever...
In this sequel to the acclaimed novel The Foundling Boy, Michel Deon's hero comes to manhood not through combat but by discovering truths about desire and possession, sex and love, and the nuances that lie between crudely drawn battle lines.
'A delight' Independent on Sunday
In the aftermath of French defeat in July 1940, twenty-year-old Jean Arnaud and his ally, the charming conman Palfy, are hiding out at a brothel in Clermont-Ferrand, having narrowly escaped a firing squad. At a military parade, Jean falls for a beautiful stranger, Claude, who will help him forget his adolescent heartbreak but bring far more serious troubles of her own.
Having safely reached occupied Paris, the friends mingle with art smugglers and forgers, social climbers, showbiz starlets, bluffers, swindlers and profiteers, French and German, as Jean learns to make his way in a world of murky allegiances. But beyond the social whirl, the war cannot stay away forever...
In this sequel to the acclaimed novel The Foundling Boy, Michel Deon's hero comes to manhood not through combat but by discovering truths about desire and possession, sex and love, and the nuances that lie between crudely drawn battle lines.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Michel Deon'Our lives would be all the richer if we read a Michel Deon novel - a modern classic' William Boyd
'A splendid mixture of acerbic asides and bright invention, [The Foundling's War] reads admirably in Julian Evans's excellent translation' Times Literary Supplement
'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
'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
'Mature, relaxed storytelling, balancing human nature with historical inevitability; a pleasure for traditionalists generally and Francophiles in particular' Kirkus reviews
'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
'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
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 177 mm
Width: 127 mm
Weight
439 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-908313-71-3 (9781908313713)
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 Classification
Other editions
New editions
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.