The Foundling Boy - Softcover

Déon, Michel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1908313560 ISBN 13: 9781908313560

Publisher: Gallic Books, 2014

Synopsis

"He takes the world which died between the wars and patiently dissects it for us."—Le Magazine Littéraire

"An imaginative adventure that is both captivating and moving."—Pierre Moustiers

"A welcome addition to the literature of the inter-war period."—Le Monde

The classic coming-of-age novel translated into English for the first time.

It is 1919. On a summer's night in Normandy, a newborn 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 . . .

Michel Déon has published more than fifty works. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié 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 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française. His novels have been translated into many languages. He is considered one of the most innovative French writers of the twenty-first century. Déon is one of just forty members of the Académie française who are elected by their peers to serve for life. Déon lives in Ireland with his wife and their horses.

About this title

About the Author

Michel Déon has published over fifty works. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié 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'Académie française.

His novels have been translated into numerous languages. He is considered one of the most innovative French writers of the 21st century. A member of the Académie française, Déon is one of just forty members who are elected by their peers to serve for life.

Michel Déon lives in Ireland with his wife and their numerous horses.
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 Française from the Académie Française.

He currently lives in London with his wife and their two children.

From Booklist

When Jeanne and Albert Arnaud find an infant on their doorstep, they decide to raise him as their son. Born in 1919, Jean enters a world haunted by recent war. His adoptive parents are caretakers at La Sauveté, the du Courseau family’s Normandy estate. The du Courseaus have their own struggles, for unfaithful husband Antoine and social-climbing wife Marie-Thérèse are the parents of three troubled children. Geneviève, the sickly eldest, is a mysterious prince’s companion; Michel, artistic, violent, and spiteful, detests Jean; and Antoinette is a promiscuous temptress. In 1936, as Antoine loses the family fortune, Jean begins an exploration of Europe. He meets, among others, a young Nazi in Italy, Antoine’s former mistress, and a man pretending to be a priest. As he travels, Jean maintains his love for childhood friend Chantal de Malemort, fearing she will never agree to be with him. The descriptions of food and landscape alone will keep the reader engrossed. Award-winning novelist Déon delights with this family saga, in which are interwoven glimpses of France’s political history. --Jackie Thomas-Kennedy

About this edition

• Publisher: Gallic Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1908313560
• ISBN 13: 9781908313560
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416