REPORT ON MYSELF - Rare Fine Copy of The First Edition/First Printing - ONLY COPY OF THE FIRST PRINTING ONLINE

Bouillier, Gregoire (Author) & Huisman, Violaine (Translator)

ISBN 10: 061896861X / ISBN 13: 9780618968619

Published by Mariner Books, New York, NY, 2009

About this Item

The author's breakthrough debut book. One of the most sensational literary debuts of our time. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a softcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Gregoire Bouillier's "Rapport sur moi" in a felicitous English translation by Violaine Huisman. Marks his full-fledged turn to literature and away from his promising career as a painter/artist. He was 40 years old, still deeply immersed in the art world, and well-known as such in France. Instead, he abandoned art and wrote this self-deprecating autobiographical "report". It won the French Prix de Flore, affirming a life decision that could have ended in absolute failure and disaster. "Tells the whole crazy story of his life, from his conception in wartime Algeria to his gritty Parisian boyhood at the mercy of his working-class, bohemian parents. With trademark pithy vignettes, he illuminates his life through the stories of his four loves, beginning at age nine with the bourgeois Marie-Blanche, younger sister of his best friend, and ending with the relationship that nearly destroyed him, the aftermath of which he chronicled to such great effect in 'The Mystery Guest'. Shot through with indelible images, Bouillier's gift for drawing meaning from the seemingly innocuous coincidences of daily life, 'Report On Myself' turns on a literary revelation ('The Odyssey') that helps Gregoire decode the patterns laid out by his life while teaching us a thing or two about love and literature along the way" (Publisher's blurb). His sequel-of-sorts, "The Mystery Guest", is dedicated to Sophie Calle, the Conceptual artist, and yes, is sort of about her, with the benefit of hindsight and fragile wisdom. A minor masterpiece, "Cap Canaveral" (2008), was issued in English translation by a minute publisher in Berlin, promptly disappeared, and is now virtually impossible to find. Readers in English will have to wait awhile for his massive, 800-plus-page "Le Dossier M" (2017). Here is a curious thing about auto-fiction: Many of Annie Ernaux's great books are all about men; ALL of Gregoire Bouillier's oeuvre are about women. They are revealing about - and should be read by - their respective subjects, the opposite sex, "opposite" being given a whole new dimension and meaning for our time. Yet, mostly women read Arnaux, mostly men read Bouillier. "Cultural/political identity", as always, narrows and excludes rather than illuminates. An absolute "must-have" title for Gregoire Bouillier collectors. This title is a contemporary classic. As far as we know, this is the only copy of the First Edition/First Printing (American) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online are in subsequent printings. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. One of the most brilliant writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO GREGOIRE BOUILLIER'S "THE MYSTERY GUEST" AND ANNIE ERNAUX TITLES IN OUR CATALOG).

Seller Inventory # ABE-1785903879323

Bibliographic Details

• Title: REPORT ON MYSELF - Rare Fine Copy of The First Edition/First Printing - ONLY COPY OF THE FIRST PRINTING ONLINE
• Publisher: Mariner Books, New York, NY
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 061896861X
• ISBN 13: 9780618968619
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

Distinguished by the same charm and playful prose that helped make The Mystery Guest such a cult favorite with readers and reviewers, Report on Myself is the memoir that won Grégoire Bouillier the French Prix de Flore and universal acclaim.
Here, Bouillier tells the whole crazy story of his life, from his conception in wartime Algeria to his gritty Parisian boyhood at the mercy of his working-class bohemian parents.
With trademark pithy vignettes, he illuminates his life through the stories of his four loves, beginning at age nine with the bourgeois Marie-Blanche, younger sister of his best friend, and ending with the relationship that nearly destroyed him, the aftermath of which he chronicled to such great effect in The Mystery Guest.
Shot through with indelible images, bad puns, and Bouillier’s gift for drawing meaning from the seemingly innocuous coincidences of daily life, Report on Myself turns on a literary revelation (in this case, The Odyssey) that helps Grégoire decode the patterns laid out by his life, while teaching us a thing or two about love and literature along the way.

About the Author

GRÉGOIRE BOUILLIER is the editor of a scientific magazine and author of The Mystery Guest. Originally a painter, he published his first book at age forty. He has one daughter and lives in Paris, France..