Ambreen
Sordide Sentimental
The novel is untitled Le fait du prince and dates back to September 2008. The author, Amélie Nothomb, is a phenomenon in France: Since 1992, a new book from her releases on each September and immediately becomes a best-seller. I myself used to read her till I grew tired of her in the same way I grew tired of Michel Houellebecq. Thus, I have not read this one, I have "borrowed" it to a sister and can only say it deals with a man who usurps the identity of another man who has just died.
Bukowski is mentioned in (on?) page 129 within a dialogue.
The French version:
Ë— À quelle heure commençons-nous ? demanda-t-elle.
Ë— À onze heures du matin. C'est le défaut du champagne : il n'est pas bon au saut du lit.
Ë— Vous avez déjà essayé ?
Ë— Oui, comme le vin, le whisky, la vodka et la biére : ça ne passe pas.
Ë— De la biére le matin ? Pourquoi avez-vous tenté une chose aussi affreuse ?
Ë— Vous avez raison, c'est la pire. C'était par admiration pour Bukowski qui se réveillait encore profondément imbibé et qui buvait aussitÃ't une biére. J'ai vite renoncé Ã l'imiter. Lui, c'était un héros.
Ë— Un alcoolique, vous voulez dire.
Ë— Le héros de l'alcoolisme. Il buvait avec une sorte de vaillance. Il avalait des doses incroyables d'alcool de qualité infecte, et puis il écrivait des pages magnifiques.
Ë— Voulez-vous écrire, vous aussi ?
Ë— Non. Je veux être avec vous.
Ë— Vous voulez voir où l'alcoolisme nous conduira ?
Ë— On ne peut pas être alcoolique en ne buvant que du champagne.
Elle me considéra avec scepticisme.
An attempt of English translation:
Ë— What time shall we begin? she asked.
Ë— At eleven a.m. That is champagne's defect: It is not good to drink it first thing in the morning.
Ë— Did you ever try?
Ë— Yes, it is the same with wine, whisky, vodka and bier: it just will not do.
Ë— Bier in the morning? Why did you try such an awful thing?
-You are right, that is the worst one. It was due to my admiration for Bukowski who used to wake up still deeply soaked and drank a bier right away. I quickly gave up imitating him. He was a hero.
- You mean an alcoholic.
- The hero of alcoholism. He drank with a kind of valour. He swallowed unbelievable quantities of booze, and he then wrote magnificent pages.
- Do you want to write too?
- No. I want to be with you.
- Do you want to see where alcoholism will lead us?
Ë— One cannot be alcoholic by drinking champagne only.
She considered me with scepticism.
I have also found a literary TV program where she appeared. For French speakers only :D:
http://www.france5.fr/la-grande-lib...numsite=1403&id_rubrique=1406&id_article=2990
(she is questioned about her tribute to Buk at 12.40)
This discovery makes me curious about the content of Amélie Nothomb's 17th book. But I just can't read a book which author poses on the cover in such a way:
That is even more pomo than turning a blog into a book and putting a smiley in the title. :D :D :D
Bukowski is mentioned in (on?) page 129 within a dialogue.
The French version:
Ë— À quelle heure commençons-nous ? demanda-t-elle.
Ë— À onze heures du matin. C'est le défaut du champagne : il n'est pas bon au saut du lit.
Ë— Vous avez déjà essayé ?
Ë— Oui, comme le vin, le whisky, la vodka et la biére : ça ne passe pas.
Ë— De la biére le matin ? Pourquoi avez-vous tenté une chose aussi affreuse ?
Ë— Vous avez raison, c'est la pire. C'était par admiration pour Bukowski qui se réveillait encore profondément imbibé et qui buvait aussitÃ't une biére. J'ai vite renoncé Ã l'imiter. Lui, c'était un héros.
Ë— Un alcoolique, vous voulez dire.
Ë— Le héros de l'alcoolisme. Il buvait avec une sorte de vaillance. Il avalait des doses incroyables d'alcool de qualité infecte, et puis il écrivait des pages magnifiques.
Ë— Voulez-vous écrire, vous aussi ?
Ë— Non. Je veux être avec vous.
Ë— Vous voulez voir où l'alcoolisme nous conduira ?
Ë— On ne peut pas être alcoolique en ne buvant que du champagne.
Elle me considéra avec scepticisme.
An attempt of English translation:
Ë— What time shall we begin? she asked.
Ë— At eleven a.m. That is champagne's defect: It is not good to drink it first thing in the morning.
Ë— Did you ever try?
Ë— Yes, it is the same with wine, whisky, vodka and bier: it just will not do.
Ë— Bier in the morning? Why did you try such an awful thing?
-You are right, that is the worst one. It was due to my admiration for Bukowski who used to wake up still deeply soaked and drank a bier right away. I quickly gave up imitating him. He was a hero.
- You mean an alcoholic.
- The hero of alcoholism. He drank with a kind of valour. He swallowed unbelievable quantities of booze, and he then wrote magnificent pages.
- Do you want to write too?
- No. I want to be with you.
- Do you want to see where alcoholism will lead us?
Ë— One cannot be alcoholic by drinking champagne only.
She considered me with scepticism.
I have also found a literary TV program where she appeared. For French speakers only :D:
http://www.france5.fr/la-grande-lib...numsite=1403&id_rubrique=1406&id_article=2990
(she is questioned about her tribute to Buk at 12.40)
This discovery makes me curious about the content of Amélie Nothomb's 17th book. But I just can't read a book which author poses on the cover in such a way:
That is even more pomo than turning a blog into a book and putting a smiley in the title. :D :D :D
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