Jean Echenoz, Liesl Schillinger (INT) Three by Echenoz

Annotation

A single volume that gathers together three of the most remarkable novels from Jean Echenoz, the most distinctive French voice of his generation ("The Washington Post"), "Three by Echenoz" demonstrates the award-winning author s extraordinary versatility and elegant yet playful style at its finest. A parodic thriller sparkling with wit ("L Humanite"), "Big Blondes" probes our universal obsession with fame as a television documentary producer tries to track down a renowned singer who has mysteriously disappeared. A darkly comedic, noir-style tour de force, it finally answers the age-old question: do blondes have more fun? Fluid, never forcedlike a garment that fits beautifully even inside-out ("Elle"), "Piano" brings Dante s "Inferno" to contemporary Paris, following Max Delmarc, a concert pianist suffering from paralyzing stage fright and alchoholism, as he meets his untimely death and descends through purgatorypart luxury hotel, part minimum-security prisoninto a modern vision of hell. "Running" is a small wonder of writing and humanity ("L Express")a portrait of the legendary Czech athlete Emil Zatopek, who became a national hero, winning three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics even as he was compelled to face the unyielding realities of life under an authoritarian regime.