Paris Nocturne (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

An accident, a vanishing, a memory gap, a strange dream: a classic noir work of fiction by Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano This uneasy, compelling novel begins with a nighttime accident on the streets of Paris. The unnamed narrator, a teenage boy, is hit by a car whose driver he vaguely recalls having met before. The mysterious ensuing events, involving a police van, a dose of ether, awakening in a strange hospital, and the disappearance of the woman driver, culminate in a packet being pressed into the boy's hand. It is an envelope stuffed full of bank notes. The confusion only deepens as the characters grow increasingly apprehensive; meanwhile, readers are held spellbound. Modiano's low-key writing style, his preoccupation with memory and its untrustworthiness, and his deep concern with timeless moral questions have earned him an international audience of devoted readers. This beautifully rendered translation brings another of his finest works to an eagerly waiting English-language audience. Paris Nocturne has been named "a perfect book" by Libération , while L'Express observes, " Paris Nocturne is cloaked in darkness, but it is a novel that is turned toward the light." This uneasy, compelling novel begins with a nighttime accident on the streets of Paris. The unnamed narrator, a teenage boy, is hit by a car whose driver he vaguely recalls having met before. The mysterious ensuing events, involving a police van, a dose of ether, awakening in a strange hospital, and the disappearance of the woman driver, culminate in a packet being pressed into the boy’s hand. It is an envelope stuffed full of bank notes. The confusion only deepens as the characters grow increasingly apprehensive; meanwhile, readers are held spellbound.

Modiano’s low-key writing style, his preoccupation with memory and its untrustworthiness, and his deep concern with timeless moral questions have earned him an international audience of devoted readers. This beautifully rendered translation brings another of his finest works to an eagerly waiting English-language audience. Paris Nocturne has been named “a perfect book” by Libération, while L’Express observes, “Paris Nocturne is cloaked in darkness, but it is a novel that is turned toward the light.” This uneasy, compelling novel begins with a nighttime accident on the streets of Paris. The unnamed narrator, a teenage boy, is hit by a car whose driver he vaguely recalls having met before. The mysterious ensuing events, involving a police van, a dose of ether, awakening in a strange hospital, and the disappearance of the woman driver, culminate in a packet being pressed into the boy's hand. It is an envelope stuffed full of bank notes. The confusion only deepens as the characters grow increasingly apprehensive; meanwhile, readers are held spellbound. Modiano's low-key writing style, his preoccupation with memory and its untrustworthiness, and his deep concern with timeless moral questions have earned him an international audience of devoted readers. This beautifully rendered translation brings another of his finest works to an eagerly waiting English-language audience. Paris Nocturne has been named “a perfect book” by Libération, while L'Express observes, “Paris Nocturne is cloaked in darkness, but it is a novel that is turned toward the light.” This Uneasy, Compelling Novel Begins With A Nighttime Accident On The Streets Of Paris. The Unnamed Narrator, A Teenage Boy, Is Hit By A Car Whose Driver He Vaguely Recalls Having Met Before. The Mysterious Ensuing Events, Involving A Police Van, A Dose Of Ether, Awakening In A Strange Hospital, And The Disappearance Of The Woman Driver, Culminate In A Packet Being Pressed Into The Boy's Hand. It Is An Envelope Stuffed Full Of Bank Notes. The Confusion Only Deepens As The Characters Grow Increasingly Apprehensive; Meanwhile, Readers Are Held Spellbound. -- Provided By Publisher Patrick Modiano ; Translated From The French By Phoebe Weston-evans. Originally Published In French As Accident Nocturne, Editions Gallimard, Paris, 2003. Text In English Translated From The French. In the opening scene of Paris Nocturne, the nameless narrator is hit by a car near Place des Pyramides. He and the woman driving the car are taken in a police van to the hospital. He's sure he has met her somewhere. He is given ether, wakes up in a different hospital, and the woman, Jacqueline Beausergent, has vanished. A mysterious figure presents him with an account of the accident and hands him an envelope stuffed with bank notes. Does Jacqueline Beausergent have the answers to the narrator's questions about the past, about his father?