Muriel Barbery

A moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the building's tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence. Then there's Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma's trust and to see through Renée's timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.

In the heart of Paris, in the posh building made famous in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Pierre Athens, the greatest food critic in the world, is dying. Revered by some and reviled by many, Monsieur Arthens has been lording it over the world’s most esteemed chefs for years, passing judgment on their creations, deciding their fates with a stroke of his pen, destroying and building reputations on a whim. But now, during these his final hours, his mind has turned to simpler things. He is desperately searching for that singular flavor, that sublime something once sampled, never forgotten, the Flavor par excellence. Indeed, this flamboyant and self-absorbed man desires only one thing before he dies: one last taste. Thus begins a charming voyage that traces the career of Monsieur Arthens from childhood to maturity across a celebration of all manner of culinary delights. Alternating with the voice of the supercilious Arthens is a chorus belonging to his acquaintances and familiars—relatives, lovers, a would-be protege, even a cat. Each will have his or her say about M. Arthens, a man who has inspired only extreme emotions in people. Here, as in The Elegance of Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery’s story celebrates life’s simple pleasures and sublime moments while condemning the arrogance and vulgarity of power.

From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman's journey to discover the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.Rose has just turned forty when she gets a call from a lawyer asking her to come to Kyoto for the reading of her estranged father's will. And so for the first time in her life she finds herself in Japan, where Paul, her father's assistant, is waiting to greet her.As Paul guides Rose along a mysterious itinerary designed by her deceased father, her bitterness and anger are soothed by the stones and the trees in the Zen gardens they move through. During their walks, Rose encounters acquaintances of her father--including a potter and poet, an old lady friend, his housekeeper and chauffeur--whose interactions help her to slowly begin to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.As the reading of the will gets closer, Rose's father finally, posthumously, opens his heart to his daughter, offering her a poignant understanding of his love and a way to accept all she has lost.

A moving and deeply felt homage to the power of nature and art by one of the world’s most beloved authors.Do two young girls have the power to change the world? Maria, raised by powerful older women, lives in a remote village in Burgundy, where she discovers her gift of clairvoyance, of healing and of communicating with nature. Hundreds of miles away in Italy, Clara discovers her musical genius and is sent from the countryside to Rome to nurture her extraordinary abilities.Who are the mysterious elves? Will they succeed in training the girls for their higher purpose in the face of an impending war? Barbery’s The Life of Elves is the story of two children whose amazing talents will bring them into contact with magical worlds and malevolent forces. If, against all odds, they can be brought together, their meeting may shape the course of history.Seven years after the publication of her international bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery returns with an inspiring novel about finding the divine in the domestic, about the quest for enchantment. With its cast of unforgettable characters, each fighting to preserve the idea of an enhanced life, The Life of Elves is a luminous novel about art, nature, dreams, the power of love, and how imagination can help us build a bridge to a better future.

En regardant la neige se poser sur les pierres d’un tor­rent, le jeune Haru Ueno pressent que sa vie va s’inscrire sous le signe de l’harmonie : rechercher, capter, servir et honorer la beauté des formes. Il quitte ses montagnes natales de Takayama, se passionne pour l’art, s’impose comme un marchand renommé. Aussi chaleureux qu’indépendant, toujours entouré d’amitié, Haru s’adonne pleinement au bonheur des rencontres, des fêtes au lendemain desquelles il est de retour dans sa maison dont le cœur abrite un érable et qu’entourent temples et jardins de Ky?to. De ce lieu rare, il a fait un havre. Il veut y pas­ser une vie lumineuse, ignore combien elle sera empreinte de drames où, à la douleur du Japon, se mêle sa quête fervente des métamorphoses de la beauté. Haru a une trentaine d’années quand son destin lui en offre la plus belle manifestation – et à jamais l’en prive. Car quelque part en France, fruit d’une liaison éphé­mère, une petite fille est venue au monde. Elle s’appelle Rose. Il lui est interdit de l’approcher, bien qu’elle incarne désormais le secret, la vérité et probablement toute l’âme de son existence.

From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes this delightful, delicate tale that pays tribute to the poetry of the everyday, to Japanese philosophy, and to the ingenuity and sardonic humor of cats.What a mysterious, confounding thing is a writer! Yet, spend a little time with the writer's cats and one might just understand her better.Muriel Barbery, via her feline friends and co-conspirators, takes readers into her atelier, offering them a behind-the-scenes peek into her process and problems, joys and disappointments. The tale is told from the perspective of one of the writer's four cats, Kirin, who, together with her cohort, may or may not be a reliable narrator. There's Ocha, the leader of the gang, a tough guy with a soft heart; the bandy-legged and affectionate Mizu, Ocha's sister; the phlegmatic and refined Petrus, lover of flowers; and finally, pretty Kirin, narrator of this bewitching story.A superb, funny, and touching text for writers, readers, fans of Muriel Barbery's best-selling novels, and cat lovers.

When the first glass was emptied, Alejandro and Petrus smiled at each other and Jesús noticed the redhead’s lovely grey and pensive eyes.“Where did you come from?” he asked.“From the bridge,” Petrus answered. “The bridge that links our world to yours.”Then, after a silence:“It is invisible to you.”Alejandro de Yepes and Jesus Rocamora, young officers in the Spanish regular army, are stationed alone at Castillo when, out of nowhere, a friendly redhead appears to them in the cellar. There is something magnetic and deeply mysterious about this Petrus. Alejandro and Jesus are bewitched, and, in the middle of the sixth year of the longest war humankind has ever endured, they abandon their post to follow him across a bridge only he can see.Petrus brings them to a world of lingering fog, strange beings, poetry, music, natural wonders, harmony, and extraordinary beauty. This is where the fate of the world and all its living creatures is decided. Yet this world too is under threat. A long battle against the forces of disenchantment is drawing to a climactic close. Will poetry and beauty prevail over darkness and death? And what role will Alejandro and Jesus play? Muriel Barbery’s new richly imagined novel, the sequel to The Life of Elves, will transport readers to a lost world exposed to the constant churn of civilizations and remind them of the power of poetry and imagination.

Solo al dejar de huir podrás sanar las heridas del pasado.«Un libro lleno de sensaciones, reflexión y gran belleza», RTL.«Barbery disecciona a través de un grupo de personajes la amistad como una conversación que continúa más allá del tiempo y las fronteras»,Harper's Bazaar.«Cautivador de principio a fin», Marie France. «Una emocionante meditación sobre lo que separa y une a los vivos y a los muertos, el amor y la amistad, la inocencia y la corrupción, la magia de los lugares que habitamos…», Madame Figaro. «Muriel Barbery busca y encuentra la armonía», Le Monde des Livres Margaux se presenta en el entierro de un amigo de la infancia, Thomas Helder, años después de abandonar a los suyos sin explicación. En la casa familiar de Thomas, en plena campiña occitana, resurgen con fuerza los recuerdos de su pasado en Ámsterdam y de ese rincón de Francia en el que crecieron, se amaron y, a veces, se mintieron. A medida que avanza la velada, Margaux se enfrenta a la evidencia de que para continuar debe cerrar las cuentas pendientes. A través de un reducido grupo de personajes y durante una noche que lo cambiará todo, Muriel Barbery construye un retrato vívido, cargado de sensibilidad y sabiduría, de cómo la amistad se convierte en un poderoso salvavidas cuando atravesamos momentos difíciles. De una elegancia y un estilo narrativo únicos en el panorama literario europeo, Barbery despliega aquí «una emocionante meditación sobre lo que separa y une a los vivos y a los muertos, el amor y la amistad, la inocencia y la corrupción» (Madame Figaro) en «un libro lleno de sensaciones, reflexión y gran belleza» (RTL) que resulta «cautivador de principio a fin» (Marie France).

Retrouvez dans ce dossier les premiers chapitres de dix romans incontournables de la collection Folio : Muriel Barbery (L'élégance du hérisson), Jonathan Coe (La vie très privée de Mr Sim), Catherine Cusset (Confessions d'une radine), Marc Dugain (L'insomnie des étoiles), David Foenkinos (La délicatesse), Eric Fottorino (Baisers de cinéma), Daniel Pennac (Chagrin d'école), Philip Roth (Indignation), Jean-Christophe Rufin (La Salamandre) et Mario Vargas Llosa (La fête au bouc).Vous pouvez accéder directement à chaque extrait par la table des matières de ce dossier ou lire les extraits à la suite. Tous ces livres numériques sont en vente chez votre libraire.

Um prédio elegante no centro de Paris; uma desconfiada zeladora de meia-idade, fã de Tolstoi e do Oriente; uma garota cáustica, às turras com a família; um senhor japonês sorridente e misterioso. Com esses ingredientes díspares, Muriel Barbery fez do romance A elegância do ouriço a boa surpresa literária de 2006 na França, onde vendeu mais de 850 mil exemplares. À primeira vista, não se nota grande movimento no número 7 da Rue de o endereço é chique, e os moradores são gente rica e tradicional. Para ingressar no prédio e poder conhecer seus personagens, com suas manias e segredos, será preciso infiltrar um agente ou uma agente ou - por que não? - duas agentes. É justamente o que faz Muriel Barbery em A elegância do ouriço, seu segundo romance. Para começar, dando voz a Renée, que parece ser a zeladora por excelê baixota, ranzinza e sempre pronta a bater a porta na cara de alguém. Na verdade, uma observadora refinada, ora terna, ora ácida, e um personagem complexo, que apaga as pegadas para que ninguém adivinhe o que guarda na um amor extremado às letras e às artes, sem as nódoas de classe e de esnobismo que mancham o perfil dos seus muitos patrões. E ainda há Paloma, a caçula da família Josse. O pai é um figurão da política, a mãe dondoca tem doutorado em letras, a irmã mais velha jura que é filósofa, mas Paloma conhece bem demais o verso e o reverso da vida familiar para engolir a história oficial. Tanto que se impõe um desafio terrí ou descobre algum sentido para a vida, ou comete suicídio (seguido de incêndio) no seu aniversário de treze anos. Enquanto a data não chega, mantém duas séries de anotações pessoais e filosó os Pensamentos profundos e o Diário do movimento do mundo, crônicas de suas experiências íntimas e também da vida no prédio. As vozes da garota e da zeladora, primeiro paralelas, depois entrelaçadas, vão desenhando uma espiral em que se misturam argumentos filosóficos, instantes de revelação estética, birras de classe e maldades adolescentes, poemas orientais e filmes blockbuster. As duas filósofas, Renée e Paloma, estão inteiramente entregues a esse ímpeto satírico e devastador, quando chega de mudança o bem-humorado Kakuro Ozu, senhor japonês com nome de cineasta que, sem alarde, saberá salvá-las tanto da mediocridade geral como dos próprios espinhos.Please This audiobook is in Portuguese.

C'est le plus grand critique culinaire du monde, le Pape de la gastronomie, le Messie des agapes somptueuses. Demain, il va mourir. Il le sait et il n'en a cure : aux portes de la mort, il est en quête d'une saveur qui lui trotte dans le cœur, une saveur d'enfance ou d'adolescence, un mets original et merveilleux dont il pressent qu'il vaut bien que tous ses festins de gourmet accompli. Alors il se souvient. Silencieusement, parfois frénétiquement, il vogue au gré des méandres de sa mémoire gustative. Il se souvient - et il ne trouve pas. Pas encore.

Cosa accadrebbe se gli animali potessero finalmente raccontare la propria storia? Gli umani sono scomparsi. Il disegnatore e la romanziera si alleano per realizzare un racconto in parole e immagini allo stesso tempo arguto e fantasioso.Un bestiario letterario, capace di fare filosofia con umorismo felino.Un giorno tutti gli esseri umani scompaiono dalla superficie del globo. Gli animali si riuniscono per scrivere la propria storia, affrontando dibattiti filosofici per capire quale posto assegnare al retaggio umano e come ripensare il proprio posto in un mondo liberato dall’antropocentrismo. Una favola contemporanea che invita a reinventare il rapporto con ciò che vive e la responsabilità nei confronti della natura. Su tavole da stampa ereditate dal nonno, Nicolas Vial si è divertito a disegnare un originale bestiario. Muriel Barbery si è data il compito di farne nascere una favola.

Barcelona. 23 cm. 191 páginas. Encuadernación en tapa blanda de editorial ilustrada. Colección 'Biblioteca Formentor'. Ficción moderna y contemporá general y literaria. Barbery, Muriel 1969-. Une rose seule. Traducción del francés por Isabel González-Gallarza. Novelas psicológicas. González-Gallarza, Isabel. traductor .. Este libro es de segunda mano y tiene o puede tener marcas y señales de su anterior propietario. 9788432237959; 9788432237867; 9789569949807; 97884

Der neue Weltbestseller der Autorin von Die Eleganz des Igels.Rose hat mit ihren vierzig Jahren das Gefühl, noch gar nicht richtig gelebt zu haben. Als Botanikerin kennt sie Blumen, aber sie betrachtet sie nicht; nichts dringt zu ihr durch, nichts kann sie berühren. Dann reißt ein unerwarteter Anruf sie aus ihrem Sie soll für die Testamentseröffnung ihres Vaters nach Kyoto fliegen. Als sie widerwillig zustimmt, ahnt sie nicht, wie sehr das fremde Land mit seinen Tempeln und Zen-Gärten sie aufwühlen wird. Auf der Reise zu ihren Wurzeln begegnet sie Paul, der ebenfalls mit seiner Trauer zu kämpfen hat. Die beiden nähern sich an und schenken einander die Kraft, die Schönheit des Lebens wiederzuentdecken.Mit viel Empathie liest Elisabeth Günther diesen poetischen Roman über eine Frau, die das Glück in Japan wiederfindet.

ΣΠANIEΣ ΣTIΓMEΣ AΛHΘINHΣ OMOPΦIAΣ MEΣA AΠO YΠEPOXEΣ ΣEΛIΔEΣ ΛOΓOTEXNIAΣ, ME EΞYΠNO XIOYMOP, EYAIΣΘHΣIA KAI AΓAΠH ΓIA TH ZΩH, ΣE MIA APIΣTOYPΓHMATIKH AΦHΓHΣH ME ΔYO ΠPOΣΩΠ"TO ONOMA MOY EINAI PENE. EIMAI ΠENHNTA TEΣΣAPΩN XPONΩN, XHPA, MIKPOΣΩMH, ΣTPOYMΠOYΛH KAI AΣXHMH. TA TEΛEYTAIA EIKOΣI EΦTA XPONIA EIMAI H ΘYPΩPOΣ TOY KTIPIOY ΣTHN OΔO ΓKPENEΛ 7, ENOΣ OMOPΦOY MEΓAPOY, ΠOY XΩPIZETAI ΣE OKTΩ MEΓAΛA YΠEPΠOΛYTEΛH ΔIAMEPIΣMATA. ΔE ΣΠOYΔAΣA, HMOYN ΠANTOTE ΦTΩXH, ΔIAKPITIKH KAI AΣHMANTH. ANTAΠOKPINOMAI OMΩΣ TEΛEIA ΣE O,TI H KOINΩNIA ΠIΣTEYEI ΩΣ YΠOΔEIΓMA ΘYPΩPOY ΠOΛYKATOIKIAΣ· KANEIΣ ΔEN MΠOPEI NA ANTIΛHΦΘEI OTI ΓNΩPIZΩ ΠOΛY ΠEPIΣΣOTEPA AΠO TOYΣ ΠΛOYΣIOYΣ AΛAZONEΣ"."TO ONOMA MOY EINAI ΠAΛOMA. EIMAI ΔΩΔEKA XPONΩN KAI MENΩ ΣTHN OΔO ΓKPENEΛ 7, Σ' ENA APXONTIKO ΔIAMEPIΣMA. ENTOYTOIΣ, ΠAPA THN KAΛOTYXIA KAI TA ΠΛOYTH, AΠO ΠOΛY KAIPO ΞEPΩ OTI O TEΛIKOΣ ΠPOOPIΣMOΣ MOY EINAI H ΓYAΛA ME TA ΨAPIA. ΠΩΣ TO ΓNΩPIZΩ; TYXAINEI NA EIMAI EΞYΠNH. EΞAIPETIKA EΞ

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has become the largest and most prestigious book festival in the country, attracting more than 130,000 book lovers each year.Donna Rifkind is a book critic whose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and other publications. She currently reviews for the Washington Post. Rifkind was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Balakian Award.Muriel Barbery was born in Casablanca and until recently had lived most of her life in France. She studied philosophy at the Ecole Normale Superieure and worked many years as a philosophy teacher. Her second novel is The Elegance of the Hedgehog.Vanna Marsot's debut novel, Foreign A Novel of Life and Love in Paris, was published this month. Marsot holds an MFA in literature and creative writing from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She divides her time between Paris and Los Angeles.Jonathan Rabb, who lives in New York with his wife and two children, is the author of three previous Rosa, The Overseer, and The Book of Q. Rabb's latest novel, Shadow and Light is available now.Lisa See was named the 2001 National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women. She is the author of the critically acclaimed best seller Flower Net, an Edgar award-nominee. Her new book, Shanghai Girls was published in May.