Synopses & Reviews
Pierre is a veteran bartender in a café in the outskirts of Paris. He observes his customers as they come and go - the young man who drinks beer as he reads Primo Levi, the fellow who from time to time strips down and plunges into the nearby Seine, the few regulars who eat and drink there on credit - sizing them up with great accuracy and empathy. Pierre doesnt look outside more than necessary; he prefers to let the world come to him. Soon, however, the café must close its doors, and Pierre finds himself at a loss. As we follow his stream of thoughts over three days, Pierres humanity and profound solitude both emerge. The Waitress Was New is a moving portrait of human anguish and weakness, of understated nobility and strength. Lire est un plaisir describes Dominique Fabre as a "magician of the everyday."
Synopsis
"A tiny fragment of life, simply told and yet touching in the extreme."-French Book News
Pierre, a lifelong Parisian waiter, watches people come and go, sizing them up with great accuracy and empathy. Pierre doesn't look outside too much; he prefers to let the world come to him. When the cafe goes under, Pierre finds himself at a loss. As we follow his stream of thought over three days, Pierre's humanity and profound solitude are revealed.
Dominique Fabreis the author of six novels. He won the Marcel Pagnol Prize for Fantmesin 2001. The Waitress was Newis his first book to appear in English.
Jordan Stumpis a noted translator of modern French novelists, including Marie Redonnet and ric Chevillard.
Synopsis
This "charming . . . short account of ordinary goings-on in a French caf " explores love, work, loneliness, and aging as it follows the daily life of a middle-aged Parisian bartender (Lemony Snicket) Pierre is a veteran bartender in a caf in the outskirts of Paris. He observes his customers as they come and go--the young man who drinks beer as he reads Primo Levi, the fellow who from time-to-time strips down and plunges into the nearby Seine, the few regulars who eat and drink there on credit--sizing them up with great accuracy and empathy. Pierre doesn't look outside more than necessary; he prefers to let the world come to him.
Soon, however, the caf must close its doors, and Pierre finds himself at a loss. As we follow his stream of thoughts over three days, Pierre's humanity and profound solitude both emerge. The Waitress Was New is a moving portrait of human anguish and weakness, of understated nobility and strength.
Synopsis
A veteran waiter is set adrift when his café closes its doors.
Synopsis
A veteran waiter is set adrift when his café closes its doors.
About the Author
Dominique Fabre possesses a unique voice among contemporary French novelists. Focusing on the lives of individuals on the margins of society, his works combines somber, subdued realism with lyrical perception. In his own words, Fabre "believes in the possibility of showing you genuine beauty, genuine dignity and places or people that have been somehow overlooked." He has produced nine works of fiction over the last decade. In 1995 Maurice Nadeau published Fabres first novel, Moi aussi un jour jirai loin, to much critical acclaim. His Fantômes (Serpent à plumes) received the Marcel Pagnol prize in 2001. The Waitress Was New is his first book to appear in English.
Jordan Stump received the 2001 French-American Foundations Translation Prize for his translation of Le Jardin des Plantes by Nobel Prize winner Claude Simon. In 2006, Stump was named Chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres. He has translated the work of Eric Chevillard, Marie Redonnet, Patrick Modiano, Honoré de Balzac, and Jules Verne, among others. He is a professor of French literature at the University of Nebraska.