Adam Hocker Reads Albertine Prize Finalist ‘Naked’
Naked, a novel by Jean-Philippe Toussaint (translated from the French by Edward Gauvin, Dalkey Archive/US, Éditions de Minuit/FR) is long-listed for the Albertine Prize, a reader’s choice award. Albertine booksellers have selected ten of the best French novels translated into English in the past year; US-based readers can vote between March 16 and April 30th on the Albertine site here.
ADAM HOCKER on Naked
“A master of detail and a conjurer of the unusual, possessing a minimal style that abounds in surreal imagery while still staying grounded in the concerns and needs of day-to-day life, Jean-Philippe Toussaint is a contemporary giant in Belgian literature.
Naked, the last novel in his tetralogy concerning the fashion designer Marie Madeleine Marguerite de Montalte, is a perfect example of precisely this remarkable ability to let the reader’s imagination soar while never letting the story slip away into mere flights of fancy. Models wearing dresses made of honey followed by trained bees, rain composed of chocolate and rust, scaling skyscrapers in Tokyo…
Images like these fuse in a seemingly effortless way with universal themes like longing, heartbreak, and love. Combining the deadpan dreaminess of Murakami with the brilliant and limpid style of Queneau, Jean-Philippe Toussaint is an odd but deeply humane cultural force–one whose words are very much worth exploring.”
Naked, a novel by Jean-Philippe Toussaint (translated from the French by Edward Gauvin, Dalkey Archive/US, Éditions de Minuit/FR)
Read more on Naked here.
Originally from Indiana, Adam Hocker has spent his life travelling and working with books. After having taught English in China, he started working at Farrar, Straus and Giroux as their Sales and Marketing Associate. He then lived in Paris for four years, working as a translator and editor for institutions such as the Sorbonne and Éditions du Seuil. A seasoned bookseller, as well as a great lover of literature, philosophy, and music, Adam is delighted to be joining Albertine as their new bookseller and English language buyer.
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière, comme si son corps avait été plongé intégralement dans un pot de miel démesuré avant d'entrer en... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière, comme si son corps avait été plongé intégralement... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière,... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one of contemporary fiction’s most fully realized female characters: haute couturière Marie Madeleine... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one of contemporary fiction’s most fully realized... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière, comme si son corps avait été plongé intégralement dans un pot de miel démesuré avant d'entrer en... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière, comme si son corps avait été plongé intégralement... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière,... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one of contemporary fiction’s most fully realized female characters: haute couturière Marie Madeleine... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one of contemporary fiction’s most fully realized... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière, comme si son corps avait été plongé intégralement dans un pot de miel démesuré avant d'entrer en... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière, comme si son corps avait été plongé intégralement... Learn More
La robe en miel était le point d'orgue de la collection automne-hiver de Marie. À la fin du défilé, l'ultime mannequin surgissait des coulisses vêtue de cette robe dambre et de lumière,... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one of contemporary fiction’s most fully realized female characters: haute couturière Marie Madeleine... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one of contemporary fiction’s most fully realized... Learn More
“To write of her that which has never been written of any other woman.” And with these words from Dante, Jean-Philippe Toussaint sets out once more to deepen and broaden his depiction of one... Learn More