Staff Pick

Autour du monde

by François-Xavier Schmit | December 16, 2014
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For a long time, Laurent Mauvignier has constructed his novels around alternating points of view. This time he goes further, creating a polyphonic novel in which twenty narrators, lowly members of society, the forgotten ones, cry out, powerless, helpless, and remorseful.

It is in this style that we find Mauvignier’s signature, in his breathless monologues, in the permanent and uncontrollable feeling of urgency. Taking the 2011 Japanese tsunami as a point of depart, he offers an illuminated picture of multiple lives, entwined destinies, and exiles to every corner of the world, together constructing a universal echo.

François-Xavier

Autour du monde, Minuit, 2014

François-Xavier Schmit
When he was a child, François-Xavier always kept a book in the pocket of his jeans. However, for the first decade of his working life, he put his love of books aside to embark on a successful career in human resources. At age 34, deciding that life was too short not enjoy every moment of it, François-Xavier quit his position, moved to Toulouse, and opened his own bookstore. Six years later, while L'Autre Rive was thriving in the Pink city, François-Xavier heard that the French Embassy was looking for someone to run a future bookshop, and he moved to New York in August of 2013. The fine selection of books on display at Albertine is a reflection of his hard work.
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