| Belly of Paris PB Contributor(s): Zola, Émile (Author), Kurlansky, Mark (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0812974220 ISBN-13: 9780812974225 Publisher: Modern Library OUR PRICE: $14.40 Product Type: Paperback Published: May 2009 Annotation: "New York Times" bestselling author Mark Kurlansky's deft translation brings new life to Emile Zola's rich characters and stunning depiction of Les Halles, the food markets of 1850s Paris "The Belly of Paris" is the dramatic story of Florent Quenu, a convict who has miraculously escaped imprisonment on Devil's Island after being falsely accused of a killing during a political demonstration. Back in Paris after his long confinement, Florent moves in with his brother's family in the newly rebuilt Les Halles market and is soon caught in a dangerous maelstrom of food and politics as the dramatic difference between "fat and thin" (the rich and the poor) becomes too obvious to ignore. Mark Kurlansky's introduction celebrates Emile Zola's role as a "naturalist," describing his twenty-volume series of Rougon-Macquart novels, and the culinary delights of "The Belly of Paris." |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | Sagas |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 2008037987 |
| Series: Modern Library Classics (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 5.1" W x 7.9" (0.60 lbs) 368 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - French |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Part of Emile Zola's multigenerational Rougon-Macquart saga, The Belly of Paris is the story of Florent Quenu, a wrongly accused man who escapes imprisonment on Devil's Island. Returning to his native Paris, Florent finds a city he barely recognizes, with its working classes displaced to make way for broad boulevards and bourgeois flats. Living with his brother's family in the newly rebuilt Les Halles market, Florent is soon caught up in a dangerous maelstrom of food and politics. Amid intrigue among the market's sellers-the fishmonger, the charcuti re, the fruit girl, and the cheese vendor-and the glorious culinary bounty of their labors, we see the dramatic difference between "fat and thin" (the rich and the poor) and how the widening gulf between them strains a city to the breaking point. Translated and with an Introduction by the celebrated historian and food writer Mark Kurlansky, The Belly of Paris offers fascinating perspectives on the French capital during the Second Empire-and, of course, tantalizing descriptions of its sumptuous repasts. |