Product Description

On a crowded bus at midday, the narrator observes one man
accusing another of jostling him deliberately. When a seat is vacated, the
first man appropriates it. Later, in another part of town, the narrator
sees the man being advised by a friend to sew another button on his
overcoat.

'Exercises in Style' retells this unexceptional tale 99 times, employing
the sonnet and the alexandrine, "Ze Frrench" and "Cockney". An "abusive"
chapter heartily deplores the events, "Opera English" lends them grandeur.

In 1947, when 'Exercises in Style' was first published in French, it led to
Queneau's election to the highly prestigious Academie Goncourt. This
virtuoso set of theme and variations is a linguistic rust-remover, a guide
to literary forms - a demonstration of the use of imagery and expletive.
But it is far too funny to be merely a pedantic thesis.

Barbara Wright's translation is a marvel of the art - much of it done in
collaboration and under the guidance of the author. The late Raymond
Queneau, novelist, poet, mathematician and editor, once told Barbara Wright
that of all his books, this was the one he most wished to see translated.
He rendered her his "heartiest congratulations", adding: "I have always
thought that nothing is untranslatable. Here is new proof. And it is
accomplished with all the intended humour."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #320364 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05-01
• Original language: French
• Binding: Paperback
• 197 pages

The Guardian
"Witty, playful, ingenious, it manages to transcend its own
sophistication by a sort of verbal slapstick which Miss Wright translates
into Pure Groucho Marxism."

About the Author
One of the most versatile and interesting of French twentieth
century authors, Queneau (1903-1976) was widely respected as an
intellectual, but also touched a bestseller public, and can be compared to
James Joyce, his friend, in his originality and ability to write
simultaneously on many levels. He was a legendary figure, not only in the
literary world, but as mathematician, philosopher and editor of the
Bibliothèque de la Pléiade. His translations by Barbara Wright are literary
masterpieces in themselves.

Customer Reviews

Hilarious, Mind-stretching and Inspirational
Okay, so that's a bit over the top. But these stories (one story, told in many different ways, actually) make me smile, make me think about language, syntax, construction and style, and inspire me to have a go myself.
The writer uses a range of styles to explore the differences this makes to the story, and to the reader's perception of the protagonists. This book is a must for anyone who ever tried to write using different voices or in different contexts (for example, a letter has a different tone to a newspaper report, a police statement or a short story, probably).
The stunning realisation that this book is a translation from the French makes the translator seem just as remarkable as the author!

One of literature's greatest jokes!
Queneau was, among many other things, a brilliant gamester. In this book he takes the most banal of stories and tells it 99 times in 99 different styles. It is a weird book, whose charm grows as you continue. Once you get to the 5th or 6th version of this inane tale, you begin to laugh and gasp and don't stop until the end. Like all good jokes, it is more than a joke. If you delight in language, read this book. If you do not delight in launguage, this book will teach you to. I have read the original French version, and Barbara Wright has stayed true to it in this wonderful translation. Don't miss this gem!

How many ways are there to tell a story?
Many! any reader of this book will testify so! Playfull, but on certain occasions tirring by its repetitiveness. Enlightning and imaginative, as it illustrates the understanding of one story in many ways, through many prismas, as different characters would describe. A trip I would definitely suggest to everyone.