The Elegance of Muriel - Publishers Weekly Author Profile

Muriel Barbery is lovely, not unlike the exquisite prose of her runaway hit novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Why a hedgehog? She shakes her head. “The whole time [the novel] was just called 'Renee' [the name of the narrator, the concierge in a ritzy Parisian apartment building], but we wanted something joyful, mysterious. My husband, Stephane, suggested the title.” (In hindsight, Renee does have hedgehog qualities) Muriel's husband, whom s...

Rounding Up!

This past week three of our favorite authors were in the US and Canada to promote their most recent books and to meet their American readers. Over the weekend of 25 April in Montreal Domenico Starnone was at the Blue Metropolis festival in conversation with Professor Eugenio Bolongaro from McGill University. Professor Bolongaro led Domenico over a range of subjects, on which he discoursed ably, demonstrating the wit and intelligence that anyon...

Rare Interview with Muriel Barbery

from the Albany Times-Union “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” focuses on two super-smart, super-solitary female characters — each of whom goes to great lengths to hide and protect her rich inner life from others — and the unlikely friendship that grows up between them. “Unlikely” because one is a 54-year-old concierge (“poor, discreet and insignificant”) of a luxury apartment building in Paris and the other a 12-year-old girl who lives in the bui...

Liberty, Equality, Envy

from the New York Times Liberty, Equality, Envy By AMÉLIE NOTHOMB, author of “Tokyo Fiancée” April 4, 2009 Paris THE feeling in Europe, and especially in France, about Barack Obama’s presidency is as clear as day: we are envious. We are aware that the results of Mr. Obama’s economic policy are not good — not yet — and that there is little chance they will be wonderful any time soon. Here, too, the results of our leaders’ economic policies are...