About the Book
From the author of The Most Beautiful Book in the World, a literary tour de force of contemporary eroticism.
"This message is just to say I love you. Signed: You know who." A love note is delivered anonymously to each inhabitant of Piazza Guy d'Arezzo in Brussels one morning, triggering a series of adventures and misadventures that, over 600 pages, develop into a sumptuous comedy of manners that is sexy, sensual, affecting, encyclopaedic, and unlike anything written previously by Schmitt.
Employing a roving camera technique that recalls both the stylish cinematic tradition of French New Wave and the films by Fellini and Antonioni, The Carousel of Desire is a sexual and romantic saga told with a master storyteller's feel for character and plot, and a philosopher's abiding preoccupation with what makes life truly worthwhile. Schmitt tells a colourful tale about class and community, about the varieties of human experience. His love of coincidence and serendipity is surpassed only by his affection for his all-too-human characters: Zachary Bidermann, the powerful E.U. commissioner; Faustina, the fashionable book publicist; Franc¸ois-Maxime de Couvigne, the happily married banker with more than a few secrets; Marcelle, enamoured of a handsome illegal immigrant; and Miss Beauvert, who makes love with her parrot, Copernicus. These and many more unforgettable characters animate this story of simmering desire and mischievous Eros.
About the Author :
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is one of Europe’s most popular and acclaimed authors and playwrights. His many novels and story collections include The Most Beautiful Book in the World (Europa, 2009), Oscar & the Lady in Pink, and Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran. A keen music lover, Schmitt has also translated into French The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni from the original Italian. In 2001, he was awarded the French Academy’s Grand Prix du Théatre. Schmitt divides his time between Paris, France, and Belgium. Award-winning translator Howard Curtis has worked on more than sixty books from French, Italian and Spanish. Among his recent translations for Europa are works by Jean-Claude Izzo and Santiago Gamboa. Katherine Gregor translates from Italian, Russian and French. She is also a playwright and a fiction writer and maintains a regular blog.
Review :
Praise for The Carousel of Desire "This monumental novel is satisfying at all turns."
--Foreword Reviews
"A narrative tour de force. Liberated, libertine, libertarian. A brilliant
celebration of sexual and moral tolerance."
--La Provence
"The Carousel of Desire is a terrific encyclopedia of love and desire.
A beautiful novel, at once light, funny, and somber."
--L'Express
..".[an] evocative and beautiful ode to love, heartbreak, and humanity."
--Booklist
"One of Mr. Schmitt's chief strengths is the ability to precisely chronicle
the shifts in his characters' mental and emotional states, a skill he employs
to illuminate the changeable nature of the mind and heart."
--Electric Literature
"Dark comedy or philosophical tale? Both. With colorful, complex,
and endearing characters."
--Le Figaro
"With chapter titles taken from hymns, this choral tale moves toward
a lovely finale, a hymn of praise to love."
--Sud Ouest
Praise for The Carousel of Desire
"This monumental novel is satisfying at all turns."
--Foreword Reviews
"A narrative tour de force. Liberated, libertine, libertarian. A brilliant
celebration of sexual and moral tolerance."
--La Provence
"The Carousel of Desire is a terrific encyclopedia of love and desire.
A beautiful novel, at once light, funny, and somber."
--L'Express
..".[an] evocative and beautiful ode to love, heartbreak, and humanity."
--Booklist
"One of Mr. Schmitt's chief strengths is the ability to precisely chronicle
the shifts in his characters' mental and emotional states, a skill he employs
to illuminate the changeable nature of the mind and heart."
--Electric Literature
"Dark comedy or philosophical tale? Both. With colorful, complex,
and endearing characters."
--Le Figaro
"With chapter titles taken from hymns, this choral tale moves toward
a lovely finale, a hymn of praise to love."
--Sud Ouest
Praise for "The Carousel of Desire"
A narrative tour de force. Liberated, libertine, libertarian. A brilliant
celebration of sexual and moral tolerance.
"La Provence
"
"The Carousel of Desire "is a terrific encyclopedia of love and desire.
A beautiful novel, at once light, funny, and somber.
"L Express
"
One of Mr. Schmitt s chief strengths is the ability to precisely chronicle
the shifts in his characters mental and emotional states, a skill he employs
to illuminate the changeable nature of the mind and heart.
"Electric Literature
"
Dark comedy or philosophical tale? Both. With colorful, complex,
and endearing characters.
"Le Figaro
"
With chapter titles taken from hymns, this choral tale moves toward
a lovely finale, a hymn of praise to love.
"Sud Ouest""
