Je m’en vais
Paris, Éditions de Minuit, (June 22) 1999.
1 vol. (135 x 185 mm) of 252 p. and [2] f. Navy morocco, smooth spine, gilt title, date gilt at foot, edges gilt on the rough, blue velvet doublures and endleaves, original wrappers and spine preserved, matching edged slipcase (Loutrel-Delaporte).
First edition.
One of 99 copies on vergé de Vizille (no. 95), the only paper issued.
One of 99 copies on vergé de Vizille (no. 95), the only paper issued.
Je m’en vais, the companion piece to Un an published two years earlier, went on to win the Prix Goncourt: the story was essentially the same, lived and narrated through the perspective of Delahaye and one of Ferrer’s conquests, Victoire, who appears only fleetingly in Je m’en vais. Jean Echenoz once again deploys the marvelous style for which he is known, described by Philippe Djian as “a craftsman’s work in which one must fiddle with words. They are bits of string. A serious writer cannot be interested in anything else, otherwise he is a historian or a sociologist, or a bad novelist. The absolute master of this game is Jean Echenoz. He is the best stylist writing today.”
A very fine copy, in a superb binding by Loutrel.
#28531
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