Smoky clouds of the past

Author: Jean-No?l Poncrazzi / Zhang Xinmu / Zhang Qun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: The prose of the novel is astonishingly fluid, with brilliant phrases that vividly complement each other. Many words are almost synonyms, precisely annotated, refined, and polished, as if to dissect the harm to the bone. – Le Figaro (France)
Like Jean-No?l Poncrazzi's early works, this novel is a gentle yet sorrowful ode, with an irresistible charm. – Le Monde (France)
With a pen free from hatred and fear, even slightly imbued with love, Poncrazzi describes a small group in great chaos in his unique rich and exquisite style, painting a realistic picture where, in the end, only writing is eternal. It is the last comfort for the lucky in life. – L'Express (France)
This book includes two long novels by the renowned contemporary French writer Jean-No?l Poncrazzi. Winter Camp describes a story set in a gay bar in Paris, where a group of people at the bottom and on the fringes of society live aimlessly and unrestrainedly. Many suffer from incurable diseases—AIDS. After their only refuge, the homeless bar, is sold, a group of dependent drinkers sets off into the vast night. The novel reveals a yearning for a better past life and reflects a side of the romantic Parisian periphery with its unique writing style, winning the Médicis Prize. Fog of Memories records the last time Elizabeth, a cancer-stricken female writer, attends a publisher's gala. The old-fashioned publishing building, the wooden bar counter, the library filled with books, the luxury and the stairs—Elizabeth reunites with her old and new friends. The evening is a mix of nostalgia for the past among the older generation and dreamlike hopes for the future among the younger. Amidst insincere pleasantries and flirtatious banter, they compete for attention and engage in deceit. Fog of Memories reveals the raw financial relationships and ambiguous emotional entanglements in the Parisian cultural circle through its unique writing style, serving as a gentle yet tragic lament of life. It was awarded the Académie Fran?aise Prize for Literature after publication.