By Jean-Pierre Martinet. Foreword by William Boyle. Translation by Alex Andriesse.
A raucous, macabre tale of failure from the filmmaker-turned-writer whose work has garnered cultish attention in recent years
Georges Maman is a down-and-out actor sinking into despair and no longer able to scrape by, failing to make his mark even in the porno industry; Dagonard is a loudmouthed camera assistant who executes his refusal to read a room with almost surgical skill. Their paths cross one evening in a bar, and the two proceed to share a night in Paris: drink, dinner and psychological torture. Drawing from his own aborted career as an assistant director in the film industry, Jean-Pierre Martinet’s last novel (before he quit writing) describes a sordid, cynical and disturbingly humorous descent into the hell of failure and the company we keep there. With Their Hearts in Their Boots is joined by “At the Back of the Courtyard on the Right,” an equally dark and lengthy poetic essay inspired by the work of Henri Calet, a kindred literary spirit whose dimmed star Martinet helped to resuscitate through his brief career as a literary critic. Jean-Pierre Martinet (1944–93) wrote only a handful of novels, including what is largely regarded as his masterpiece: the psychosexual study of horror and madness Jérôme. William Boyle is from Brooklyn. His books include Gravesend, which was nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Vol 1. Brooklyn
Tobias Carroll
In Andriesse’s translation, Martinet’s account of one man’s progression down the margins of society turns into the stuff of existential horror. This is a far cry from comfort reading, but like a sub-zero breeze—or a shot of high-proof booze—it’s bracing throughout.
Book Beat
Tom Bowden
A pair of short jabs to the jaw, deftly aimed.
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FORMAT: Pbk, 4.5 x 7 in. / 120 pgs. LIST PRICE: U.S. $13.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $19.95 GBP £11.99 ISBN: 9781962728027 PUBLISHER: Wakefield Press AVAILABLE: 11/12/2024 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by Wakefield Press. By Jean-Pierre Martinet. Foreword by William Boyle. Translation by Alex Andriesse.
A raucous, macabre tale of failure from the filmmaker-turned-writer whose work has garnered cultish attention in recent years
Georges Maman is a down-and-out actor sinking into despair and no longer able to scrape by, failing to make his mark even in the porno industry; Dagonard is a loudmouthed camera assistant who executes his refusal to read a room with almost surgical skill. Their paths cross one evening in a bar, and the two proceed to share a night in Paris: drink, dinner and psychological torture. Drawing from his own aborted career as an assistant director in the film industry, Jean-Pierre Martinet’s last novel (before he quit writing) describes a sordid, cynical and disturbingly humorous descent into the hell of failure and the company we keep there. With Their Hearts in Their Boots is joined by “At the Back of the Courtyard on the Right,” an equally dark and lengthy poetic essay inspired by the work of Henri Calet, a kindred literary spirit whose dimmed star Martinet helped to resuscitate through his brief career as a literary critic.
Jean-Pierre Martinet (1944–93) wrote only a handful of novels, including what is largely regarded as his masterpiece: the psychosexual study of horror and madness Jérôme.
William Boyle is from Brooklyn. His books include Gravesend, which was nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France.
