New Releases by Muriel Barbery

''A beguiling and human tale that sweeps us through the years'' Daily Mail ''Exquisite. . . Readers will be rapt'' Publishers Weekly Haru, a successful Japanese art dealer, appreciates beauty, harmony, balance and good saké. One evening at a party he meets Maud, an enigmatic Frenchwoman, and after a brief, intense romance he learns that she is pregnant with his child. But Maud issues him a heartbreaking warning: if he ever tries to see her or the child, she will take her own life. Quietly devastated, Haru resigns himself to loving his daughter from afar, and Rose grows up on the other side of the world, without ever knowing her father. Is it too late to change things? From international bestseller Muriel Barbery, this is a stunning tale of friendship, secrets and a father''s enduring love.

From the author of the international bestseller The Elegance of The Hedgehog comes a mouth-watering tale delving into the life of a monstrous food critic. ''A foodie''s delight; just don''t read it when you''re hungry''Daily Mail ''The exquisite descriptions of eating are like nothing you''ve read before'' Good Housekeeping After a lifetime of presiding over cowering chefs and pursuing sensual delights, France''s greatest food critic is dying. Given just forty-eight hours to live, Pierre Arthens has one last ambition - to recall the most delicious food to ever pass his lips, an elusive taste from his childhood. From his luxury penthouse at 7 Rue de Grenelle, Pierre casts his mind back over a lifetime of flavour: eating barbequed sardines with his grandfather; the warm, crumbly pastry of an apple tart; his first taste of velvety sashimi. But orbiting around him are a cast of family and acquaintances, each with their own story to tell about the greed and ruthlessness that has paved the way to Pierre''s search for the perfect meal.

O poveste despre o femeie care pleacă în căutarea unui tată pe care nu l-a cunoscut niciodată și a unei iubiri pe care nu o mai credea posibilă La patruzeci de ani, Rose primește un telefon de la un avocat care o invită în Kyoto pentru a discuta testamentul tatălui ei. Acolo este condusă în casa bărbatului care, după cum i s-a spus, a fost un comerciant de artă contemporană. Aflată față în față cu un trecut confiscat, tânăra nu simte decât amărăciune și furie. Dar Kyoto o îmblânzește și, în fiecare zi, ghidată de Paul, asistentul tatălui ei, descoperă un itinerariu fascinant, imaginat de tatăl dispărut, presărat cu temple și grădini, emoții și întâlniri care o vor ajuta să se cunoască mai bine pe ea însăși. Roman al devenirii, O roză singură spune povestea unei femei care descoperă nu doar peisajul originilor sale, ci și dragostea care i se dezvăluie în mod neașteptat. „Un roman liniștitor, care trebuie savurat încet, atât de minunat este scris.“ Le Parisien „În acest roman, melancolia se transformă treptat în bucurie.“ The New Yorker „O odă adusă Japoniei. Un roman splendid, răsunător, minunat construit.“ Le Monde „Fiecare pagină scrisă de Muriel Barbery este de o frumusețe incontestabilă.“ Elle „Un experiment senzorial, în care aproape orice trăire intră sub incidența poeticului. Amănuntele elegant construite recompun o imagine melancolică, seducătoare a Japoniei de astăzi, care îi oferă Rosei nu doar prilejul de a se descoperi pe ea însăși într-un mod neașteptat, ci și speranța de a crede cu toată forța în iubire, ca o a doua șansă la viață. În acest roman, cititorii vor descoperi vocea lui Muriel Barbery mai limpede și mai duioasă ca oricând.“ IRINA CERCHIA, editoare

From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a family story with a difference, a novel about the decisions one makes and the destiny they determine by one of Europe''s most brilliant and stylistically subtle authors. Haru, a successful Japanese art dealer, loves beauty, harmony, art, balance, intriguing women, sophisticated conversation, and elegance. Months after a brief affair in Japan with a French woman, Maud, he discovers she is pregnant with his child. She warns him, however, that if he ever tries to see her or the child, she will kill herself. Quietly devastated at the thought of never knowing his daughter, who will become a dark presence in an otherwise elegantly orchestrated life, Haru decides he will respect Maud''s wishes. His daughter grows to adulthood without ever knowing him. Is it too late to change things? This is Haru''s story. In her poetically precise prose, Muriel Barbery explores the deep love of a father, and what is gained and what is lost when one chooses a "family" of friends over one''s biological family. In doing so, she captures the darkness that pushes people apart and the circumstances that can draw them together again.

Una deliciosa oda a la amistad en el corazón de Japón. Haru, un exitoso marchante de arte de Kioto, cae rendido ante el encanto de una bellísima francesa que está de paso por la ciudad. Tiempo después, recibe un impactante mensaje por el que se le prohíbe acercarse al bebé nacido de su aventura. Dividido entre la emoción y la responsabilidad, Haru logrará mantener la terrible promesa de vivir alejado para siempre del ser al que más ama gracias a su singular grupo de amigos. Cargada de drama y belleza, esta intensa novela no es solo un canto al amor incondicional sino también a los lazos que van más allá de la familia tradicional, a los amigos que nos sostienen y nos alientan, con quienes celebramos nuestros triunfos y reconstruimos una y otra vez nuestras vidas frente a la derrota. Autora de una delicadeza y elegancia inimitables, Muriel Barbery nos transporta a un Japón maravilloso lleno de contradicciones y vuelve a brillar en el panorama literario internacional sumando a su exitosa carrera «un libro hermosísimo» (Le Monde) en el que cada palabra destila sabiduría y que es «excepcional hasta la última página». Una novela luminosa de principio a fin» (La République des Livres).

No romance de estreia de Muriel Barbery, autora do best-seller A elegância do ouriço, o maior crítico de gastronomia da França é desenganado pelos médicos e decide perscrutar a memória em busca do gosto perfeito. Em seu leito de morte, o grande crítico gastronômico Pierre Arthens é tomado pela última obsessão: lembrar-se do sabor que mais o enfeitiçara. A viagem aos meandros do paladar começa na infância do protagonista, quando as artes culinárias da avó desabrocharam seu talento, e termina na consagração do profissional que celebrava deliciando uma simples sardinha frita ou um inesquecível sorbet de laranja. No caminho, ele descreve a descoberta dos sashimis; a sensualidade dos tomates amorosamente colhidos na horta da casa de sua tia; o primeiro gole de uísque; o aveludado erótico da ostra. Sabores e odores misturam-se na memória do agonizante. Em contraponto às suas recordações surgem as vozes das vítimas de seu cinismo e egoísmo: a mulher e os filhos, a amante, o aluno, o gato de estimação e até mesmo a concierge Renée, que os leitores de Muriel Barbery conheceram em A elegância do ouriço. Para idealizar certos cardápios e receitas de A morte do gourmet, romance traduzido em doze línguas, a autora contou com a colaboração de Pierre Gagnaire, um dos mais conceituados chefs da França, agraciado com três estrelas no Guia Michelin.

From the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes this delightful tale that pays tribute to Japanese philosophy and our feline friends. What a mysterious, confounding thing is a writer! Yet, spend a little time with the writer''s cats and one might just understand her better. Muriel Barbery, via her cats and co-conspirators, takes readers into her atelier, offering them a behind-the-scenes peek into her process and problems, joys and disappointments. The tale is told from the perspective of one of the writer''s four cats, Kirin, who, together with her cohort, may or may not be a reliable narrator. There''s Ocha, the leader of the gang, a tough guy with a soft heart; the bandy-legged and affectionate Mizu, Ocha''s sister; the phlegmatic and refined Petrus, lover of flowers; and finally, pretty Kirin, narrator of this bewitching story. A superb, funny, and touching text for writers, readers, fans of Muriel Barbery''s bestselling novels, and cat lovers. "Barbery''s poetic prose and Maria Guitart''s enchanting illustrations are an irresistible combination that readers will love to cozy up to and lose themselves in for a moment." — Booklist "Creative types of all stripes—especially cat lovers—will be enchanted by Barbery''s fun and delightfully philosophical storytelling." — Shelf Awareness "A book of few words delightfully illustrated by Maria Guitart . . . readers will be entranced by the detailed portrayal of Barbery''s ménage, her domestic habits and customs, her obsession with order, her writing routine, and so much more." — La Stampa (Italy)

"A magnificent romance redolent of ancient wisdom and rich with melancholy, loss, and love" from the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog ( Le Monde). Rose has just turned forty when she gets a call from a lawyer asking her to come to Kyoto for the reading of her estranged father''s will. And so for the first time in her life she finds herself in Japan, where Paul, her father''s assistant, is waiting to greet her. As Paul guides Rose along a mysterious itinerary designed by her deceased father, her bitterness and anger are soothed by the stones and the trees in the Zen gardens they move through. During their walks, Rose encounters acquaintances of her father—including a potter and poet, an old lady friend, his housekeeper and chauffeur—whose interactions help her to slowly begin to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged. As the reading of the will gets closer, Rose''s father finally, posthumously, opens his heart to his daughter, offering her a poignant understanding of his love and a way to accept all she has lost. "Interspersed with aphoristic Japanese tales from various periods, as melancholy is gradually transmuted into joy." — The New Yorker "[A] luminous meditation on grief." — Booklist "With elegant and careful prose, [Barbery] offers descriptions of Kyoto and Japanese culture that transcend the genre of a travelogue. This novel will appeal to readers who long for happy endings and escape." — Library Journal "The novel balances lush, cultivated gardens and weighted symbolism with mischievous foxes, matcha, sliced eel, and sushi, all forming ''one happy chaos'' and a fascinating maze of emotional release." — Foreword Reviews

A healing journey in pursuit of love and self, and re-appreciating life, the red-haired French woman Rose has never seen her father. Her gloomy mother occasionally mentions her father, but her grandmother never mentions it. For her, her father is nothing but a fantasy figure fabricated by her mother and cease to exist. After the death of her mother and grandmother one after another, she lost all connection with the world and lived a life like a walking dead. Then one day, she received a call from Japan: her father passed away and she must go to Japan to listen to the will. Rose came to Kyoto without hesitation.

La nova novel·la de Muriel Barbery, una història de sentiments ambientada al Japó. La Rose tot just acaba de fer quaranta anys, quan rep una trucada d''un notari que li demana que viatgi fins a Tòquio per assistir a la lectura del testament del seu pare, a qui ella en realitat no va arribar a conèixer. Per primer cop a la vida, doncs, es troba al Japó, on l''espera en Paul, l''antic assistent del pare, que era marxant d''art. Enmig de l''amargor, en Paul l''anima a descobrir una estranya cartografia: una ruta, ideada pel pare, esquitxada de temples i jardins. A mesura que la Rose s''endinsa en aquests paisatges i coneix els costums i els amics del pare –un poeta, una velleta encantadora, un xofer– s''asserena i aconsegueix confrontar el seu passat confiscat. Una novel·la sobre la metamorfosi d''una dona, un viatge ple de jardins, emocions i trobades inesperades que la porten als confins d''ella mateixa, un lloc únic on de vegades es produeixen autèntiques històries d''amor.

一場追尋愛與自我、重新體味人生的療癒之旅 紅髮法國女子玫瑰從未見過父親，她鬱鬱寡歡的母親偶爾會提及她父親的事，她的外婆則是絕口不提。對她而言，父親不過是母親捏造出的虛幻人物，從不存在。在母親與外婆相繼離世後，她失去了與這世界的所有連結，過著彷如行屍走肉的日子。直到有一天，她接到一通來自日本的電話：她父親過世了，她必須親身前往日本聽取遺囑。 玫瑰沒有多想便來到京都，並落榻於父親故居，在父親友人的照看下展開為期一週的旅程。溫婉傳統、打理父親生前起居的佐世子對玫瑰呵護備至，滿足她的一切需求，包容她所有孩子氣的舉動。寡言的司機寬渡負責載她參觀京都，雖然他總是保持著距離，卻總能容感受到他的善意與關懷。一再偶遇的英國老太太蓓詩．史考特，總是說著令人費解的話語，她究竟有何用意？謎樣的跛腳比利時男子保羅，與她聊著關於她父親的種種，帶她認識父親的舊識，兩人在朝夕相處之下，逐漸生出情愫…… 在禪風庭園的一沙一石、一花一樹的環繞之中，在和食與日本人們的撫慰之下，玫瑰逐漸卸下渾身的尖刺，拋卻遭過往禁錮的自我，重新感受到愛與生命的喜悅，蛻變、綻放。 內容特色： 1.《刺蝟的優雅》作者最新作品，一則關於體驗生活的療癒故事。書末收錄繁中版作譯者對談。 2.透過京都風景的細緻描繪與庭園漫步、品茶、美食等等，書中細膩描寫女主角感受生活氣息、進而體驗世界，曾是哲學教授的作者在毫不長篇大論的纖細文字中，以細膩的五感（庭園風景之視覺與聽覺、品嚐日本料理與清酒之嗅覺與味覺、光線照耀肌膚的觸覺）描述女主角在生活的細節中體現「存有」、「臨在」與「活在當下」的實踐，並在一朵花之間看見世界的美好，透過一棵樹感受生命的氣息，從中成長、治癒心靈。 3.書中的氛圍與心靈療癒之旅或許會使人聯想到吉本芭娜娜的《蜜月旅行》或其他作品；異國自我追尋的情節或許有點像是哀愁版的《享受吧！一個人的旅行》，但書中又充滿深刻的哲思，化為細膩觀察世界的優美文字；女主角在日式庭園出神漫走的橋段讓人想到電影《愛情不用翻譯》的某些片段。 4.本書亦會使人聯想一些闡述日式庭園與生活美學的書籍，但並非說理，而是透過故事主角的雙眼來觀看、透過她的體驗來演繹她所感受到的日式美學。

Una fantasía épica con aires de clásico, por la autora de La elegancia del erizo. Alejandro de Yepes y Jesús Rocamora, dos jóvenes oficiales del ejército regular español, se enfrentan al sexto año de la guerra más cruenta que haya conocido el ser humano. El día que se topan con el afable y excéntrico Petrus da comienzo una aventura extraordinaria ya que los dos españoles abandonan su puesto y cruzan un puente invisible: Petrus es un elfo, proviene del secreto mundo de las Brumas en el que ya está reunida una compañía de elfos, mujeres y hombres de la que dependerá el destino de la guerra. Alejandro y Jesús descubrirán la tierra de su nuevo compañero, una tierra de armonía natural, belleza y poesía, pero que también se enfrenta al conflicto y al declive. Juntos participarán en la última batalla y sus mundos, tal y como los han conocido, nunca volverán a ser los mismos.

A "beguiling fairy tale" by the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog ( The New York Times). The villagers had never seen anything like it: dense white curtains of snow that instantly transformed the landscape. Not in autumn, not here in Burgundy. And on the same night a baby was discovered, dark-eyed little Maria, who would transform all their lives. Hundreds of miles away in the mountains of Abruzzo, another foundling, Clara, astonishes everyone with her extraordinary talent for piano playing. But her gifts go far beyond simple musicianship. As a time of great danger looms, though the girls know nothing of each other, it is the bond that unites them and others like them which will ultimately offer the only chance for good to prevail in the world. "Vivid imagery and a thread of mystery draw readers into the timeless and ethereal world of these young girls with a destiny to fulfill." — Booklist "The novel is essentially a parable about the power both of art, which abolishes the ''border between earth and mind,'' and of women." — The New Yorker "Fans of both Barbery and fantasy from writers like Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen will be enchanted." — Library Journal

Vita degli elfi è un romanzo che sfida le aspettative, non facile da classificare. Quando l’armonia tra gli esseri viventi si tramuta in disaccordo le stagioni vanno alla deriva e il mondo naturale si ritrova in preda allo scompiglio; gli esseri umani, ormai incapaci di provare empatia e percepire l’incanto, si abbandonano all’odio, alla violenza e alla guerra. È così che scoppia, sia sulla Terra che nel mondo delle brume, là dove vivono gli elfi, una battaglia epica tra le forze che aspirano a ristabilire l’armonia nel mondo e quelle che vogliono definitivamente distruggerla. Un esercito di semplici contadini si prepara alla lotta, armato solo della propria antica familiarità con la terra e di un’innata simpatia per la magia. Ma l’umanità non può vincere questa battaglia da sola. La vittoria dipende dall’aiuto degli abitanti di un mondo celato alla vista degli umani. Tutte le speranze sono riposte in Maria e Clara, due ragazzine che grazie ai loro straordinari talenti artistici e al profondo legame con la natura renderanno possibile l’unione degli umani con il regno del soprannaturale. «Vita degli elfi è al tempo stesso un romanzo realistico e onirico. Il linguaggio poetico di Muriel Barbery e i suoi accattivanti personaggi incanteranno i lettori». (La Vie) «Questa fervida e inusuale fiaba è la prova innegabile di un immaginario profondamente lirico». (Kirkus Reviews)

Renee is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, home to members of the great and the good. Over the years she has maintained her carefully constructed persona as someone reliable but totally uncultivated, in keeping, she feels, with society''s expectations of what a concierge should be. But beneath this facade lies the real Renee: passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Down in her lodge, apart from weekly visits by her one friend Manuela, Renee lives resigned to her lonely lot with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her, and decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbors will dramatically alter their lives forever. Moving and hilarious, this unusual novel became the top-selling book in France in 2007 with sales of over 900,000 copies to-date.

"¿Qué tienen en común la pequeña Maria, que vive en un pueblo recóndito de la Borgoña, y Clara, una niña enviada a Roma para desarrollar su don prodigioso para la música? Muy poco, en apariencia. Sin embargo, entre ellas existe un lazo secreto: las dos están en contacto con el mundo de los elfos, un mundo de arte y armonía con la naturaleza que proporciona a la vida de los hombres su profundidad. Y sólo ellas, unidas, podrán hacer frente a una gran amenaza que se cierne sobre la humanidad. La vida de los elfos es una novela sobre el poder de los sueños y la imaginación para construir un mundo mejor. Muriel Barbery ha creado un universo poético e inquietante, de un encanto profundo, que bebe de los cuentos y lo insólito para ofrecernos una novela «vibrante, resplandeciente, inefable, mítica e infinita» (Le Figaro) que afortunadamente tendrá continuación. La elegancia del erizo, uno de los mayores éxitos editoriales de la historia, cautivó a seis millones de lectores en más de cuarenta países. Muriel Barbery regresa tras nueve años de silencio con una novela que demuestra una vez más su capacidad para iluminar la belleza escondida en lo que nos rodea." --

Nel signorile palazzo di rue de Grenelle, già reso celebre dall’Eleganza del riccio, monsieur Arthens, il più grande critico gastronomico del mondo, il genio della degustazione, è in punto di morte. Il despota cinico e tremendamente egocentrico, che dall’alto del suo potere smisurato decide le sorti degli chef più prestigiosi nelle ultime ore di vita cerca affannosamente di recuperare un sapore primordiale e sublime, un sapore provato e che ora gli sfugge, il Sapore per eccellenza, quello che vorrebbe assaggiare di nuovo, prima del trapasso. Ha così inizio un viaggio gustoso e ironico che ripercorre la carriera di Arthens dall’infanzia ai fasti della maturità, attraverso la celebrazione di piatti poveri e prelibatezze haute cuisine. A fare da contrappunto alla voce dell’arrogante critico c’è la nutrita galleria delle sue vittime (i familiari, l’amante, l’allievo, il gatto e anche la portinaia Renée... ), ciascuna delle quali prende la parola per esprimere il suo punto di vista su un uomo che, tra grandezze pubbliche e miserie private, sembra ispirare solo sentimenti estremi, dall’ammirazione incondizionata al terrore, dall’amore cieco all’odio feroce. Anche in questo romanzo d’esordio Muriel Barbery racconta, assieme ai piaceri e alle tenerezze della vita, l’arroganza e la volgarità del potere (in un ambiente spietato dove – è cronaca di questi anni – un cuoco si uccide perché ha perso una stella Michelin). Estasi culinarie è un percorso che si snoda attraverso vivide evocazioni sensoriali, impreziosite da una scrittura raffinata e sinuosa, al servizio di una corrosiva satira delle manie alto borghesi.

En el número 7 de la calle Grenelle, un inmueble burgués de París, nada es lo que parece. Dos de sus habitantes esconden un secreto. Renée, la portera, lleva mucho tiempo fingiendo ser una mujer común. Paloma tiene doce años y oculta una inteligencia extraordinaria. Ambas llevan una vida solitaria, mientras se esfuerzan por sobrevivir y vencer la desesperanza. La llegada de un hombre misterioso al edificio propiciará el encuentro de estas dos almas gemelas. Juntas, Renée y Paloma descubrirán la belleza de las pequeñas cosas. Invocarán la magia de los placeres efímeros e inventarán un mundo mejor. La elegancia del erizo es un pequeño tesoro que nos revela cómo alcanzar la felicidad gracias a la amistad, el amor y el arte. Mientras pasamos las páginas con una sonrisa, las voces de Renée y Paloma tejen, con un lenguaje melodioso, un cautivador himno a la vida. Muriel Barbery se ha convertido en la revelación literaria en Francia. Su ternura y originalidad le han valido el Premio de los Libreros, el reconocimiento de la crítica y el cariño del público, que la ha situado en las listas de los libros más vendidos durante un año. «Un cuento moderno, refrescante e inteligente», Le Figaro; «La nostalgia atemporal de Marcel Proust y el frescor de Philippe Delerm... Divertida, inteligente... aérea como un haiku», L’Express; «Decir que Muriel Barbery tiene talento es quedarse corto... Tiene un humor devastador», Le Nouvel Observateur.

Ens trobem al mateix bloc de pisos del número 7 de la rue Grenelle de L''elegància de l''eriçó, custodiat per la portera Renée. El veí del quart, monsieur Arthens, el crític gastronòmic més important del món, s''està morint a la seva habitació, i un únic pensament el té capficat: «Moriré, i no aconsegueixo recordar aquell sabor que em tenallava el cor». En les poques hores que li queden de vida, viatjarà a través dels sentits a la recerca d''aquell únic sabor oblidat que encarna la veritat primera i última, l''essència dels plaers més purs: el perfum de les sardines a la brasa que cuinava el seu avi, les olors de les platges, els horts i els jardins, els primers licors...Amb el seu estil ric i una sensibilitat tendra i plena d''humor, Muriel Barbery esbossa el retrat d''un home i el balanç de tota una vida plena de llums i ombres, i aconsegueix excitar fins al límit les nostres papil·les gustatives.

A French food critic faces his mortality in an "entertaining [and] witty" novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog ( Newsday). In the heart of Paris, in the same posh building made famous in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Pierre Arthens, the greatest food critic in the world, is dying. Revered by some and reviled by many, Monsieur Arthens has been lording it over the world''s most esteemed chefs for years, passing judgment on their creations, deciding their fates with a stroke of his pen, destroying and building reputations on a whim. But now, during his final hours, his mind has turned to simpler things. He is desperately searching for that singular flavor, that sublime something once sampled, never forgotten, the flavor par excellence. Indeed, this flamboyant and self-absorbed man desires only one thing before he dies: one last taste. Thus begins a charming voyage that traces the career of Monsieur Arthens from childhood to maturity across a celebration of all manner of culinary delights. Alternating with the voice of the supercilious Arthens is a chorus belonging to his acquaintances and familiars—relatives, lovers, a would-be protégé, even a cat. Each will have his or her say about M. Arthens, a man who has inspired only extreme emotions in people. Here, as in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery''s story celebrates life''s simple pleasures and sublime moments while condemning the arrogance and vulgarity of power. "Lush and satisfying prose." — Publishers Weekly

The phenomenal New York Times bestseller that "explores the upstairs-downstairs goings-on of a posh Parisian apartment building" ( Publishers Weekly). In an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible—short, plump, middle-aged, with bunions on her feet and an addiction to television soaps. Her only genuine attachment is to her cat, Leo. In short, she''s everything society expects from a concierge at a bourgeois building in an upscale neighborhood. But Renée has a secret: She furtively, ferociously devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With biting humor, she scrutinizes the lives of the tenants—her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. Talented and precocious, she''s come to terms with life''s seeming futility and decided to end her own on her thirteenth birthday. Until then, she will continue hiding her extraordinary intelligence behind a mask of mediocrity, acting the part of an average pre-teen high on pop culture, a good but not outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter. Paloma and Renée hide their true talents and finest qualities from a world they believe cannot or will not appreciate them. But after a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they will begin to recognize each other as kindred souls, in a novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us, and "teaches philosophical lessons by shrewdly exposing rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors" ( Kirkus Reviews). "The narrators'' kinetic minds and engaging voices (in Alison Anderson''s fluent translation) propel us ahead." — The New York Times Book Review "Barbery''s sly wit . . . bestows lightness on the most ponderous cogitations." — The New Yorker

The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu.

Portnersken Renée og den 12-årige Paloma finder sammen i et venskab med en rig, ældre japaner, der flytter ind i deres opgang.

Siamo a Parigi in un elegante palazzo abitato da famiglie dell’alta borghesia. Dalla sua guardiola assiste allo scorrere di questa vita di lussuosa vacuità la portinaia Renée, che appare in tutto e per tutto conforme all’idea stessa della portinaia: grassa, sciatta, scorbutica e teledipendente. Invece, all’insaputa di tutti, Renée è una coltissima autodidatta, che adora l’arte, la filosofia, la musica, la cultura giapponese. Poi c’è Paloma, la figlia di un ministro ottuso; dodicenne geniale, brillante e fin troppo lucida che, stanca di vivere, ha deciso di farla finita (il 16 giugno, giorno del suo tredicesimo compleanno, per l’esattezza). Fino ad allora continuerà a fingere di essere una ragazzina mediocre e imbevuta di sottocultura adolescenziale come tutte le altre. Due personaggi in incognito, quindi, diversi eppure accomunati dallo sguardo ironicamente disincantato, che ignari l’uno dell’impostura dell’altro si incontreranno solo grazie all’arrivo di monsieur Ozu, un ricco giapponese, il solo che saprà smascherare Renée e il suo antico, doloroso segreto.