Au Revoir, Tristesse: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature

by Groskop, Viv

Unclassified

Published 24/06/2021 by Abrams (Abrams Press) in the United States.

Paperback | 256 pages

A blend of literary history, memoir, and self-help that shows how French literature can bring humor, happiness, and romance to our lives

Like many people the world over, Viv Groskop wishes she was a little more French. A writer and comedian, Groskop studied the language obsessively starting at age 11 and spent every vacation in France, desperate to escape her Englishness and to have some French chic rub off on her.

In Au Revoir, Tristesse, Groskop mixes literary history and memoir to show how the classics of French literature can expose us to another way of living, infuse our days with joie de vivre, and teach us how to say goodbye to sadness. Groskop explores the frothy hedonism of Colette, the wit of Cyrano de Bergerac, the intoxicating universe of Marguerite Duras, and the heady passions of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

With chapters on Marcel Proust, Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Stendhal, Honore de Balzac, Albert Camus, and, of course, Francoise Sagan, this is a delectable read for lovers of books and all things French.