Three by Echenoz

Big Blondes, Piano, and Running

Three of the Prix Goncourt winner’s greatest novels, collected for the first time—with an introduction by Liesl Schillinger

In a major publishing event, this wonderful volume gathers three remarkable novels from the “most distinctive French voice of his generation” (The Washington Post), demonstrating the award-winning author’s extraordinary versatility and elegant playfulness at its finest.

“A parodic thriller sparkling with wit” (L’Humanité), Big Blondes is a darkly comedic, noir-style tour de force that probes our universal obsession with fame, as a television documentary producer tries to track down a renowned singer who has mysteriously disappeared.

“Fluid, never forced . . . like a garment that fits beautifully even inside-out” (Elle), Piano brings Dante’s Inferno to contemporary Paris, following Max Delmarc, a concert pianist suffering from paralyzing stage fright and alcoholism, as he meets his untimely death and descends through purgatory—part luxury hotel, part minimum-security prison—into a modern vision of hell that is a lot like modern-day Paris.

Running (translated by Linda Coverdale) is “a small wonder of writing and humanity” (L’Express)—a portrait of the legendary Czech athlete Emil Zátopek, who became a national hero, winning three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics even as he was compelled to face the unyielding realities of life under an authoritarian regime.

Books by Jean Echenoz

Big Blondes

Jean Echenoz

Ravel
A Novel

Jean Echenoz

Running
A Novel

Jean Echenoz

Lightning
A Novel

Jean Echenoz

Goodreads Reviews