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.