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An urban antidote to A Year in Provence, Stephen Clarke’s book is a laugh-out-loud account of any year in the life span of any expat in Paris— for Francophiles and Francophobes alike
A YEAR IN THE MERDE is the almost-true account of the author’s adventures as an expat in Paris. Based loosely by himself experience and with names changed to “avoid embarrassment, possible legal action and also to avoid the author’s legs being broken by someone in a Yves Saint Laurent suit (or potentially, a Christian Dior skirt), ” PER ANNUM IN THE MERDE is the story of any Paul West, a 27-year-old Brit who is taken to Paris by the French company to open a chain of British “tea rooms.” He soon becomes immersed in the contradictions of French culture: the French aren't all cheese-eating surrender monkeys, though they are doing eat a lot of smelly cheese; they are still in shock at being stupid enough to sell Louisiana, thus losing the opportunity to make French the global language, while going on strike is the next national participation sport after pétanque. He also illuminates how to get the best from the grumpiest Parisian waiter, how to survive a French business meeting, and exactly how not to buy a residence in the French countryside.
The author originally wrote PER ANNUM IN THE MERDE just for fun and self-published it in France in an English language edition. Weeks later, it had become a word-of-mouth hit for expats and the French alike, even outselling Bill Clinton’s memoir at Paris’s fabled American bookstore Brentano’s. With translation rights now sold in eleven countries, Stephen Clarke is clearly a Bill Bryson (or a Peter Mayle...) for a whole new generation of readers who can never quite decide whether they love—or love to hate—the French.
